Clean Energy: Technology, Advances and Applications

The text discusses various technologies and methods that help in generating clean and renewable forms of energy. It also covers the use of fuels in energy conversion media such as internal combustion engines and compares these with existing fossil fuels. This book also focuses on green hydrogen revolution and the urban heat island effect.

This book

• covers topics such as sustainable biodiesel production, photovoltaic (PV) device optimization and performance enhancement, maximizing energy production, and improving the overall efficiency, reliability, and performance of solar energy systems.

• explains energy‑efficient green buildings, blue–green infrastructure, high building energy demand, solar chimney, urban green spaces in reducing the urban heat island effect, urban air quality, building resilience to airborne pathogens, and challenges related to urban green infrastructure.

• discusses the carbon sequestration potential of urban parks, the evolution of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology, hydrogen production technologies, production and utilization of hydrogen as a future fuel for electric vehicles, and the evaluation of carbon emissions from various vehicles.

• presents solar‑based thermal energy systems, optimizing solar air heater performance, and solar‑integrated hydrogen production and utilization in India.

• illustrates agro‑residue‑derived biochar for environmental management and competing alternative fuel technologies for commercial vehicles in India.

The book is primarily written for senior undergraduates, graduate students, and academic researchers in the fields of mechanical engineering, environmental engineering, energy engineering, electrical engineering, electronics and communications engineering, automotive engineering, and renewable energy.

Tikendra Nath Verma earned a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree in mechanical engineering with first division from Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla University, Raipur (Chhattisgarh), in 2006. He completed his Master’s degree in thermal engineering in 2009 at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). He earned a PhD from the National Institute of Technology, Raipur (Chhattisgarh). He joined the Institute of Technology, Korba (Chhattisgarh), as an assistant professor in July 2013 serving there until September 2015. He then joined the National Institute of Technology Manipur as an assistant professor in September 2015, where he worked until May 2020. In June 2020, he joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, as an assistant professor. He is currently an associate professor in MANIT, Bhopal. He has three ongoing projects supported by various funding agencies, including the Department of Science and Technology‑Core Research Grant (DST‑CRG), Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP)‑III, Seed Grant, and DST Manipur. He has published more than 213 research articles (11 in Science Citation Index (SCI)/Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and 35 in Scopus) in various national and international journals, book chapters, and conferences (51) with high impact factors. His work has been cited 5194 times, with an h‑index of 44 and an i10 index of 97. He has successfully guided six PhD and 22 MTech students. He has organized several programs as a convener and organizing secretary for different Faculty Development Programme (FDPs), workshops, and seminars. He holds six granted patents and has filed six patents in India and Australia. He serves as a guest editor for the Environmental Science & Pollution Research, Materials Today: Proceedings, and Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. He is also the editor of Vegetable Oil Volume 1: Biofuel Technology and Volume 2: Future of Different Seeds Oil. Recently, he was featured in "Top 2% scientist of the world from India in all fields" by a survey conducted by Stanford University. He is an active member of the Institution of Engineers (India) (IEI), Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power, and the Indian Society of Heat and Mass Transfer. He also organized four KARYASHALA (High‑End Workshops) under the DST SERB Scheme (each 5 lakhs).

Thokchom Subhaschandra Singh earned a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in mechanical engineering with First Class with Distinction and a Master of Engineering (ME) in thermal engineering with First Class with Distinction from Anna University, Chennai. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology Manipur. He is currently an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the National Institute of Technology Manipur and has over 8 years of teaching experience. He has completed projects funded by DST Manipur and TEQIP‑III, NIT Manipur. He has published numerous research articles in reputed international and national journals and presented his work at international and national conferences. He has supervised more than 15 MTech students in thermal and fluids engineering at NIT Manipur. He is also associated with the IEI Manipur State Centre as the Honorary Secretary (2023 onward) and has previously served as the Joint Honorary Secretary of the State Centre of the IEI (2018–2021 and 2021–2023). He has published book chapters with reputed publishers and has reviewed many articles in reputed journals. He has been granted three Australian patents and one Indian design patent. He successfully established "Fuel Production and Testing Laboratory" in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NIT Manipur in 2020. He holds professional memberships in reputed organizations such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Institute of Engineers (IE) (India), International Association of Engineers (IAENG), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and Indian Society of Mechanical Engineers (ISME).

Upendra Rajak earned a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree in mechanical engineering with first division from Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) in 2010. He completed his Master’s degree in hydro power engineering in 2013 from the Department of Civil Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). He served as an assistant professor in the Vidhyapeeth Institute of Science & Technology, Bhopal, from July 2013 to July 2016. He earned his PhD from the National Institute of Technology Imphal (Manipur). He joined the Rajeev Gandhi Memorial College of Engineering and Technology, Nandyal, as an assistant professor in February 2020 and is currently working as an assistant professor (Grade II) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research interests include computational fluid dynamics, heat and mass transfer, and renewable energy and alternative fuels in internal combustion engines. He has published more than 100 papers in SCI‑ and Scopus‑indexed journals, authored two books, and contributed to seven book chapters in reputed publishers. He also serves as a potential reviewer for reputed journals such as Energy, Fuel, SN Applied Sciences, International Journal of Thermal Engineering, and Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects.

Prerana Nashine earned a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Raipur, Chhattisgarh. She completed her Master’s degree in energy system and pollution from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Raipur (Chhattisgarh). She earned her PhD from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. She has 8 years of teaching experience and 1.5 years of industrial experience. She worked as a mechanical engineer at DSC Limited. She worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Manipur Technical University, Imphal. From November 2022, she has been working as an assistant professor in the PSS Central Institute of Vocational Education (a constituent unit of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) under the Ministry of Education, Government of India). She has published 37 research articles (25 in SCI, 8 in Scopus, and 4 in University Grant Commission (UGC)‑approved/non‑SCI‑approved journals) in various national and international journals with high impact factors. She has also organized programs as a convener and organizing secretary for different FDPs, workshops, and seminars. Additionally, she has served as a potential reviewer for reputed journals.

Gaurav Dwivedi completed his BTech in mechanical engineering from I.K. Gujrat Punjab Technical University (IKGPTU), Jalandhar; MTech in energy systems from IIT Roorkee; and PhD in renewable energy (biofuel) from IIT Roorkee, India. He has 12 years of teaching experience in mechanical and energy engineering, during which he taught various subjects such as IC engine, thermodynamics, fluid machinery, and bioenergy at various institutes including VIT University, Vellore, and Amity University, Noida. Currently, he is an assistant professor in the Energy Centre at the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, India. His research interests include biodiesel production methodology, enhancement of fuel properties, and the application of biofuel and hydrogen in engine operations. He has published more than 150 papers in various international journals and presented his work in various international conferences, with more than 80 papers indexed in SCI and Scopus. Additionally, he has authored four books with international publishers and contributed to 12 book chapters. He received the Young Scientist Award at NIT Trichy for his contributions to the field of renewable energy. He is an active member of the IEI, Solar Energy Society of India, and IEEE. He also served as a guest editor for international journals including Sustainable Energy Technology and Assessment, Materials Today: Proceedings, and the Journal of Traffic and Transportation. He is currently managing three ongoing projects with a combined funding of more than 45 lakhs, sponsored by DST and MPCST. He also been featured in "Top 2% scientist of the world from India (all fields)" for the years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, according to a survey conducted by Stanford University.

Ashwani Kumar holds a PhD in mechanical engineering, specializing in mechanical vibration and design. Currently, he serves as a senior lecturer in mechanical engineering at the Technical Education Department of Uttar Pradesh, India, under the Government of Uttar Pradesh, a position he has held since December 2013. Prior to this, Dr. Kumar worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Graphic Era University, Dehradun, India from July 2010 to November 2013. With over 14 years of combined experience in research, academia, and administration, Dr. Kumar has held various roles, including coordinator for All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)‑Extension of Approval, nodal officer for the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana for Technical Institutes (PMKVY‑TI) Scheme (Government of India), internal coordinator for the CDTP Scheme (Government of Uttar Pradesh), industry‑academia relation officer, assistant centre superintendent in the Institute Examination Cell, zonal officer for conducting the Joint Entrance Examination (Diploma), and Sector Magistrate for State Assembly Elections held in Uttar Pradesh. As an academician and researcher, Dr. Kumar serves as the series editor for five book series: Advances in Manufacturing, Design and Computational Intelligence Techniques, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Developments, Smart Innovations and Technological Advancements in Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Energy Systems, and Computational Intelligence and Biomedical Engineering. Furthermore, he is the guest editor for a special issue titled "Sustainable Buildings, Resilient Cities, and Infrastructure Systems" in Buildings (ISSN: 2075‑5309, I.F. 3.8). Dr. Kumar serves as editor‑in‑chief of the International Journal of Materials, Manufacturing and Sustainable Technologies (ISSN: 2583‑6625) and as editor of the International Journal of Energy Resources Applications (ISSN: 2583‑6617). Additionally, he acts as a guest editor and editorial board member for eight international journals and a review board member for 20 prestigious international journals indexed in SCI/SCIE/Scopus, including Applied Acoustics, Measurement, Journal of Engineering Science and Technology (JESTEC), and Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (AJSE). Dr. Kumar has an extensive publication record, with more than 100 articles in journals, book chapters, and conferences. He has authored, co‑authored, and edited more than 40 books in mechanical, materials, and renewable energy engineering. He holds three patents and has been recognized for his contributions to academia and research, earning the title of Best Teacher for excellence in both fields. Actively engaged in academic pursuits, Dr. Kumar has successfully supervised 15 BTech, MTech, and PhD theses and serves as an external doctoral committee member of S.R.M. University, New Delhi. He is associated with various international conferences as an invited speaker, session chair, advisory board member, review board member, and program committee member. He has delivered numerous invited talks in webinars, FDPs, and workshops. His current research interests include AI and ML in mechanical engineering, smart materials and manufacturing techniques, thermal energy storage, building efficiency, renewable energy harvesting, and sustainable mobility. Dr. Kumar’s ORCID ID is 0000‑0003‑4099‑935X, and his Google Scholar web link is https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=KOILpEkAAAAJ.