Developing systems to capture, store and reuse the vast amounts of waste heat generated through industry could be a huge opportunity for the UK to strengthen its industrial competitiveness and reduce operational costs for businesses, as well as accelerate progress towards net zero. Industrial heating accounts for around 14% of UK emissions, yet approximately half
Two new PhD opportunities are being advertised to work on data centres cooling and particle dispersal in the atmosphere. Please see the details below.
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
Carbon storage in deep saline aquifers has become an important part of plans to decarbonise the energy system. Typically, aquifers are composed of a porous, permeable rock containing formation water. As CO2 is injected into an aquifer, some of it migrates towards topographic highs within the aquifer, while some is retained in the pore spaces
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