We sit down with one of the co-authors of Ocean Energy Modeling and Simulation with Big Data to find out more about his area of expertise and what motivates him to carry out his research.        

Dr. Vikas Khare, Associate Professor (Electrical) and Placement Coordinator, STME, NMIMS, Indore, India

What is your area of expertise?

At the age of 36 I have expertise in only 6 letters of the alphabet:

B: Big Data

D: Data Analysis

E: Electric Vehicles

G: Game Theory

O: Optimization Technique

R: Renewable Energy

In the next 6 years I want to become an expert in all 26 letters of the alphabet!

How would you explain your current work to a stranger on a bus?

I work on the qualitative and quantitative assessment of ocean energy systems. In other words, how to best produce renewable energy from our oceans.

Where do you carry out most of your work?

From my Institute NMIMS, Indore, India

What first inspired you to study Ocean Energy?

“Water is the most prominent part of our life, so why not we create the second most important part of our life, electricity, through water?”

Ocean energy is an increasingly important source of potential renewable energy. Oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, making them the world’s largest solar collectors. The land surface gets more heated due to the rays from the sun, while water stays comparatively cooler, and this temperature difference creates thermal energy.

What’s the most exciting part of your job?

It’s just fun!!! Actually, for me the most exciting part is in making new discoveries and working with great researchers and academicians from around the world to solve global problems.

What keeps you awake at night?

My dreams; the great scientist and former President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam said, “A dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is something that does not let you sleep.”

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned this week?

I learned of new applications for my work in a statistical program called R.

What do you think will be the next big discovery or development in your field?

A photo-voltaic system (solar panels) that can produce energy during the day and night! Solar panels require sunlight to generate electricity for your home, so they do not work in darkness. The confusion around solar working at night is often due to the concept of solar storage, which allows homes to still have energy supply at night. Now lots of scientists are working towards how photo-voltaic panels might work at night, looking at what possible material they can use to make the panels function in darkness.

How have you used books for your own professional research and how it influenced your work, research or thinking, or help you solve a problem in your field? What outcome did it lead to?

The most valuable features of this book are as an introduction to the utilization of big data concepts in the field of ocean renewable energy. I hope that by reading my book the audience will understand how to develop ways to predict tidal current, wave phenomena, and wind velocity in ways that can be applied to ocean energy systems. I also provide useful content on the significance of HADOOP, NoSQL and Map Reduction, which are software that will help researchers in the use of big data to improve ocean renewable energy generation.

About the book:

Ocean Energy Modeling and Simulation with Big Data

• Introduces computational methods for processing and analysing data to predict ocean energy system production, assess their efficiency, and ensure their reliable connection to power grids
• Covers data processing solutions like Hadoop, NoSQL, Map Reduce and Lambda, discussing their applications in ocean energy for system design and optimization
• Provides practical exercises that demonstrate the concepts explored in each chapter

The book is available now on ScienceDirect. Want your own copy? Enter code STC320 when you order via the Elsevier store to save up to 30%

About the Author:

Vikas Khare is an Associate Professor in the School of Technology, Management and Engineering, NMIMS, Indore M.P., India. He obtained his M.Tech (Honours) in Energy Management from DAVV Indore, India, and his Ph.D. from the National Institute of Technology Bhopal, India. He is also a certified energy manager under the bureau of energy efficiency in India. His main research interests are renewable energy systems, Electric vehicle optimization techniques, big data, and game theory. Khare has published various research papers with highly respected publishers such as Elsevier and Taylor & Francis, published 4 books, 2 with Elsevier entitled “Tidal Energy Systems: Design, Optimization and control” and Ocean Energy Modeling and Simulation with Big Data