In the lead up to COP26, we will be hosting and being involved in a range of engagement and communication activities on the role of Energy Storage technologies in achieving a net-zero energy system.

Energy Storage towards a Net-Zero Future , 24 June 2021

An interactive workshop organised by ECRs for ECRs to share their research and identify storage related key messages for COP26. Webinar topics focus on the role of energy storage research and innovation in achieving a net-zero future.

Supergen Director Prof. Yulong Ding and the Climate change: science and solutions briefings series of the Royal Society

Ahead of the UN Climate Summit COP26 in Glasgow this year, the Royal Society sought wide-ranging input from the global scientific community to produce the Climate change: science and solutions briefings. These briefings highlight the significant potential that research, development and deployment in 12 critical areas hold for climate action. Prof. Yulong Ding was leading briefing 3 “Low–carbon heating and cooling: what science and technology can do to tackle the world’s largest source of carbon emissions”. 

Supergen Energy Storage Network+ presence at the Climate Exp0, 17-21 May 2021

Climate Exp0 –the first conference organised by the COP26 Universities Network and the Italian University Network for Sustainable Development (RUS), working together to raise ambition for tangible outcomes from the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). Our co-investigator Peter Bruce is charing the seccion on “Climate risk” on the 17th May at 9.30-10.30am. This session will explore climate risk in more detail including tipping points and systemic risk.

Glad to see our researcher Binjian Nie taking part in the ClimateExp0 conference, exploring solutions for a green recovery. “Experimental performance of a phase change material-based road/rail container for cold chain transportation“.

COP26 Universities Network: A growing group of over 55 UK-based universities and research centres working together to raise ambition for tangible outcomes from the UN COP26 Climate Change Conference [Glasgow, Nov 2021]. The Network will create lasting partnerships and legacies that reach beyond this single event.

Hydrogen Storage in Caverns, 12 April 2021

There is broad consensus that hydrogen will have a major role to play in the collective move towards Net Zero. One major element of that role is very likely to be the provision of flexibility over very long timescales – possibly in the order of a month or upwards. Achieving high penetrations of renewables will demand the re-introduction of flexibility that was previously provided at almost zero cost from fossil-fuelled generation. Some loads already use hydrogen directly. Others such as heavy goods transportation and steel production may possibly become major hydrogen consumers in the future. High capacity storage enables the supply to feed-in and loads to draw-out at greatly different times. Hydrogen storage may also enable the backup generation of electricity at times when renewable resources are low.

Carnot Batteries – “Academia meets Industry”, 28 & 29 January 2021

The 2050 net-zero carbon economy requires a much higher penetration of renewable sources (RES) into our energy system. This poses a significant challenge in shifting the provision of base-load energy generation to intermittent energy generation and thus energy network stability. This calls for highly flexible, low-cost and energy-and-resource-efficient energy storage technologies to balance the energy supply and demand mismatch. Among the storage technology options, the emerging Carnot Battery technology provides a potentially low-cost and site-independent solution for electricity storage at medium to large scale.

Supergen Decarbonising Maritime Workshop, 25 January 2021

On 25 January we came together with the Supergen Bioenergy and Offshore Renewable Energy Hubs to hold a Maritime Decarbonising Workshop, to explore the challenges and opportunities of ‘decarbonising’ maritime, ahead of the upcoming Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition. We were joined by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Maritime UK, as we worked together on how academia can support the maritime sector to achieve its decarbonisation targets.

About COP26

The UK will be hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 1 – 12 November 2021. The summit aims to bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire climate action ahead of COP26. More about COP26 here.