The fifth AUN/SEED-Net regional conference on new/renewable energy (RCNRE 2012)

Rapid growth of the world population has brought along the unavoidable and critical increase in the demand of energy consumption. The situation has been intensified by the lack of low-cost energy resources and the unawareness of air pollution resulted from auto-mobiles and power plants. Researchers have been making continuous effort to search for new technologies responding to energy conversion efficiency and eliminating emissions. To ensure a continuity and sustainability of this effort, the regional conference is aimed to be a forum in which an exchange of new knowledge among researchers, academicians, or industrialist can be encouraged and strengthened.

The Regional Conference (RC) is an annual event organized by one of the Member Institutions (MIs) on rotational basis once every Japanese fiscal year. Four regional conferences were held: ITB, Bandung 3/2009, Burapha University, Chonburi 1/2010, Universiti Sains Malaya, Penang 10/2010, and HCMUT, Ho Chi Minh City 10/2011. New and Renewable Energy is one of the five interdisciplinary areas in which ITB is the Main Facilitating Institution (MFI) under the AUN/SEED-Net Project Scheme.

The 5th Regional Conference on New and Renewable Energy was hosted by School of Transportation Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) from 26 to 27 September, 2012. Assoc. Prof. Dr Pham Hoang Luong, Vice President of HUST participated and gave the opening speech.

There were 128 participants coming from 9 countries joining this conference. The RCNRE 2012 was also marked the first time of this conference series an integration with Sustainable Energy and Environment Forum (See forum) and getting secondary support from industry. The participants had opportunity to listen to 6 keynote lectures coming from Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Spain and Vietnam. 64 papers were selected and reviewed by the experts from International Scientific Advisory Committee and Local Scientific Committee out of 102 abstracts and 67 manuscripts. The papers were divided into 5 main sections and 4 parallel sessions: Alternative Energies, Alternative Fuels, Energy Efficiency, Clean Vehicles & Bio-fuels Chemical Processing. The proceedings of the conference has been published by Bach Khoa Publishing House and registered ISBN: 978-604-911-121-1 number.

Group photo taken within the plenary session

Panel discussion

RCNRE 2012 has successfully evaluated by all participants. Almost all participants have also been grateful with the hospitality of the host institution and the professional in organizing a such big event. The host of The 6th Regional Conference on New and Renewable Energy 2013 was decided to go to Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia.

By HUST