Chairholders

Profile

Amit Kumar

Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Alberta

Chair title

NSERC/Cenovus/Alberta Innovates Associate Industrial Research Chair in Energy and Environmental Systems Engineering

Chair program

Industrial Research Chairs program

Role

Associate Chairholder since 2012

Summary

Canada is a leading energy-producing country, and its energy sector plays a critical role in the economy. The production, conversion, and use of energy, directly and indirectly, have environmental impacts. Increases in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, fresh water consumption, and disturbances in land use patterns are important environmental issues facing Canada’s energy sector. While there is considerable research on the development of energy technologies, there is little systems-level research on the technologies’ nexuses with the environment or detailed energy-environmental systems assessments.

This Chair’s program, under the leadership of Dr. Kumar, an expert in conventional and non-conventional energy system evaluation, focuses on systems-level assessments of energy production, conversion, and use technologies and their environmental impacts. The program will extend the fundamental research capacity in this strategically relevant area in Canada. The focus of the Industrial Research Chair program is to identify pathways to low carbon energy systems based on cost, life cycle environmental impacts, and resource availability. The research program is aimed at assessing technologies of energy production, conversion, and use at the systems level, along with associated environmental impacts through development of fundamental science based models. The program will train researchers who would contribute to Canadian workforce and will help in contributing towards Canada’s effort in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The goal is to develop energy-environmental modeling capacity to support policy formulation and assessment, and to provide the Canadian energy industry with the modeling tools to assess both environmental impacts and economic viability in order to compare different energy options and strategies. The program will train highly qualified personnel in energy and environmental systems engineering.

Research themes include integrated energy-environmental planning and forecasting; environmental footprints and energy return on investment (EROI) of energy conversion pathways over a life cycle; and techno-economic assessments of energy conversion pathways.

The Chair program will significantly benefit industry, by clarifying the most environmentally promising energy pathways for research and development; policy makers, through directions needed to reduce environmental impacts associated with fuel production and consumption; and Canadians, by providing input into environmentally friendly energy pathways. This Chair program has the potential to contribute significantly to Canada both in terms of the scientific knowledge and highly trained personnel in the workforce.

Partners

• Cenovus Energy Inc.
• Alberta Innovates
• Suncor Energy
• Natural Resources Canada/Ressources naturelles Canada
• Environment and Climate Change Canada

Contact information

Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta

Email: Amit.Kumar@ualberta.ca

Website:
http://www.ualbertaenergysystems.ca/