Insight into Metal Oxides FexMn1-xO-SDC as an Oxygen Carrier for Fuels Cells and Chemical Looping

Abstract

Due to the rise in energy demand, the globe is moving closer and closer to a serious power crisis [1]. Due to its expanding population and weak long-term planning for its energy-based infrastructure, Pakistan is currently experiencing its biggest energy crisis [2,3]. The installation of thermal power plants has largely served as the focus for short-term solutions [2]. Fossil fuels are imported into Pakistan for usage in thermal power plants, which use them to generate electricity. Energy generated from imported fuel is an incredibly costly solution for a growing country like Pakistan [4]. Nuclear power facilities have also been built; however, they have limited capacity [5]. The potential environmental risk posed by these thermal power facilities is also disregarded. Pakistan's primary energy production sources are oil (35.20%), hydel (29.90%), natural gas (29.00%), nuclear energy (5.70%), and imported energy. The average annual energy consumption in Pakistan is 17,000 MW, while there is now a 400–5000 MW shortage. It is expected that within the next ten years the demand for energy might increase by 4-5%, or around 1500 MW [6]. It is not environmentally good to use fossil fuels, especially carbon, to generate electricity. On the other hand, environmentally friendly renewable energy sources provide a more affordable solution as shown in fig. 1.1 [7, 8]. With the utilization of renewable energy sources, Pakistan must overcome problems in its energy planning [9]. Therefore, in addition to concentrating on these standard energy sources, fuel cell (FC) technology should be used to investigate non-traditional energy sources such as solar, hydrogen, geothermal, wind, tidal power, and biomass [10, 11]. No other energy generating method can compare to the advantages provided by FC technology [12].