EESoc TAKES A STEP TOWARDS FUTURE WITH ELECTRIFIED TRANSPORTATION

BE READY TO WITNESS THE VIEWPOINT OF EXPERTS AT WATERS EDGE

The fuel of choice for efficient future transportation is yet to be unraveled. Fossil fuels are nearly dying off and it is time to find alternatives. As the leading energy institutions of the world are competing with each other with research and new inventions, electricity for transportation has been emerging as a practical solution. With a variety of locomotives and automobiles powered by electricity, running all around the world, one cannot simply ignore the significance of electrified transportation.

Sri Lanka too became familiar with the concept not very long ago.The introduction of hybrid vehicles from Toyota and Honda to the Sri Lankan market was a milestone in its electrified transportation. Though not very common, the sight of a full electrical vehicle roaming in streets of the suburbs is not rare. Recently plug-in hybrid vehicles have also been present in the Sri Lankan automobile market. All these reasons have made the people more willing to buy hybrid vehicles today.

The Ministry of Transport of Sri Lanka and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have been working together to formulate a Master Plan for Urban Transportation in Colombo metropolitan area and recently proposed a ‘mono-rail system’ as the solution. Therefore, with all that going on, it is time to raise awareness among the public on what the future holds for electrified transportation in Sri Lanka.

Electrical engineering undergraduates of University of Moratuwa have taken the lead in bringing together a group of renowned personalities of the country to discuss the above matter. In this regard, a panel discussion will be held on the topic “Electrified Transportation – The step towards future” at Water’s Edge, Battaramulla on 12^th of February, 2015. The Electrical Engineering society (EESoc) of University of Moratuwa organizes a panel discussion on a timely topic in their sector as an annual event; where both delegates from public and the public sector, electrical engineers, academic staff of the university and undergraduates meet to discuss and share their opinions.

The moderator of the panel this time will be a renowned senior professor from the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Prof. Ranjit Perera. The panel includes six panelists namely; Dr. Narendra De. Silva, Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya, Prof. Amal S. Kumarage, Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan, Eng. Lakshitha Weerasinghe and Dr. Beshan Kulapala.

Dr.  Narendra de Silva, the Head of Engineering at LECO (Pvt) Ltd is also a graduate from the University of Moratuwa, and obtained his PhD from Herriot Watt University, Edinburgh, UK. Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya, being a fromer president of the Energy Managers Association of Sri Lanka and currently the Managing Director of Resource Management Associates (Pvt) Limited is considered as a premier energy consultant in Sri Lanka.

Prof. Amal Kumarage is a senior lecturer in the department of Transport and Logistics Management of the University of Moratuwa and a former chairman of the national transport commission. Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan is, a senior lecturer of the Department of Economics, University of Colombo and also a member of the Board of management of the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, served as the Secretary to the Ministry of Transport of Sri Lanka and the General Manager of the Sri Lanka Railways in his early years.

Mr. Lakshitha Weerasinghe is a charted engineer currently working as a chief engineer in Business and Operational Strategy at the Ceylon Electricity Board. Dr. Beshan Kulapala, a research scientist at CodeGen International, Sri Lanka, presently the project manager of Vega™ Electric Car Project, is an expert in leading CodeGen’s efforts to expand into electronic and mechatronic product development.

While inviting the aforementioned specialists to join the panel to guide the discussion, the EESoc has opened the arena for experts, authorities and other interested parties related to the industry, to share their ideas. Moreover, EESoc wishes to publish the outcomes of the panel for future expansion of the electrified transportation sector. A programme to engage the general public through surveys to enrich the panel discussion with the real world scenarios is already on the way. While raising the public awareness on the subject, this is expected to be a ray of hope to the betterment of the transport sector and the electricity demand management of the country.

Article By: Ravindi Ranasinghe

Posted in: EESoc Panel Discussion - 2015