Shamma Alasad

Bio: Shamma Alasad is an academic researcher from University of Sharjah. The author has contributed to research in topics: Renewable energy & Work (physics). The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 5 publications receiving 22 citations.

Applicability of Hydropower Generation and Pumped Hydro Energy Storage in the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract: Energy storage for medium- to large-scale applications is an important aspect of balancing demand and supply cycles. Hydropower generation coupled with pumped hydro storage is an old but effective supply/demand buffer that is a function of the availability of a freshwater resource and the ability to construct an elevated water reservoir. This work reviews the technological feasibility of hydropower generation and also pumped hydro storage and its geographical distribution around the world. There is also an emphasis on installations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in terms of available capacity as well as past and future developments and expansions. A discussion is presented on a project taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Hatta region, which has a water reservoir that would be fit for utilization for pumped hydro storage applications. Once the project is commissioned in 2024, it will provide an estimated 2.06 TWh per year, helping the UAE achieve the goal of relying on 25% renewable energy resources in their energy mix by 2030. These results were obtained by using EnergyPLAN software to project the effect of utilizing various energy resources to face the expected demand of ~38 TWh in 2030.

Cultivation of Nannochloropsis algae for simultaneous biomass applications and carbon dioxide capture

Abstract: Biological plants such as algae have a great potential of fixating CO2 from flue gases or atmospheric air and converting it into useful biomass. This is because CO2 is part of their photosynthesis ...

Investigating Calotropis Procera natural dye extracts and PDOT:PSS hole transport material for dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract: Received: February 24th, 2021 ; Accepted: May 2nd, 2021 ; Published: May 4th, 2021 ; Correspondence: aalalami@sharjah.ac.ae

Review: Biofuel production from plant and algal biomass

Abstract: Abstract Biofuels are the promising alternative to exhaustible, environmentally unsafe fossil fuels. Algal biomass is attractive raw for biofuel production. Its cultivation does not compete for cropland with agricultural growing of food crop for biofuel and does not require complex treatment methods in comparison with lignocellulose-enriched biomass. Many microalgae are mixotrophs, so they can be used as energy source and as sewage purifier simultaneously. One of the main steps for algal biofuel fabrication is the cultivation of biomass. Photobioreactors and open-air systems are used for this purpose. The formers allow the careful cultivation control, but the latter ones are cheaper and simpler. Biomass conversion processes may be divided to the thermochemical, chemical, biochemical methods and direct combustion. For biodiesel production, triglyceride-enriched biomass undergoes transetherification. For bioalcohol production, biomass is subjected to fermentation. There are three methods of biohydrogen production in the microalgal cells: direct biophotolysis, indirect biophotolysis, fermentation.

Energy storage systems: A review

Abstract: The world is rapidly adopting renewable energy alternatives at a remarkable rate to address the ever-increasing environmental crisis of CO2 emissions. Renewable Energy Systems (RES) offers enormous potential to decarbonize the environment because they produce no greenhouse gases or other polluting emissions. However, the RES relies on natural resources for energy generation, such as sunlight, wind, water, geothermal, which are generally unpredictable and reliant on weather, season, and year. To account for these intermittencies, renewable energy can be stored using various techniques and then used in a consistent and controlled manner as needed. Several researchers from around the world have made substantial contributions over the last century to developing novel methods of energy storage that are efficient enough to meet increasing energy demand and technological breakthroughs. This review attempts to provide a critical review of the advancements in the Energy Storage System (ESS) from 1850–2022, including its evolution, classification, operating principles and comparison.

Minimizing carbon footprint via microalgae as a biological capture

Abstract: The threatening crisis of climate change and pollution resulting from various anthropogenic interventions has attracted worldwide attention over the last few decades. However, carbon capture and storage (CCS) methods, once seen as a promising technology to mitigate this worrying scenario, are considered economically cumbersome, and their long term environmental implications are still unclear. Alternatively, biological capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) using microalgae is considered an attractive medium for recycling the excess CO2 generated from power plants, automobiles, volcanic eruptions, decomposition of organic matter, and forest fires. Furthermore, through microalgae, CO2 can be captured and recycled into biomass, which in turn could be utilized as a carbon source to produce lipids for the production of bioenergy and other value-added products. In the future, these products are expected to sustainably replace petroleum-derived transport fuel without affecting the food supply chain and crops directly or indirectly. This review focuses on existing literature for biological capture via microalgae to minimize carbon footprint. It also highlights the molecular tools, methodologies and microalgae species currently utilized for CO2 capture.