Renewables

Can nuclear power work with renewables to achieve net zero?

By Juan Matthews Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: November 18, 2024

Decarbonising electricity in the UK is far from straightforward. Government plans for the nation’s future electricity supply rely heavily on renewables, supported by gas power during periods of low renewable output. In this article, Professor Juan Matthews considers how nuclear energy can provide an alternative to gas power and support a future renewables-heavy grid, and […]

Energy consumption: solving the storage problem

By Robert Dryfe Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: July 11, 2024

To combat climate change, all developed economies have set the goal of carbon-neutrality by 2050. This means securing more energy from renewable sources. Achieving a high proportion of renewable energy production in the UK and other developed countries is only possible with suitable energy storage infrastructure, to bridge periods of low or no power generation from […]

What does a ‘metal intensive’ future entail?

By Dr Sampriti Mahanty and Professor Frank Boons Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted: February 6, 2024

Critical metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, are key to the path towards net zero. The UK Government released their Critical Minerals Strategy in early 2023, which sets out to improve the resilience of the critical metal supply chain. In this article from our publication ‘On Resilience’, Dr Sampriti Mahanty and Professor […]

Climate change: navigating a clear route for UK shipping

By Simon Bullock, Alice Larkin and James Mason Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted: January 8, 2024

After a year of devastating climate disasters, nations at COP 28 in Dubai in December signalled the need for the “end of the fossil fuel era”. To meet that ambition, 2024 will need to see a major acceleration in global action to address climate change. Here, Simon Bullock, Alice Larkin, and James Mason from the […]

Planning ahead: A multi-sector approach to net zero

By Mathaios Panteli, Eduardo Alejandro Martínez Ceseña and Julien Harou Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Environment, Inclusive Growth, Renewables, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: December 13, 2023

With climate change increasing some resources’ uncertainty – and global development making others scarcer and more interdependent – society requires improved planning and policy frameworks to deliver a secure, equitable and resilient transformation to net zero. In this article from our publication On Resilience, Professor Julien Harou, Dr Eduardo A. Martínez Ceseña and Professor Mathaios Panteli explore how […]

Freedom energy: minimising geopolitical risks to reach net zero

By Matthew Paterson Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted: November 30, 2023

Geopolitical dynamics are crucial to our thinking about the future of energy and the pursuit of net zero. In this article from our publication On Resilience, Professor Matthew Paterson explores the complexity of alternatives to fossil fuels, the impact of renewables on our energy security, and how policymakers can reduce exposure to the geopolitical risks of the […]

Strengthening the UK’s energy resilience and security

By Maria Sharmina and Timothy Capper Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering Posted: November 13, 2023

Energy is a key resource enabling the functioning of modern societies. Arguably, the fast-paced technological advances in the past 200 years have been based on plentiful supply of cheap energy. But cheap and plentiful are no more. In this article, from our publication On Resilience, Professor Maria Sharmina and Timothy Capper explore how to strengthen the […]

Game changers, a new approach to tackling sportswear garment waste

By Lindsay Pressdee, Amy Benstead and Jo Conlon Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering Posted: October 16, 2023

The UK disposes of one million tonnes of textiles every year, 300,000 tonnes of which end up in landfill or incineration and figures suggest 10% of global CO2 emissions could come from the fashion industry. The football sector is a huge contributor to this – approximately 2.45 million Liverpool and 1.95 million Manchester United sports shirts […]

Underground hydrogen storage, the key to a green and sustainable future

By Lin Ma and Kevin Taylor Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: September 4, 2023

In response to the climate crisis, renewable energy production has increased significantly over the last decade. According to National Grid, the UK produced its trillionth kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity generated from renewable sources on 15 May 2023, and solar energy and offshore wind are predicted to grow five-fold by 2030. Hydrogen, a potentially green […]

Location, location, location: finding sites for nuclear power plants

By Adrian Bull Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: March 13, 2023

Expanding nuclear power should be a key priority as the government aims to cut its carbon emissions. However, finding suitable sites to accommodate the proposed plants raises new questions. In this article, based on the Dalton Nuclear Institute’s position paper, Siting implications of nuclear energy, Professor Adrian Bull gives his view on how policymakers can […]