The energy system links human activity to planetary equilibria. Human development implies the risk of large-scale disruption due to anthropogenic emissions (from fossil fuel combustion), changes in land use (agriculture and deforestation), real or perceived resource scarcity (potable water and oil), and threats to geopolitical stability.

Our research is focused on finding viable solutions to sustainable energy via clean technologies and effective policies. Examples of work in this area include calculations on the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for private and transit vehicles in the Lower Fraser Valley, studies on new sustainability assessment tools, and development of biological methods for waste-to-fuel conversion.

Despite their environmental and social benefits, fuel cells have not been incorporated into consumer products. Their performance and failure modes have not been translated into industrial and commercial standards, quality control protocols, and safety regulations.

Our research in this area includes work on: accelerated testing and component degradation, failure diagnosis, humidifier design, and material properties (e.g., membranes and electrodes).

Under a collaborative NRC-UBC agreement, we have investigated refueling systems for fuel cell vehicles. This research has modeled and measured the effects of the refueling conditions on the temperature distribution within a compressed hydrogen cylinder. The motivation was to identify the optimal sensor location(s) to enable fuel metering via temperature and pressure measurements only.

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