Research
Our research spans multiple themes of sustainable energy and policy integration:
- Renewable Energy Systems and Technologies
- Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Buildings
- Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)
- Hydrogen Economy and Emerging Technologies
- Energy Policy, Governance, and Climate Justice
- Sustainable Supply Chains and Decarbonization
Research Topics
- Need for R&D in the Power sector.
- Closing Power sector financial gap.
- Market liberalization and competition in Power sector transmission and distribution.
- Improving efficiency and quality of service in the energy sector
- Role of IPPs in power sector; A Critical Review.
- Evaluating NEPRA’s role in Power sector issues.
- Improving energy access at low cost.
- Grid, Mini-grid and off-grid solutions to expand access to electricity services
- Cost effectiveness of Pakistan’s investment in power sector comparison with investment in other sector.
- Benefits of Solar home system: An analysis from other countries’ experiences
- Energy subsidies & affordability
- Global experiences in electricity and gas utilities performance determinants.
- Potential and challenges in coal based generation in Pakistan
- Scope for Solar energy in Pakistan
- Introduction of pre-paid smart meters as a tool to cut power theft.
- Challenges for the Energy policy 2014.
- Improving industrial energy efficiency in SMEs in Punjab.
- Road map for promoting wind energy in Pakistan.
- Pakistan’s Energy Security : learning lessons from the past.
- Controlling power theft : legal, regulatory and administrative perspective.
- Choosing alternate sources of energy : learning from global experiences.
- Pakistan’s energy conservation strategy: how successful have we been.
- Alternate methods of Tariff setting in power sector.
- Rationalizing tariff regime in Pakistan’s power sector.
- Linkage between Tariff differential subsidy, circular debt and power outages.
- Role of public versus private sectors in power generation: performance and pricing
- Distributed generation: benefits and challenges.
- Need for aligning building codes with energy conservation.
- Unlocking hydel power generation potential in Pakistan.
- Energy economics: need for focussing on least cost generation technologies.
- Role of Academia in resolving energy crisis in Pakistan.
- Readiness of national grid to transmit power from wind and solar sources
- Learning from global best practices in energy management.
Affiliated Research Groups
- Biomass Conversion Research Group (BCRG): This group conducts research on the conversion of biomass into value-added products such as biofuels, chemicals, and materials. The group focuses on the development of new technologies for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels and bioproducts.
- PRESTIGE-Process & Energy Systems Engineering Center This center focuses on the development of new process systems and technologies for the efficient use of energy and natural resources. This center conducts research on the design, optimization, and control of process systems, with a focus on energy efficiency, process intensification, and sustainable production.
- Biorefinery Engineering & Microfluidics Research Group (BEAM): This group conducts research on the behavior of fluids at the microscale and the design of microfluidic devices for various applications. The group is working on developing new microfabrication techniques and modeling tools to design and optimize microfluidic devices. They also work on developing new materials and methods for controlling and manipulating fluids at the microscale.
- Clean Technologies Energy Technologies: The Clean Energy Technology Research Group promotes innovative renewable solutions to address Pakistan’s energy challenges. From next-generation solar and fuel cells to advanced energy storage and nanomaterials, the program aims to develop sustainable technologies for a secure energy future.
- Power, Energy, Robotics and Control (PERC): PERC is a multidisciplinary group that fosters collaborative research efforts and advance in the areas of efficient and sustainable Power System technologies and application of control systems theory in this area. The group is engaged in developing both fundamental and applied knowledge that is required for the next generation of low-emission, high efficiency power generation system and will also provide assistance to industry in power and energy issues.
- Micro, Nano-Magnetic Materials and Devices: Supports cutting-edge research in imaging and spectroscopy. With the successful installation of an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and complementary tools including an inverted optical microscope, the lab offers advanced capabilities for nanoscale science and materials analysis. Upcoming facilities such as UV-VIS and Raman/PL spectroscopy systems will further strengthen research and innovation in this field.