KEYNOTE SPEAKER

A Survey of Alternative Energy Sources and Conservation Approaches

Dr. Samir F. Moujaes
University of Nevada Las Vegas, USA

Abstract

This talk is a visual presentation/survey of several technologies covering alternative energy production as well as energy conservation, meant to heighten the interest of students in the subject. Escalating demand for energy, in a general sense, has created a particular and ever-increasing demand for alternative and renewable energy sources to help combat the shrinking supplies and/or increasing cost of retrieving conventional sources of carbon-based energy sources. This has given rise to a variety of approaches to try to achieve the goal of providing these alternative energy sources. The first approach is to try to provide, on a governmental fiscal level, tax incentives to entice consumers to use these technologies. These include, for example, tax rebates when installing photovoltaic systems in residential homes. Other technologies being looked at are: concentrating solar electric power generators, wind power, and geothermal generation of electric power or hydrogen production that can be thought of as an energy carrier.
The other side of the equation is to utilize technologies to try to restrain energy consumption so as to minimize the “energy footprint” of increasing energy usage. These technologies include, amongst others, better insulation, radiant barriers and reflective paints, and designing “zero energy” homes. Technologies such as these will help minimize energy usage in residences as well as institutional buildings. However, depending on where the residence/building is constructed some of these technologies may or may not be applicable.
Ultimately, in a free economy market forces will be driving the common place distribution of these technologies. For these technologies to survive on a large scale the life cycle costs must prove themselves as viable alternatives to the traditional energy generating technologies.

Biography of the Keynote Speaker

Dr. Moujaes received his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering respectively from the American University in Beirut (AUB) in 1972 and 75. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1980. His general area of research and teaching is in the Thermal Sciences.
Dr. Moujaes is currently a Full Professor of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He also has had seven years of prior experience in the area of R&D in alternative energy sources and in HVAC applications respectively. He has over 94 refereed publications in refereed journals and conferences. He is also an Associate editor of the Journal of Energy Engineering (JEE). He has obtained over $1.5 M in various funded projects over the last few years. These areas include high temperature hydrogen production applications using solar and nuclear energy, high level nuclear waste thermal issues, solar energy, indoor environmental quality issues, HVAC applications, energy conservation and issues relevant to air duct leakage in HVAC air delivery systems. He has also consulted with regional and national companies on some of these topics.
He has been active with several engineering societies and has founded three student chapters at UNLV those of ASME,ASHRAE and ANS as well as being the chair of the local ASME professional chapter for several years.