Drawing attention to depleting reserves of fossil fuel, Dr. APJ Kalam who breathed his last on Monday strongly advocated the urgent need for renewable sources of energy and a more efficient composite structure for automotive design.
Dr. Kalam has been former Head of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and is commonly known as Missile Man of India. Speaking at the inauguration of the Mahindra Research Valley in Chennai in April 2012, Kalam drew attention to the growing need for power requirements which could reach 4 lakh MW by 2030. In this regard he urged for more energy security through renewable energy generation.
Dr Kalam spoke of development of advanced technologies which would be the need of the hour considering the very limited reserves of fossil fuels. He encouraged M&M to develop such a solution and recommended a hybrid system which would use 40 percent water and 60 percent of fuel. Kalam also urged Mahindra Research Valley to think on the lines of ethanol and hydrogen fuel technologies, a message that was not just aimed at M&M but directed towards the entire industry.
Kalam was no automotive engineer but was aware that use of advanced material was vital for the auto industry. He wanted to see use of composite structure in automotive design and use of alternative fuels in the future.
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam at the Ignite Young Minds Ford SAMVAD During Jaipur Lit Fest 2015Ironically, Kalam’s final the topic of the lecture which he began to deliver to the students of IIM in Shillong was ‘Creating a Livable Planet Earth’. The speech was unfinished, but this 4000 word lecture written for the IIM students could be included in a new book.
