Dr Firdaus Muhammad Sukki, lecturer @EdinburghNapier, 4th Annual #solarwind Power Conference co-chair, conducted several non-technical research including market trends & financial analysis related to renewable technologies for various countries.
Dr Firdaus Muhammad Sukki secured £65,000 from Royal Society of Edinburgh Personal Fellowship Award for his project “Fungal Innovations for Synergy of Zero Hunger and Affordable Energy for Sustainable Development (FUSE)”. Fungal dye resources can contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing a sustainable solution for clean energy production and addressing food security challenges. To combine the zero hunger and affordable energy goals, FUSE proposed using mushroom-derived natural dyes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) along with Concentrator Photovoltaics (CPV) technology to increase its electrical performance. Natural dyes are environmentally friendly and offer medicinal benefits. Fungi are a natural source of dye that can be substituted for plants. Medicinal mushrooms offer a wide range of safe organic dyes that may be produced inexpensively and in large quantities. Mushroom dyes may provide a less expensive choice for photovoltaic (PV) technology due to their non-toxic and environmentally friendly qualities. This project is expected to have significant impacts on the renewable energy sector and provide new opportunities for commercialization of sustainable technologies. As part of the collaborations, Dr Firdaus will work with experts from Malaysia including Solar Research Institute of Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia (Dr Nurfadzilah Ahmad), Universiti Malaya, Malaysia (Dr Wan Abd Al Qadr Imad Wan-Mohtar), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, (Dr Nurul Aini Bani) and Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Dr Siti Hawa Abu Bakar).
