WAPDA Power Projects to Generate 11,694 MW of Electricity.

on 04/10/2024

WAPDA Power Projects to Generate 11,694 MW of Electricity:

The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has outlined a strategic plan to significantly boost Pakistan’s energy sector by developing power projects that are expected to generate a total of 11,694 megawatts (MW) of electricity. These initiatives, which include a mix of hydropower and other renewable energy projects, aim to strengthen the country’s energy infrastructure and reduce dependency on expensive, non-renewable energy sources.

WAPDA’s efforts are primarily focused on harnessing the potential of hydropower, which is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly source of energy. The projects are expected to help meet the rising demand for electricity, reduce power shortages, and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the power sector in Pakistan.

Chinese Company Expresses Conditional Willingness to Operate Gwadar Power Plant

on 30/09/2024

China Power Partnership Corporation Limited (CPPCL) has shown conditional interest in continuing its work on the 300MW Gwadar power plant project, provided that certain terms and conditions are met. According to a report shared with the Pakistan government, CPPCL has highlighted various challenges impacting the feasibility and timely execution of the project, such as the ongoing security concerns in the region and financial issues.

CPPCL’s stance comes at a critical time when ensuring power generation and infrastructure development in Gwadar is seen as crucial for supporting local economic growth and advancing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiatives. The company’s willingness to move forward is contingent on the Pakistani government’s assurances regarding financial commitments, streamlined processes, and enhanced security measures for the project’s personnel and facilities.

What is ESG? and what special Pakistan cables have done in this regards?

on 30/09/2024

What is ESG? and what special Pakistan cables have done in this regards?

There is a movement all over the world. It has been in Pakistan for five years. It has picked up under the name of Environmental, Social, and Governance, which requires that all companies conduct their businesses in a complete framework which companies give them the opportunity to, in environmental ambit, social ambit, and sustainable way. Not only conduct, but also disclose their best practices, and report their initiatives.

Pakistan Cables has definitely taken a lead on ESG in it’s industry category. There is a lot of work that the company had already undertaken many years ago in the environmental side of things, other than the fact that we are obviously ISO 14001 certified. Our water treatment facility, affluent treatment facility, Pakistan Cables has also been based on the forest. Last year, Pakistan Cables, building material industry, was the first company that had their carbon emission reducing targets validated and approved by SBTI and also in Pakistan it was among the top four companies who got its targets validated. And this validation means that we have a commitment that by 2030 or by 2050 so we have to reduce our Carbons emissions.

Scientists create air-operated propeller able to drive vessels and ferries.

on 25/09/2024

Scientists say they have designed a propeller system that can replace electrical and diesel-operated engines currently used to drive ferries plowing through seas on pre-determined routes.
The propulsion system was created by a team at the University of Sharjah, and it is touted as more feasible economically, more efficient in terms of energy use than conventional engines, but more importantly it is friendly to the environment.
“The pneumatic system would prove more feasible both economically and from an energy efficiency perspective. The on-board compressed air tanks that drive an air motor, which in turn rotate the propeller, can be refilled with air at the end of the trip while waiting for passengers to board,” said team leader Abdul Hai Alami, who is University of Sharjah’s Professor of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering.
The scientists describe their invention as a bold step on the path of the transition from conventional engines to pneumatic propulsion. They forecast profound environmental benefits, such as reducing aerial emissions, water pollution from fuel and engine oils and excessive noise reduction.
Their research is reported in the journal Ocean Engineering in which the scientists outline their project studying the impact of equipping ferry boats with a pneumatically operated propeller to replace diesel-driven engines.
They write, “In this paper, an alternative propulsion method is proposed in the form of a pneumatically powered boat. The system is powered by an air motor-mounted propeller fed by an onboard compressed air tank(s).
“In contrast to typical propulsion systems, compressed air systems offer effective, clean, and sustainable propulsion systems. The system performance was analyzed and compared with that of an electrical propulsion system powered by electrochemical batteries.
“In addition, a life cycle analysis was conducted to quantify any reduction in carbon dioxide emissions due to the utilization of the pneumatic system.”
Prof. Alami said the pneumatic propeller his team created was tested on vessels transporting passengers and cargo on pre-determined routes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Famous for their popular name of Abra, these ferry boats are part of the country’s maritime culture and one of its main tourist attractions.
“The experimental results proved that compressed air is an effective alternative to electrical motors in terms of eco-friendliness, effectiveness, and sustainability,” the researchers note. “The pneumatic system provided a 6% extra propulsion force and a carbon footprint saving of 307 kgCO2/year over their electrical counterparts.”
Co-author Ahmad Yasin, a research assistant at Sustainable Energy and Power Systems Research Center (RISE), recounted numerous advantages for the pneumatic propeller over its diesel or electrical counterparts.
ngine an attractive solution,” he said. “Life-cycle assessment proves that the carbon footprint of the equipment and materials used are far less than conventional electric propulsion systems.”
Maitha Almheiri, a co-author and a student in the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering Department, predicted their invention would eventually become the means to drive cargo and passenger ferries over pre-determined maritime routes.
“Pneumatic engines for maritime propulsion would practically replace diesel and electric engines,” she said.
In their paper, the researchers provide evidence that “pneumatic systems offer a real advantage over other propulsion methods for ferryboat applications, which are defined by a constant trip length and path.”
Prof. Alami highlighted the main goal of the project, which he said was “to provide experimental information on the suitability of pneumatic propulsion for maritime transportation.
“The positive impacts on the marine environment are multifold, including lower pollution, noise reduction and significantly lower emissions.
“While it may not be suitable for leisure cruising purposes, the operation of the pneumatic system is well-suited for ferrying passengers between predefined stops.”
The scientists are currently exploring possibilities for utilizing their pneumatic power-driven machine and getting their proposed system installed in vessels in the UAE.
Prof. Alami said his team saw the installation of the system between the current ferry stops in Dubai as practically achievable, with compressed air tank recharge taking place while waiting for passengers to disembark and others to board.
“This sheds light on another advantageous aspect of pneumatic propulsion through rapid charge rates compared to electric systems as well as competing-well with diesel filling time.
“The proposed system has a much lower carbon footprint due to straightforward recyclability of the components that do not contain dangerous chemicals or reactive materials as is the case with battery-operated propulsion.”
The team is currently cooperating with two UAE establishments to industrialize their project. They have already introduced their pneumatic propeller to the Road and Transportation Authority in Dubai and the Sharjah Water Sports Club, which is equipped with a boat manufacturing facility.

Algorithm takes robots a step closer to being able to ‘act on intuition’.

on 25/09/2024

Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire have developed a new algorithm that will allow robots to function more intuitively—that is, make decisions using their environment for guidance.
The principle is that, through the algorithm, the robot agent creates its own goals.
For the first time, the algorithm unifies different goal-setting approaches under one concept which is tied directly to physics, and it furthermore makes this computation transparent so that others can study and adopt it.
The principle of the algorithm is related to the famous chaos theory, because the method makes the agent “master of the chaos of the system’s dynamics.”
The study has been published in the journal PRX Life. Herts researchers explored robot “motivation models” that mimic the decision-making processes of humans and animals, even in the absence of clear reward signals.
The study introduces artificial intelligence (AI) formulas that compute a way for a robot to decide future actions without direct instructions or human input.
Daniel Polani, Professor of Computer Science and senior author explains, “In an applied sense, what this could mean, for example, is getting a robot to play and manipulate objects on its own without being told to do so.
“It could enhance the way robots learn to interact both with humans and with other robots by encouraging more ‘natural’ behaviors and interactions.
“This has further applications—such as the survivability behavior of semiautonomous robots placed in situations where they are unreachable by a human operator, such as in subterranean or interplanetary locations.”
In humans and animals, one theory assumes the existence of an “intrinsic motivation,” where behaviors are driven only by the interaction between the being and its environment rather than by specific learned rewards, such as food. This paper successfully translates that “intrinsic motivation” theory into one that can be used by robotic agents.
Professor Polani adds, “This work is exciting because we can now implement a mechanism, similarly to those helping humans and animals solve new problems without prior experience, in robots.
“We expect that we can build on this work to develop more human-like robots in the future with more intuitive processes. It opens up a huge opportunity for more sophisticated robots with similar decision processes to us.”
The theory underlying this paper, called “empowerment maximization,” has been developed at Herts for many years. It suggests that by increasing the range of future outcomes, a robot will have better options also in the longer future. Importantly, this method replaces and thus possibly obviates traditional reward systems (e.g. food signals).
While empowerment maximization has shown promise, it is not yet fully understood or widely applied. Most studies used to rely on simulations, while meticulously calculating the necessary information for complex systems and the theory remains challenging.
However, this latest innovative research aims to explain why empowerment-based motivations can create behaviors similar to those of living organisms, potentially leading to more intrinsically motivated robots; and it additionally offers a significantly improved way to compute these motivations.
Professor Polani says the next steps are to use this breakthrough algorithm to allow robots to discover more about the world, developing direct learning and identifying and honing new skills that would drive their value in real-world scenarios.