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
Applications are welcomed for an exciting new institute-based PhD programme on energy-related fluid dynamics. The Institute for Energy and Environment Flows is launching a major new PhD research programme on energy transition science, with up to 10 PhD awards, available to start in October 2025 or later. We are offering a series of fully funded
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
In temperate climates, many buildings need heating in winter and cooling in summer. A significant amount of energy can be saved by storing excess heat during the warmer months, and using it to warm up a building in winter. Similarly, storing the wintertime thermal energy reduces the need for air conditioning during the summer. PhD
All buildings require ventilation to keep the indoor air fresh and clean. With underfloor air distribution, fresh air is supplied at a low level, while exhaust air is extracted from the top of a room. If the room contains a heat source, then a temperature stratification develops and occupants are surrounded by fresh air in
Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are intermittent, and this leads to the need for substantial energy storage. At times of excessive generation, some of the renewable energy might be converted into hydrogen and stored underground. The hydrogen will then be recovered and used when the renewable sources produce insufficient energy. A recent
Professor Yulong Ding visited us from the University of Birmingham today, and gave the first seminar of Lent term. The title of the seminar was: “Multiphase Transport Phenomena and Energy Process Intensification”. He started by talking about a few energy storage techniques which have been developed by his group over the years, including liquid air
On 9-10 December 2024 we hosted our annual Cambridge Energy Masterclass in the Centre for Mathematical Sciences. This very well-attended event offered an illuminating insight into the state-of-the-art understanding of many vital areas of the energy transition, with talks on everything from wind, solar, and nuclear power; to ammonia, hydrogen, and geothermal energy storage; to