In this work, renewable ethylene glycol (EG) was developed as a potential fuel for direct liquid fuel cells (DLFCs) with Ag@C nanocables by immobilization of Palladium (Pd/Ag@C) anodes for sustainable electric power generation. The results confirm that the obtained nanocable is composed of a silver nanowire as a core and a carbonaceous layer as a shell. According to TEM, the resulting Pd nanoparticles are well distributed on the surface of the Ag@C, and the mean size of the Pd nanoparticles is 4.4 nm. Electrochemical behavior tests indicate that the Pd/Ag@C can achieve a maximum current density of 1027.4 mA mg(Pd)(-1) based on a half-cell reaction on EG fuel, suggesting that EG is a suitable fuel for DLFCs. It is concluded that the as-prepared Pd/Ag@C would be a potential candidate as an anode in energy conversion using DLFCs. Furthermore, the current study confirmed the practical applicability of EG as a direct fuel with Pd/Ag@C anode applied in DEGFCs may have a great effect on future energy systems. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.