Abstract:
The quality of living and the national security of a country is highly dependent
upon energy. It is therefore becoming increasingly common for countries to
include energy-related matters under the purview of the Ministry of Defence
or Department of Defence of the country. As fossil fuels started fast
diminishing in the last few decades and with firm predictions of a global
energy crisis within the next few decades, many R&D and industrial sectors
have shifted their focus to developing non-conventional energy sources and
energy-storing devices to meet future demands. The scientific & technological
communities have learned over the last five to ten years that single-field
experts are unable to accomplish energy goals. Non-conventional energy
sources are so diverse that even extracting energy from one source requires
expertise in multiple disciplines; electrical, mechanical, physics, chemistry,
microbiology, meteorology, environmental sciences, sociology, law, IT & AI,
etc. A country's S&T frontiers need to realize this reality as soon as possible
in order for its society to survive in the future. It is imperative that Sri Lanka,
a low-income and oceanic-tropical country with limited land availability,
develops its vision, mission, and roadmap concerning energy (national energy
policy) in a way that optimizes resources and minimizes environmental
impacts. With respect to energy sources, the country may give priority to solar
PV (both on-land and floating), solar thermal (especially at the rural domestic
level), biofuel (algae, purposely grown vegetables, non-edible plants,
vegetable refuses such as potato peels, and food wastes), biomass (dendro
power), mini/micro-hydro, mega/mini/micro-wind, ocean wave and ocean
thermal. In the case of energy storage systems, the country may pay attention
to batteries and hydrogen for the time being as many other technologies such
as mechanical and thermal storage, flywheel, back-pump hydro etc. are not
proven economically viable for a developing country. We propose the
government appoint national task forces to investigate the risks and potentials
of each identified energy source and to assess the availability of crossdisciplinary
expertise in the country for capacity building. The human
resources lacking in the country could be filled up with the knowledge and
skills of expatriates who may be willing to volunteer in giving their services
and support.
