THE BACK PAGE by Acting Editor/Technical Editor Jonathan Newell
CLEAN POWER TO THE PEOPLE I
n a push to drive the development of greener energy sources, the UK Research and Innovation funded EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) has sunk £16 million into the creation of three energy research hubs and a solar energy network.
SUPERGEN HUBS The three “Supergen” energy hubs will focus on offshore renewable energy, bioenergy and energy networks, involving academics from 19 universities, 22 industrial partners and other stakeholders. The Supergen programme was originally set up to
deliver sustained and coordinated research on sustainable power generation and supply, focusing on eight key research areas. To expand on the existing network of clean energy
generation hubs, the new EPSRC funding will enable the delivery of three new hubs. The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) hub will
be focused on spreading best practice through the community involved in wave, tidal and offshore wind power generation and address the associated environmental and interdisciplinary challenges. The Bioenergy hub focuses on sourcing energy
from plants, trees and other material that has recently sequestered carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, ensuring that the energy produced results in no net, long-term increase in
48 /// Environmental Engineering /// September 2018
atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration. The Energy Networks hub will take a whole
systems approach to studying the interconnected and interdependent nature of energy network infrastructure, and the challenges it faces.
SUPERSOLAR NETWORK The SuperSolar Network will act as a knowledge exchange mechanism and will maintain a co- ordinated network for the photovoltaics (PV) research community in the UK, creating greater opportunities to react to the fast pace of progress in the field. It will include all solar technologies from
fundamental research through to module engineering, champion the role of solar in the overall energy mix and engage all stakeholders in industry, government and finance. Commenting on the investment, the EPSRC’s
Professor Philip Nelson explained the need to explore the fundamental science that can spark new technologies and systems as well as linking researchers to industry to meet their needs as the country moves towards a low carbon future. “As the threats from climate change become ever-
more apparent, there is a pressing need for the UK to act collaboratively to address the challenges of clean energy production, distribution and storage,” he concludes. EE
❱❱ Investment focuses on collaborative approaches to the generation of clean energy in the UK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52