The storage of renewably-generated energy as hydrogen via the electrolysis of water is a fundamental cornerstone of a sustainable hydrogen economy. Conventional electrolysers usually require stable power inputs in order to operate effectively and safely and so may be unsuited to harnessing renewable power, which is often intermittent and diffuse. Professor Mark Symes, from the
PhD student Poorya Shaghaghi recently took part in the 2025 International Video Challenge developed by the journal Buildings & Cities and the Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Assocation. This challenge is open to PhD students worldwide, and gives them an opportunity to showcase their research and explain the significance of their work.
Aquifer thermal energy storage systems can provide a heat source in the winter by extracting warm water from a subsurface reservoir. The extracted fluid cools as it passes through a heat exchanger and is then injected into a colder aquifer. The cold fluid can provide a source of cooling in the summer, absorbing heat rejected
Professor Joe Howe is the Net Zero Professor at the University of Lincoln and the academic lead for the Humber Industrial Cluster. The Humber Cluster spans both banks of the Humber Estuary, connected by the Humber Bridge and hosting the ports of Goole, Grimsby, Hull, Immingham and Killingholme. £18 bn of the UK’s economy is
Ten years ago, the Paris COP conference heralded an exceptional meeting to tackle climate change, backed by science, and soon embraced by industry. Much has been achieved, particularly in electrification through the explosive growth of renewables and EVs. However, the original optimism now risks stalling in much of the world as the reality of displacing
Large-scale storage technologies are crucial to balance consumption and intermittent production of renewable energy. At times of excess production, some renewable energy might be converted into compressed air or hydrogen, which is then stored in underground salt caverns. The energy is recovered later, when renewable production becomes insufficient. Herminio Tasinafo Honorio, from Delft University of
On Friday 21 March 2025, professor Andy Woods returned from a 2-day visit to the Japan Academy. The visit was organised with the Royal Society to discuss issues relating to the energy transition, with particular focus on hydrogen generation, use and storage and carbon capture and storage. The visit included discussions of the research being
Today was the last seminar of Lent term, and Part III student James Fidler presented his recent work on new catalyst materials for hydrogen production through electrolysis. Nobel metals are very expensive, and so research is ongoing to find affordable alternatives for catalyst production. Under the supervision of professor Clarke, James has been investigating the
Professor Matthew Jackson from Imperial College London visited us today and presented his recent work on Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems. This underground thermal energy storage technology provides large capacity, low carbon heating and cooling to the built environment. Heating and cooling of buildings currently produces 23% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, and
Methane availability is crucial to the energy transition. Currently, most hydrogen is produced by steam methane reforming, a carbon-intensive process. A small amount of green hydrogen is being obtained from the electrolysis of water; however, for this carbon-free hydrogen to become prevalent, electrolysis must become much more efficient than it currently is. PhD student James