Results:

This document is a final project report for the project titled 'AC0401: Direct energy use in agriculture: opportunities for reducing fossil fuel inputs'

This report details the bottom-up approach that has been taken to estimate direct energy use in agriculture, with 2005 as the baseline year. Data comes from CCL returns, professional surveys and best available professional knowledge. The total, direct, primary energy use sums to 20,387 GWh (73,393 TJ), but with an associated CHP electricity generation credit of 748 GWh (2,693 TJ). This is around 12% more than the total given by DTI for 2005 in its Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), which is based on returns made by energy suppliers. This report details the qualification of direct energy use, potential improvements to energy efficiency, and potential for integration of renewable energy across the agriculture industry.

1. Quantification of direct energy use in agriculture, with a breakdown by agricultural sector and fuel type
2. Energy use technologies and the potential for improvement in energy efficiency
3. Energy supply options and the potential for the integration of renewable energy
4. Action points and recommendations to Defra

This document is a final project report for the project titled 'Potential for Solar Energy in Food Manufacturing, Distribution and Retrail.'

1. Establish the current state of the art in relevant available solar technology - A detailed literature search of photovoltaic electricity generation has been carried out and its application to food retail, storage and distribution has been reviewed.
2. Identify the barriers for the adoption of solar technology - The real and perceived barriers to the uptake of solar energy technology options were investigated. This was done by obtaining the views of stakeholders by structured interviews and questionnaires.
3. Assess the potential for solar energy capture - In this work package the potential of solar energy capture for use in supermarkets and distribution centres was evaluated. This was achieved through modelling using available software packages and spreadsheet models developed specifically for the task.
4. Appraise the potential of alternative relevant technologies for providing renewable energy - Ways of using indirect solar energy such as wind power were investigated and compared with photovoltaic generation
5. Assess the benefits from energy saving technologies - This work package assessed the potential for reducing energy demand by using more efficient plant and improved controls in refrigeration and lighting.
6. Compare the alternative strategies for the next 5-10 years - In this work package the results of the previous work packages are reviewed and the economic viability of alternative renewable technologies is evaluated and compared with energy conservation measures.
7. Consider the merits of specific research programmes on solar energy and energy conservation in the food sector - In this work package a review of food transport refrigeration was carried out and the possibilities of using solar energy to reduce refrigeration energy consumption and emissions were considered

This document is the final project report for the project titled 'MARKAL Macro analysis of long run costs of mitigation targets.'

This report is the final report under the Defra contract EP0202 MARKAL Macro analysis of long run costs of mitigation targets. The objective of this study was to consider the additional impacts (economic and technological) of moving to an increasingly carbon constrained energy system, with reductions in CO2 of 70% and 80% by 2050. In addition, another objective was to assess the impact of including emissions from international aviation, and the implications for abatement in other sectors under a 60% constraint in 2050. This analysis builds on work led by Policy Studies Institute (further referred to as the EWP 07 MARKAL analysis), to inform the Government’s Energy White paper, published in May 2007. In that analysis, up to 60% reductions in emissions of CO2 by 2050 were considered, with many associated sensitivity runs undertaken to examine different assumptions.

A key part of the strategy outlined in the Energy White Paper Meeting the Energy Challenge included the provision of legally binding carbon targets for the whole UK economy, to progressively reduce emissions. A Climate Change Bill is being proposed that would implement such targets, and has recently been consulted on. As part of further discussions around longer-term targets, Defra commissioned this additional MARKAL analysis, to explore the impacts of more stringent targets than those considered in the Energy White Paper.

1. System evolution
2. Technology pathways
3. Economic impacts
4. International aviation

This document provides an abstract and a brief summary of the project titled "COLDROOM - Improving food temperature control in chilled and frozen storage rooms".

There are over 7,000 food manufacturers in the UK. At least 50% of these manufacturers operate refrigerated storage areas. In addition, all food retailers and most catering establishments also operate cold stores.

One, if not the most important, change in food refrigeration in the last 10-15 years has been the realisation of the interdependence of the different refrigeration operations and the concept of the 'cold chain'. It is essential, if food quality and safety are to be maximised, to attain:

1. The optimal rate of temperature reduction in primary chilling and freezing.
2. Maintenance of the correct temperature throughout storage, processing, distribution and retailing.

The main project objectives were to improve the safety, quality and economics of chilled and frozen storage by closer control of food temperature. This was achieved by developing a user-friendly model to predict food temperatures in chilled and frozen storage rooms under real operating conditions. The model allows:

1. Cold room operators, contractors, and manufacturers to specify and design cold rooms to keep food at optimum temperatures under actual working conditions.
2. Users to rapidly predict the effect of operating conditions and loading patterns on performance and identify how they can avoid unacceptable food temperatures.

The model was verified against data for a chilled cold room operating at temperatures of between 1 and 10°C. The verification trials included simulated cold room breakdown and extended door openings during loading. The overall mean difference between the predicted and experimental centre and surface food temperatures were found to be less than 0.7°C.

We welcome the idea of offering more policy support to SMEs to enable the uptake of energy efficiency opportunities, to the benefit of their enterprises, the economy as a whole and the environment. Researchers have previously argued that there is not enough policy focus on SMEs (Banks et al, 2012, Hampton and Fawcett, 2017) and this consultation was valuable as part of a wider process of policy development.

This response covers general issues about design of policy for energy efficiency improvement in SMEs, and offers specific evidence on Option 2: a business energy efficiency obligation.

The Business and Trade Sub Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls launched an inquiry to consider how domestic production and trade can support a secure supply of critical minerals for UK industry, and assess the likely impact of the proposals set out in the Government's strategy.

The Committee welcomed written submissions that addressed a range of questions around critical minerals supply, including on ambitions and delivery, the domestic supply chain, industrial resilience and trade and diversification.

The UK Energy Research Centre provided a response to the consultation. Researchers from our Geopolitics, Energy Security & Resilience of Net Zero Theme contributed to a number of questions posed by the committee.

Britain used to be an energy powerhouse. We built technologies that brought jobs and prosperity across the country. We have a once in a generation chance to build on that prosperity and growth, but only if we double down on our advantages. If we delay, or fail to seize the available opportunities, other countries will win the race for these industries of the future. Clean energy is that future and a perfect fit for the UK's strengths.

The UK has major growth opportunities in Clean Energy Industries. We are a coastal nation, a scientific and innovation superpower, with strengths in high-value manufacturing and a skilled energy workforce to match. With our world-leading renewable energy deployment, and deep capital markets, Britain is the natural home for Clean Energy Industries. We can deliver investment in manufacturing and deployment that will have significant spillover benefits for innovation, services, and skills across the country, leveraging the clean energy transition to turbocharge growth.

Clean energy investors are clear that they want to grow in the UK and to invest billions here, but they cannot do this on their own. They need certainty, they need stability, they need a partner to take the first step with them in developing new technologies, and they need an incentive to expand supply chains. This is our plan to secure that growth, to back those Clean Energy Industries and unlock billions more in investment. To break down barriers to projects, to invest alongside industry where necessary, to ensure we create good jobs, to incentivise companies to build it in Britain.

This is the global economic opportunity of our time, and in an uncertain world, the Government's Missions to Kickstart Economic Growth and make the UK a Clean Energy Superpower are sending a clear message that we are unwavering in our commitment to these industries and to energy security. The net zero economy is already growing three times faster than the wider UK economy and we have seen over £40 billion of private investment in clean energy announced since July. Our Clean Industry Bonus smashed expectations, with £544 million for offshore wind developers to prioritise investment in regions that need it most, leveraging billions more in private investment, including in traditional oil and gas communities, ex-industrial areas, ports, and coastal towns.

Delivering Clean Power by 2030 will protect the economy and billpayers from the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices, the cause of half of recessions since 1970.4 By harnessing the potential of AI, automation and advanced technologies we can optimise how energy is generated and consumed. The resulting modern, affordable, and secure energy system is fundamental to building a stronger and more productive economy. The UK will build an energy system that will bring down bills for households and businesses for good, bringing certainty, stability, and growth.

Growing our Clean Energy Industries and boosting domestic supply chains is fundamental to supporting wider industry to decarbonise. Growing our Clean Energy Industries and boosting domestic supply chains is fundamental to supporting wider industry to decarbonise. Foundational industries such as steel, chemicals, critical minerals, composites and other materials such as glass, provide critical inputs to enable growth in Clean Energy Industries.

The clean energy transition is the defining economic opportunity of the twenty-first century and the UK is uniquely positioned to lead it. The government's Plan for Change set out our ambitious mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, which will kickstart economic growth and break down the barriers to opportunity as we create a new generation of good jobs across every corner of the country to deliver energy security.

Someone is going to win the global race for the clean energy jobs of the future and we are determined that it should be the UK. The job opportunities on offer are huge, with roles available across a range of skill levels and occupations, from plumbers to production managers, engineers to electricians, and technicians to welders. This presents a significant opportunity to revitalise our industrial heartlands and ensure that our existing home-grown energy workforce can move flexibly into good clean energy roles.

Clean energy is already providing good jobs to hundreds of thousands of people across the UK. Jobs in Wind, Nuclear, and Electricity Networks all advertise average salaries of over £50,000, compared to the UK average of £37,000. For young people, these jobs can offer higher levels of pay across occupations, with entry-level 'green' roles commanding a 23% average pay premium in around 60% of occupations. These jobs also provide the security of a rapidly-growing sector, as new and emerging green jobs are less likely to be automated and have had more resilience in demand than the wider jobs market in recent years.

However, we know there is more to be done. While the clean energy workforce is growing rapidly in the UK, by around 8% and 10% per year in 2022 and 2023 respectively, other countries have far more jobs per capita. For example, in 2023 Germany had almost 3 times as many renewable energy jobs per capita as the UK; Sweden and Denmark almost 4 and 5 times as many respectively. Across the economy, industry investment in skills has been falling in recent years with evidence suggesting significant underinvestment in the UK compared to our European peers.

The government's recent significant programme of investment in clean energy, alongside the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan and this Jobs Plan, shows our firm commitment to ensuring Britain leads the world in the clean energy transition and creates the conditions needed for industry to accelerate investments in the skills system.

This annex describes the experimental approach taken to assessing the growth required in the clean energy workforce from a 2023 baseline to 2030, where opportunities are likely to be located, and the types of occupations likely to be in high demand and relatively more difficult to fill.

Clean energy technologies encompass power generation, transmission and distribution, greenhouse gas removals, clean heat, and energy efficiency. The full list of sub-sectors is provided in Table 1 below. Clean energy jobs are measured as the number of jobs that are supported by the deployment and operation of clean energy technologies and their supply chains. This analysis covers both direct and indirect jobs, these employment categories can be defined as:

Induced jobs are excluded from this analysis; employment resulting from the spending of wages by workers in direct and indirect employment, leading to increased demand in other sectors.

This analysis does not measure net additional jobs across the economy. Much of the increase in workforce across clean energy sectors will involve workers who have transitioned from other sectors or will displace high carbon energy jobs; however, these effects are not accounted for as the evidence is not available. The analysis also does not capture replacement demand - i.e., the workers required to replace workers that leave the clean energy workforce.

There is inherent uncertainty in estimating the size of the 2030 clean energy workforce. The future size and geographic spread of the clean energy workforce will be dependent on delivery and final location of the pipeline of projects out to 2030, the ability to recruit into the sector, cost assumptions, any assumptions made about the ability of UK businesses to export overseas, and the validity of the assumptions made around the workers required to deploy a particular amount of technology. These estimates do not represent precise predictions; they are indicative of the orders of magnitude the clean energy workforce will need to increase by 2030 to meet demand in UK clean energy sectors and their supply chains (where possible, both domestic and global demand has been considered - see Table 1 for details).

The government has five national missions, to:

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) leads on the government's mission to Make Britain a Clean Energy Superpower, working in close collaboration with other departments (see Section 1.1.3).

Research, development, and innovation (hereafter 'R&D') are critical enablers for achieving both pillars of the Clean Energy Superpower Mission (CESM): delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating to net zero by 2050. They provide the robust scientific evidence base for policy decisions and delivery, enable the successful innovation and scaling up of necessary technologies, and enhance productivity and economic growth. As estimated by the International Energy Agency, approximately 35% of the global emission reductions needed in 2050 to reach net zero rely on technologies that are not yet commercially available.

Areas of Research Interest documents (ARIs) set out research questions and evidence needs of government organisations. They are a key tool for shaping the research landscape - helping to align academic, industry, and public sector efforts with government priorities. This ARI document sets out the R&D needed to deliver the CESM, based on cross-government consensus. It captures the breadth of challenges and opportunities across both mission pillars and seeks to encourage more structured dialogue and collaboration with external stakeholders.

This ARI document is intended to support collaboration between government, academia, industry, and other research organisations. It sets out both the full thematic breadth of research areas relevant to the CESM and a focused set of priority R&D challenges where coordinated effort is most urgently required. Together, these provide a strategic framework to guide research investment, shape funding programmes, and inform policy development.

It can be used to:

This ARI has been intentionally developed at a strategic level. While it captures the full breadth of research areas relevant to the mission, it does not aim to provide detailed R&D requirements. Instead, it offers directional guidance on the research considered most valuable at the time of assessment, rather than an exhaustive specification. As part of our future plan, we will define what success looks like and develop approaches to measure progress.

Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) will reduce the risk and cost of the UK's transition to a low carbon energy system, according to this report delivered by the Energy Systems Catapult for the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI).

'Still in the mix? Understanding the role of Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage', takes into account recent cost reductions in renewables and the latest ETI modelling on CCUS costs. The report reaffirms previous ETI work on the importance of CCUS deployment by 2030 and ETI analysis that if CCUS is not developed at all before 2050, the 'national bill' for low carbon energy that year would be circa £35bn higher - equivalent to circa 1% of expected GDP.

The report highlights gas power with CCUS (up to 3GW) as an effective low carbon electricity option that can be deployed cost-effectively before 2030 within an electricity generation mix that meets the 5th carbon budget. The report concludes that early investment in gas power CCUS in favourable locations for a CCUS industrial cluster represents the most straightforward, deliverable and best value approach to early deployment of the technology.

Key points:

The ETI has spent 10 years carrying out extensive research on the deployment of CCUS and for this report commissioned analysis from Baringa Partners and Frontier Economics. Baringa explored cost-optimal pathways for decarbonising electricity out to 2050 with a focus on the pre-2030s. Frontier Economics produced illustrative analysis against a baseline scenario informed by the assumptions constructed by Baringa's work.

This document sets out a response of the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) to the Department of Energy and Climate Changes (DECC) consultation Electricity Demand Reduction.

In our response to the consultation on electricity market reform (EMR) we noted the potential importance of demand reduction and demand side response in achieving the Governments goals for the electricity sector of security, emissions reduction and reasonable cost.

All our responses are based on evidence from research by UK academic researchers independent of commercial or other vested interest. One particular focus of the response is on the option of premium payments (otherwise known as energy saving feed-in tariffs). UKERC supported research (Eyre, 2013) is the first peer reviewed academic literature on this topic in the world. We believe that an approach along these linesis consistent with addressing a market bias against energy saving that would otherwise be introduced by EMR proposals in their current form. We begin the response with four key concerns about the evidence base used in the consultation document and its supporting literature. We then respond to some specific questions identified in the consultation document itself.

The ETI Natural Hazards Project is an initiative funded by the Energy Technologies Institute and delivered by EDF Energy, the Met Office and Mott Macdonald.

The project has produced a set of technical volumes summarising the state of the art on natural hazard characterisation for a variety of natural hazards. These are supported by a set of case studies. Each case study focuses on the application of the methodology and data outlined in the named technical volumes.

This document is a brochure for the launch event of this project titled Enabling Resilient UK Energy Infrastructure: Natural Hazard Characterisation Technical Volumes and Case Studies. This document discusses the context, importance, relevance, and outcomes of the project, along with additional locations for additional information.

The project has led to the development of a set of twelve technical volumes and case studies (found here), covering:

• An introduction to the technical volumes and case studies,
• Extreme High and Low Air Temperature,
• Extreme Wind,
• Extreme Precipitation,
• River Flooding,
• Coastal Flooding,
• Seismic, Volcanic and Geological Hazards,
• Hail,
• Lightning,
• Space Weather,
• Marine Biological Fouling,
• Hazard Combinations.

The aims of the technical volumes and case studies are to:

• Assist in the design of new infrastructure to ensure robustness to natural hazards now and into the future with climate change.
• Ensure that current infrastructure is adequately protected against natural hazards, in particular those emerging hazards researched as part of this project (e.g. space weather, hail, lightning).
• Inform investment decisions for new infrastructure projects as well as assisting with re-investment decisions to support life extension.
• Improve current operational procedures across the energy industry.
• Lead to better preparedness and response time during extreme event.

The purpose of this project is to identify, capture and communicate current relevant good practice when it comes to undertaking environmental risk analysis within the energy industry. This is done by providing access to well-structured and clearly documented good practice which can help avoid the use of outdated methods that could lead to the inaccurate specification of risk, resulting in inadequate or overly conservative infrastructure design. It is the absence of accessible and well-structured good practice that led to the Energy Technologies Institute's commissioning of its Natural Hazards Project.

This document is a poster for the project titled 'Energy management in tourism: development of a comprehensive carbon footprint methodology and toolset.'

This poster's topics are:

This document is a summary for the project titled 'Energy management in tourism: development of a comprehensive carbon footprint methodology and toolset.'

The project provides a stepping stone towards the development of a tool that will allow members of an important sector of the NW economy to monitor and manage their energy use. It will also help the NW to be at the forefront of essential environmental auditing and impact assessment methodologies. The project has expanded the NW's research capability in the field of energy consumption monitoring and brought researchers from three disciplines together (economics, environmental science and statistics). The application is being developed for all organisations working in the tourist industry in the NW, but will start with demonstrations in Blackpool and Cumbria. It is intended the application will calculate greenhouse gas footprints, which can be partitioned into their component energy sources and highlight major contributory activities. The tool will allow the user to see how their carbon footprint responds to: increasing their expenditure within certain industry sectors (e.g. food whole sellers, transport, construction); changing the nature of their expenditure within each sector.

This project used an existing prototype footprinting model and managed to demonstrate its economic robustness and realism. From this a tool was developed and then tested. The effectiveness of the tool was demonstrated by working with a hotel in the Lake District where the outputs have changed its purchasing strategy. A further £300,000 funding has been obtained (£200,000 ESRC and £100,000 NWDA) to continue developing the model and to create a system for widespread release.

The main objective and deliverable of study OF0182 was to develop a model of energy inputs in organic farming systems. To illustrate the potential of the model, it was used to contrast organic with similar conventional systems and to highlight important differences. This was presented as a detailed written report (49 pages) to MAFF and is summarised in this document. The report and model were delivered to MAFF in March 2000.

Organically grown crops require around 50% of the energy input per unit area than do conventional crops, largely because of lower, or zero, fertiliser and pesticide energy inputs. However, the generally lower yields of organic crop and vegetable systems reduce the advantage to organic when energy input is calculated on a unit output basis. In stockless arable crop rotations, the inclusion of fertility building crops and winter cover crops, that have energy inputs but no direct outputs, can result in a lower whole-rotation energy efficiency from organic methods. In livestock systems, where the fall in output may be less than in arable, and there are no dedicated fertility building crops, overall energy efficiency is greater in organic than in comparable conventional systems.

These conclusions were made using average yield data in the model and need to be interpreted with caution. On more fertile soil, where the yield difference with conventional arable production is smaller, organic systems would perform relatively better. The converse would occur on poorer soils. Also, in practice, energy inputs for cultivations and weed control will vary with soil type, weather, weed spectrum and population. The average data presented in the report are illustrative and are not definitive. The strength of the model is that it can be used to simulate many different management systems and yield expectations.

The project did not identify any significant opportunities for replacement of energy inputs by labour. This may be possible for weed control in some situations but, apart from the use of flame weeders, this is only a small proportion of the total energy input. More importantly, weed control is time sensitive; therefore for large-scale production it must be mechanised. There is also a shortage of suitable and willing labour for this type of work in many places.

This report is divided into the following sections:

1. Introduction
2. Energy and Agriculture
3. Method
4. Results
5. Conclusions
6. References

This document is the final report for the project titled 'Fostering the Development of Technologies and Practices to Reduce the Energy Inputs into the Refrigeration of Food'.

The project has used all the data that is currently available to map energy use in the refrigeration from primary chilling through to catering and retailing together with estimates of potential for improvement. This has provided a ranked order of the top 10 application areas where the largest gains can be made. The top 10 and the data used to calculate the top ten has been widely disseminated and discussed. It has stood up to intense scrutiny and is accepted by the industry as a true reflection of the current cold chain.

It is notable that retail and catering are top of the list, followed by transport with food processing and storage applications coming much lower down. The energy saving potential of the top three sectors being almost 10 times that of the next 7 combined. There are however error bars in the estimates of current use and thus savings potential. This is mainly due to a lack of detailed metering in the industry and mechanisms for collating such information. The lack of detailed data also means that it has not been possible to benchmark actual versus theoretically needed energy in the various application areas. This is especially true in refrigeration operations such as primary and secondary chilling and freezing where there is little data relating the energy consumed to the throughput of the food being processed. In the few cases such as the primary chilling of meat carcases it is clear that the energy required to maintain an empty chill room is of the same magnitude as that required when the system is doing its job of chilling meat.

The objectives for this project are:

At present, Governments commitment stands in sharp contrast with its inaction on heat decarbonisation to date. Under pressure to progress this agenda, Government has charged the Clean Heat Directorate with the task of outlining the process for determining the UK’s long-term heat policy framework, to be published in the Roadmap for policy on heat decarbonisation in the summer of 2020 (BEIS, 2017). This report, resulting from one of six EPSRC-funded secondments, is designed to support early thinking on the roadmap by answering the research question: How can Transitions research informs the roadmap for governing the UKs heating transition?

Delivered as part of the Energy-PIECES project, this report was developed during a secondment with BEIS.

This document is a report for the project titled 'Heat exchanger design hots up'.

This project was a 12-month Development LINK project that built on the findings from a previous project (AFM126) on innovations in heat recovery systems for tubular heat exchangers. In the previous project, laminar flow and heat transfer in the shell were of interest, whereas in this project, shell and tube flow with heat transfer under both laminar and turbulent conditions were considered. Commercial considerations dictated that any modifications to heat exchanger equipment required to promote heat transfer in heat recovery mode should also, ideally, result in enhanced performance in the conventional mode of operation.

This project, and its predecessor, concentrated on one particular type of shell and tube heat exchanger, namely a multi-tube heat exchanger with 7 tubes of external diameter 16mm and a shell of internal diameter 70mm (a Tetra Spiraflo MT 70/7x16C-6, as shown in Fig. 1). A number of design changes, aimed at improving the performance of the heat exchanger, were considered. Attention was first focussed on changes that improved the uniformity of flow distribution within the tubes of a tube bundle and in the shell around the tube bundle. Of primary interest were wall corrugation pattern, tube wall thickness, centre tube diameter and shell-side baffles.

By using CFD to experiment numerically with novel exchanger designs, it was possible to highlight the most promising features and thus reduce the quantity of real experimental testing. Computational work, carried out at the University of Plymouth, used the CFX code. The well-known k-ε turbulence model was used, as well as a 'shear-stress-transport' (SST) model incorporating more realistic flow physics near the tube and shell walls.

Commercial exploitation will initially be achieved with the ongoing improvement programme for Tetra Spiraflo tubes. Availability of CFD models for flow behaviour prediction will enable new exchanger designs to be evaluated prior to building prototypes. For example, changes in heat transfer performance were demonstrated computationally as a result of altering the depth of tube corrugations. However, it was questionable whether current manufacturing tolerances could allow these to be consistently reproduced in practice, which is an area that will be addressed in the future.

• Options for hydrogen production
• Techno-economic definition of the selected hydrogen production options
• Characterisation of basic design requirements for a cost effective hydrogen store
• Requirements / options for hydrogen turbines
• Economics of hydrogen pipelines
• Effects of hydrogen purity

• Identification of potential salt cavern locationswithin UK and first 25 miles of UK Continental Shelf;
• Salt cavern cost structure;
• HSE challenges of cavern construction and operation;
• Managing loss of containment;
• Licensing and build timeline;
• Alternative cavern use; and
• Landscapingstudy of alternatives to salt caverns.

This document is a summary for the project titled 'Improvement of Energy Efficiency of pneumatic systems by recycling exhaust compressed air'.

Pneumatic systems are commonly used in industries as varied as automotive, aerospace, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and food processing. They are so commonly utilized in industry because they have a number of distinct advantages: they are environmentally friendly; have a high load-carrying capacity-to-size ratio; they are mechanically simple; low cost; and easy to maintain. In the UK over 10% of National Grid output is used to generate compressed air, in addition around 20% of electricity supplied to manufacturers/factories is used for this purpose.

Research on improving the energy efficiency of pneumatic actuator systems has been carried out for over seven years at the University of Liverpool. Early research has shown that around 3% energy could be saved by connecting a by-pass valve to partly recycle exhaust air. An improved control strategy has also been developed for some pneumatic systems, which is based on an idea of saving energy through better controls and can save between 1.5 to 2% of compressed air. Dr Wang and her research team are also working on using the highly efficient scroll type air motor in pneumatic systems to help recycle the exhaust air in order to generate electricity. This motor is currently widely used in air conditioners and refrigerators because of its efficiency and compact nature but has only recently been converted for air motors. They have created a test system to simulate the use of this motor as an air-electricity transformer to recycle the pneumatic systems exhaust air and experiments have shown that around 20~50% of exhaust air can be recovered using this system.

The workshop aimed to explore how the flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol could better capture the large energy efficiency potential in the CEE region. While implementation of the mechanisms in the region is desired, in practice it is likely to be a challenging task. The workshop has made it possible for two interested groups to meet and learn from each other: one group being participants from the CEE region seeking knowledge transfer and capacity building, and the other group being carbon trading specialists.

The Industrial Strategy is underpinned by an extensive analytical programme. Given the complexity of the decisions involved, no single methodology or information source can encompass all the relevant issues; instead, we analysed quantitative and qualitative evidence from a range of sources using a variety of methodologies and tools. We will continue our programme following the publication of the Industrial Strategy, expanding our analysis as the evidence and the economy itself evolve over the next decade.

The analytical programme was based on literature reviews, data analysis, and engagement. We used engagement to gather feedback on the Industrial Strategy, including on sectors, places, growth barriers and opportunities, and policies; to incorporate evidence and analysis from a range of experts and stakeholders; and to independently validate our analytical programme. Activities included:

As part of Invest 2035 we issued a public consultation asking for feedback on 36 questions to inform the Industrial Strategy. The consultation ran for six weeks over October and November 2024. Responses were submitted online or by email and reviewed by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the research agency Ipsos. Responses supported the analysis identifying frontier industries and places, identifying key economy-wide growth barriers and opportunities, and selecting policy interventions.

The consultation received over 27,000 online answers to individual questions from a wide range of businesses, individuals, academics, think tanks, and trade unions, as well as more than 250 business associations representing hundreds of thousands of businesses across the UK.

Industrial strategies provide an overarching plan for the economy (or key parts of it) that aims to help the government achieve economic, social and/or environmental goals. However, there are many definitions and a spectrum of approaches to the degree and types of government interventions used.

This briefing summarises the government’s 2025 industrial strategy and explains key concepts in industrial strategy theory. It also sketches the international context and includes a brief overview of industrial policy in the UK over the last few decades.

Flow batteries are a form of long duration energy storage; a set of technologies with potential performance benefits that could be crucial for the provision of reliable zero-emission electricity from variable renewable energy sources. They represent a small and relatively immature market with enormous growth potential in many developing economies – for deployment and manufacturing.

• In-country owners, operators and developers of power systems looking to expand solar and wind energy on less reliable grids;
• Owners of mining operations, large industrial facilities and data centres that require reliable power;
• Energy storage professionals who are considering alternatives to lead-acid and lithium-ion, but are unsure of the different technologies available;
• Battery manufacturers and raw material producers who are considering developing their own local battery products but are unsure of the material flows and potential for local supply chains.

This report was funded by the UK government via the Ayrton Fund. The report supports the delivery of the Ayrton Challenge on Energy Storage.

The paper investigates the importance of governance for energy system change and specifically investigates some of the areas where the UKs net zero target implies significant infrastructure change or expansion, namely in industry and associated with buildings and transport.

This document is a report for the project titled 'Once Through Benson Boiler - Vertical Tube Furnace'.

Situated in Henan Province, PRC, Yaomeng Power Plant consists of 4 × 300MWe coal-fired boilers, units 1 and 2 of which, entered service in the mid 1970's. They were of the high mass flux, once through, sub-critical universal pressure ( UP ) type, designed for base load operation to generate 935te/h main steam at 570°C.

From 1992 onwards, after overheating in some of the pressure parts, which led to a restriction of 545°C on the main steam temperature, the maximum output was reduced to 270MWe. The boiler's intrinsic intolerances to load changes, and operation below 230MWe were also problematic, and the prospect of more onerous emissions legislation was thought likely to impose even further restrictions on plant usage in the future, or even bring about its closure.

The scope of work for Mitsui Babcock was centred on the upgrade of the existing boiler, comprising refurbishment of the furnace pressure parts and improvement of the burners, start-up system and control philosophies.

The 168-hour full load reliability test was completed successfully during May, 2002. What made the occasion particularly significant for all concerned was that this was the first time Low Water Mass Flux Vertical Ribbed Tube Benson Boiler Technology had been used for commercial power generation anywhere in the world, a very significant achievement by Mitsui Babcock.

The Performance Guarantee Tests ( PGT's ) were performed by the Thermal Power Research Institute ( TPRI ) during the end of July / early August 2002, and these results and subsequent operation have confirmed the major improvements in the unit. Peak steam output is 1010.3t/hr and maximum continuous output is 954t/hr, both exceeding the guarantee requirements. Peak power output has increased from 270MWe to 327MWe, and in fact the boiler has now been formally up-rated to 310MWe.

The successful completion of this refurbishment is a major milestone in both the development of the technology of once through low mass flow vertical tube boilers and Mitsui Babcock's presence in the refurbishment market in the PRC. Wherever sub-critical once through boilers are suffering load restrictions, intolerances to load changes or high metal temperatures, this technology now offers a proven solution, which also extends to super-critical pressure conditions.

1. Introduction
2. Original Furnace Design and Performance
3. Design of the Refurbished Vertical Ribbed Tube Furnace
4. Boiler Performance
5. Operational Feedback since the Performance Guarantee Tests
6. Future Applications

Mitsui Babcock will provide a new furnace to the Benson 'once through' design as a retrofit to a Chinese power plant. The existing unit is based on Chinese technology and has reached the end of its useful life. The new boiler furnace from Mitsui Babcock will correct short falls and ensure the unit is able to match the best world practice. The new equipment will result in an 11% increase in station output and a reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions by over one third.

The principal aim of the project is to validate the performance of the Mitsui Babcock 'once through' vertical ribbed tube boiler technology. The specific objectives of the project are:

This project will validate the Mitsui Babcock designs for the vertical ribbed tube 'once through' Benson boiler. An assessment of the existing Chinese boiler will address the existing performance of the small bore tubes employed in the furnace walls of the boiler and of the existing corner fired combustion arrangement.

A detailed assessment of new boiler performance will be conducted. The new vertical ribbed boiler furnace tubes will be heavily instrumented and data recorded under different operating regimes (e.g. turndown) to establish the performance. Study tubes will be representative of the whole boiler geometry (e.g. corner, centre tubes etc). Data such as heat transfer, metal temperatures, water mass flux rates, water temperatures, location of boiling, steam temperature profile at the furnace wall outlet and individual tube flows etc will be established.

This document is the final report for 'Phase 2 Exploring the relationship between environmental regulation and competitiveness'

SQW was commissioned in October 2006 to carry out a study to "gather and analyse evidence on the impact of the design of environmental regulation on competitiveness". Specifically, it was to consider:

There were three components to the review method:

1. Introducing the study purpose and method
2. Laying the foundations: Key concepts and distinctions
3. Reviewing the case studies: An overview
4. Assessing the influence of regulatory form on innovation and competitiveness
5. Conclusions and policy design principles

SQW was commissioned by DEFRA in 2006 to conduct a literature review of the available evidence on the relationship between environmental regulation and competitiveness to establish the robustness of the conclusions from the available evidence and their relevance to the UK. This study highlighted the need to conduct further research on the impact of regulatory design & implementation and regulatory form on competitiveness

As a result, SQW were commissioned to conduct Phase Two of the research, which sought to 'gather and analyse evidence on the impact of the design of environmental regulation on competitiveness' through the undertaking of a set of case studies. The research examined the following policy issues:

This case study discusses 'Energy Labelling on particular household appliances; with a particular focus on the impact of the EU Energy Labelling Directive and the associated Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards on specific household appliances in the UK. Comparator evidence is also drawn from Labelling and MEPS schemes used in different countries, with a focus on the US experience'. This case study was selected, as it provides a cross-board comparison of the design and implementation of energy labels and also attempts to assess the competitiveness (and trade) impacts of the labels.

1. Introduction
2. The Energy Labelling Directive
3. Effectiveness of policy
4. Evidence on the influence of regulatory form on innovation, productivity and competitiveness
5. Concluding statements

• Annex A: List of Consultees

SQW was commissioned by DEFRA in 2006 to conduct a literature review of the available evidence on the relationship between environmental regulation and competitiveness to establish the robustness of the conclusions from the available evidence and their relevance to the UK. This study highlighted the need to conduct further research on the impact of regulatory design & implementation and regulatory form on competitiveness

As a result, SQW were commissioned to conduct Phase Two of the research, which sought to 'gather and analyse evidence on the impact of the design of environmental regulation on competitiveness' through the undertaking of a set of case studies. The research examined the following policy issues:

This case study discusses 'the relationship between the Renewables Obligation Order (RO) in the UK and the influence is has played on stimulating innovation and the competitiveness/productivity of the renewables energy sector. Comparison is also made to an alternative instrument used to reach similar environmental goals - The Renewable Energy Feed- in Tariff, with a particular focus on the German experience'. This case study was selected as the RO acts as one of the key instruments currently used by the UK to tackle climate change, with a particular focus on the commercialisation of renewable technology and energy policy, a topic which is of interest to a wide range of policy makers. The study also allowed us to compare two different instruments with similar environmental aims.

1. Introduction
2. The Renewables Obligation
3. Effectiveness of policy
4. Evidence on the influence of regulatory form on innovation, productivity and competitiveness
5. Concluding statements

• Annex A: List of Consultees

This report quantifies business resource efficiency opportunities in the UK economy. The report is the result of a study carried out by Oakdene Hollins Ltd and Grant Thornton UK LLP for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) between March and September 2007.

This study focuses on resource efficiency savings that require low or no financial investment whilst reducing the quantity of waste produced or the consumption of energy or water.

The methodology used in this study comprised six main steps: Quantification of the overall consumption, Quantification of the savings, Conversion of physical savings into financial savings, The inclusion of any hidden or additional cost savings, Grossing up, and Regional Analysis.

This study estimated the total value of low-cost / no-cost resource efficiency savings to range between £5.6 billion to £7.4 billion (mean £6.4 billion annual savings opportunity), which equates to 0.6% of UK gross valued added and 1.9% of UK gross operating surplus (profit). Energy (52%) and waste (41%) are the two areas where the most opportunity was identified.

1. Introduction
2. Methodology
3. Detailed resource analysis - waste
4. Detailed resource analysis - energy
5. Detailed resource analysis - water
6. Regional analysis
7. Conclusions
8. Further Work
9. Appendix 1: The preliminary analysis
10. Appendix 2: Regional waste arisings
11. Appendix 3: Food and drink sector
12. Appendix 4: Chemical sector analysis
13. Appendix 5: Waste savings opportunities
14. Appendix 6: "H Score" methodology
15. Appendix 7: Detailed analysis of energy savings opportunities
16. Appendix 8: Detailed analysis of water savings opportunities
17. Appendix 9: Detailed analysis of regional savings opportunities

This document is a summary for the project titled 'Reducing energy and carbon footprints in manufacturing through sustainable machining (MANU-FOOT project)'.

The manufacturing industry is an essential part of the economy in the North West of England but it also contributes a large share of its carbon output and it is estimated that about 40% of global carbon footprints are attributable to industrial activity. A key part of manufacturing is machining which is used to shape materials into products for many applications such as aerospace, automotive and medical devices. This project focuses on reducing the emissions from work which involves machining therefore contributing to the development of a more sustainable manufacturing sector. Currently manufacturing processes are designed only from technical and economic point of view without energy considerations.

This project aims to get an accurate picture of the energy requirements and carbon footprint of the manufacturing sector in the region. A methodology manufacturer's can use to work out the energy and carbon footprint of products developed using machining will be developed as part of this project. The impacts of varying production times and levels of machine utilization on environmental footprints will also be examined. It is hoped that by enabling companies to easily workout the size of the carbon and energy footprint attributed to their products will make it easier for them to reduce their overall footprints. Another way in which carbon emissions can be reduced for machining is to try and address the problem of energy being lost due to friction. Friction occurs in machining because tools become worn and corroded and it is estimated that some 30% of all energy generated in industrialized countries is lost this way. One potential method of addressing this problem is through the use of extra hard nanostructure tool coatings and their effectiveness in addressing the problem of friction will be assessed as part of this project. It is intended this project will lead to the creation of an industrial guide on curbing the effect of machining on energy consumption and carbon footprints.

The objectives of this project were:

The benefits to the operator, Yaomeng Power Generation Limited, (YPGL) from the project have included:

This brochure describes the principles used for the Yaomeng upgrade to a Mitsui Babcock Posiflow boiler and illustrates the clear benefits to boilers designed or converted to utilise this low water mass flux, optimised internally ribbed vertical tube boiler technology.

This document is a summary review statement of the report for phase 2 of the project titled 'Exploring the relationship between environmental regulation and competitiveness'.

The role of external review is to provide an independent challenge to the science commissioned by Defra, to ensure that policy is informed by a high-quality, robust evidence base and to raise the perceived standard of Defra-funded science among stakeholders. The Advisory Group on SCP evidence has a role in quality assurance of research commissioned under the SCP evidence base research programme. This has been undertaken through expert sub-groups of the Advisory Group, including experts from beyond the Group's membership where appropriate.

Objective of the research project:

UKERCs 2017 Review of Energy Policy, appraises energy policy change over the last 12 months, and makes a series of recommendations to help meet the objectives of the governments Clean Growth Plan.

Our main recommendations are:

1. ‘Develop a strategy to avoid ‘cliff edges’ for the energy sector due to Brexit, including effects on interconnectors, the single electricity market for the island of Ireland, and nuclear power.
2. A White Paper that includes stronger incentives for energy efficiency across the economy, and an enhanced programme of low carbon heat demonstration and evaluation.
3. Learn from the success of offshore wind by extending competitive auctions in the power sector.
4. Minimise the costs of electricity system change and renewables integration by increasing incentives for flexibility.
5. Complement the additional funding for CCS innovation with a new strategy for deployment in the industrial and power sectors.
6. Ensure that vehicle taxation and other incentives are compatible with the target for phasing out new conventionally fuelled cars and vans by 2040. This should be complemented by a wider strategy for mobility that takes into account anticipated new services and business models.
7. A more comprehensive programme of action to involve citizens and communities in the clean energy transition, building on ‘Green Great Britain Week’.
8. Identify opportunities for energy policy learning across the UK – particularly in the areas of heat, engagement and energy efficiency.

1. The transition to net-zero will affect the whole economy. Investment and policy decisions by all government departmentmes need to be compatible with this transition.
2. Policies to support renewable electricity generation should be more ambitious, building on deployment and cost reduction successes. Action is also needed to ensure electricity market rules are fit for a fully decarbonised power sector.
3. Decisions by the energy regulator, Ofgem, should also be compatible with net-zero. This includes enabling investment in local electricity networks to facilitate heat and transport decarbonisation, and ensuring more active use of existing networks.
4. Local energy systems could play a significant role in achieving net-zero, particularly in the integration of electricity, heat and transport. More resources and greater powers for Local Authorities will help to ensure the potential for local action is realised.
5. A clear plan is required for upgrading the UK housing stock. A heat and energy efficiency White Paper must include policies for widespread deployment of low carbon heat (including demonstrating hydrogen at scale) and for prioritising low income households.
6. Whilst the decarbonisation of industry is receiving more attention, policy initiatives are not joined up. Funding for specific projects and industrial clusters should be complemented by market creation policies, including for carbon capture and storage.
7. Our analysis shows that achieving net-zero requires the phase out of fossil-fuelled vehicles to be brought forward to 2030. Immediate action is also required to counter the rapid increase in sales of larger cars (including SUVs).
8. Plans to meet net-zero should maximise environmental co-benefits. Potential negative impacts on ecosystems should be assessed and mitigated.
9. Continuing uncertainty about the UK’s changing relationship with the European Union has already affected decarbonisation plans. Whatever the outcome, close co-operation with the EU is likely to make it easier to achieve net-zero.
10. The transition to net-zero should not compromise energy security. In light of the events on August 9th, responsibilities for ensuring system resilience need to be clarified and applied in a more rigorous way.

This review takes stock of UK energy policy ahead of the Autumn Statement, Industrial Strategy and new Emissions Reduction Plan. Its main recommendations are:

1. An integrated, evidence based approach to the new Industrial Strategy and Emissions Reductions Plan. The Industrial Strategy should set out clear priorities and the mechanisms for realising benefits for the UK
2. A new White Paper on Heat and Energy Efficiency
3. A Gas by Design approach to the future of gas that is compatible with carbon budgets and targets
4. A new approach to CCS commercialisation and deployment, in response to the Oxburgh report
5. An extension of the Levy Control Framework beyond 2020, and plans for auctions that include most large-scale electricity technologies and demand reduction in a single auction
6. Reform of the Capacity Mechanism so it gives equal

UKERC welcomes the publication of Scotland's Draft Climate Change Plan: 2026-2040, and the Scottish Government's commitment to meeting the Climate Change Committee's recommended Carbon Budgets to 2040, as part of Scotland's contribution to international climate mitigation efforts.

In our response to the consultation on the Draft Climate Change Plan, UKERC experts - together with colleagues from the Energy Demand Research Centre - have engaged with many detailed issues of research evidence and policy effectiveness across different sectors of the economy. At the same time, we emphasise the need to take a whole system, economy-wide view of Scotland-s transition towards net zero.

Three related surveys were carried out during the first six months of 2002 to establish estimates for the arisings and use of construction and demolition waste (C&D waste) in 2001 in England and Wales, and in each of the regions covered by Regional Aggregate Working Parties. The work was commissioned by the Minerals and Waste Planning Division (now part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - ODPM - formerly part of the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions - DTLR) with the support of the Welsh Assembly Government. It was carried out by Symonds Group Ltd, with the support of WRc plc on issues of statistical design and analysis.

The three surveys covered operators of crushers and screens, licensed landfills and Paragraph 9 & 19 registered exempt sites. Between them, these surveys were designed to generate estimates for recycled aggregate and soil, C&D waste used and disposed of at licensed landfills, and C&D waste spread on registered exempt sites. The surveys made a clear distinction between hard C&D waste and excavation waste in order to identify not just the current rate of aggregate recycling, but also the further potential.

The information generated will feed into the revision of MPG6 (in England) and the Aggregates Technical Advisory Note (in Wales), and into other policy documents which deal with recycled aggregate.

The expectation is that comparable surveys will be run in future, to coincide with the four-yearly collection of data on primary aggregate production.

The estimate for production of recycled aggregate and soil has risen steeply, from 25.13 million tonnes in 1999 to 45.07 million tonnes in 2001. This growth accounts for almost all of the increase in overall C&D waste production in England and Wales between 1999 and 2001. The total for 2001 is estimated at 93.91 million tonnes ± 15% at a confidence level of 90%. Although this is almost 30% higher than the equivalent estimate for 1999 (72.5 million tonnes ± 35%), the difference between the central estimates for the two years is not statistically significant.

An estimated 38.02 million tonnes (± 18%) was crushed and/or screened prior to being recycled as aggregate: more than five times the tonnage of recycled soil. Some of the apparent rise in recycling activity can be attributed to a better 'detection rate' of crushers and screens used for processing hard C&D waste into recycled aggregate and soil, though the population of such machines is widely thought to be rising.

The greatest source of uncertainty, as in 1999, surrounds the true population of Paragraph 9 & 19 registered exempt sites, and the extent to which any unreliability within the national database of such sites is regionally biased. The study team concludes that such bias may well exist, and that as a consequence the regional estimate for the South West of England may well be disproportionately higher than those for other regions.

1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction and Background to the Study
3. Preparing the Survey Lists and Forms
4. The Approach to Statistical Method
5. The Response to the Surveys and the Results Reported
6. The Regional Breakdown of Results
7. Findings and Discussion
8. Conclusions and Recommendations

This note provides a summary of the key sustainability impacts of clothing and current interventions aimed at improving clothing sustainability performance. This is based on the Defra commissioned Environmental Resources Management (ERM) study Mapping of Evidence on Sustainable Development Impacts that occur in the Life Cycle of Clothing, 2007 and discussions with stakeholders engaged in sustainability and clothing within the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap.

The clothing roadmap is focused on garments to include textiles used in the manufacture of clothing, but excluding shoes, accessories and commercial textiles. To date, evidence has been gathered on the sustainability impacts (environmental, social and economic) of clothing across the lifecycle as well as current interventions designed to improve sustainability performance through desk based research and stakeholder meetings. In support of this, Defra commissioned Environmental Resources Management (ERM) to conduct a project to map the sustainability impacts of clothing and interventions to address these impacts. The briefing note summarises the sustainability impacts and interventions identified from this study and follow up meetings with stakeholders.

The United Kingdom is a thriving global economy founded on stability, fairness, and the rule of law, and propelled by world-leading sectors and companies. We have a record of extraordinary research and innovation; we are champions of openness and free trade; and we continue to be a magnet for international talent and capital.

Yet in recent decades the pace and magnitude of global change have escalated and the UK has been short of the dynamism it takes to stay ahead. The global trading environment has become more unpredictable, the fragility of global supply chains more apparent, and our economic competitors have been more assertive and disruptive in promoting their national industries. British workers and families have paid the price through a cost-of-living crisis.

Now more than ever, businesses are seeking out countries that can provide them with the confidence to invest and grow. As set out in the Plan for Change, the Government's priority mission is to deliver strong, secure, and sustainable economic growth to boost living standards for working people in every part of the UK.

Our modern Industrial Strategy will help us seize the most significant opportunities and create the most favourable conditions in key UK sectors for the companies of the future to emerge here - the ones that have a transformative role to play in the clean energy transition, the tech revolution, the fundamental impact of AI on every sector, and the new geopolitics.

To achieve this, the Government is focused on the critical need to increase business investment, capturing a greater share of internationally mobile capital, spurring domestic businesses to scale up, and supporting small and medium-sized businesses reliant on resilient supply-chains. This is about positive choices: backing eight sectors (the IS-8) with the highest potential, and the frontier industries at their leading edge - and targeting the places and clusters across the UK that support those sectors, to increase national productivity, strengthen our economic security and resilience, and support our environmental goals and the net zero transition.

To ensure the Industrial Strategy drives action we will track key measures of improvement across the whole economy, the IS-8, and places: business investment, Gross Value Added (GVA), labour market outcomes such as employment and wages; productivity growth; and exports. We will also track the number of new large homegrown' business across the IS-8. The Industrial Strategy and Sector Plans are underpinned by a robust monitoring and evaluation approach tracking the delivery of its policies, overseen by the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (ISAC).

Invest 2035, our consultation, showed clearly where action must be taken, and how we need to shape the most globally competitive offer to business. The Industrial Strategy is not about a particular point in time or publication - it is a 10-year commitment and partnership. The Government has already started to take action on the issues raised by the eight sectors - from addressing the burden of regulation to the speed of planning - and we will go further in the critical areas identified, both immediately and in the months and years ahead.

The UK Gigafactory Commission was established with the purpose of assessing the UK's current position and setting out, as clearly as possible, the steps required to secure further UK gigafactory investment and strengthen the UK's battery supply chain. The Commission's remit was to determine key priorities for policy action with a view to ensuring that the UK is competitive, resilient and prepared to seize the economic growth opportunities.

The Commission brought together expertise from across industry, policy, academia and public service. The recommendations formulated are intended for His Majesty's Government, for industry leaders, for investors and for all those concerned with the future direction of this vital sector. The findings of the Commission are based on analysis of industry data, consultation with stakeholders and a thorough review of international trends.

The Commission sets out ten priority recommendations that together build on existing interventions to form a coordinated strategy to secure UK gigafactory investment, strengthen supply chains and protect automotive competitiveness.

To secure long-term automotive competitiveness and energy security, the UK must adopt an interventionist mindset, acting decisively with financial incentives and proactive engagement. A tripartite strategy focused on OEM, battery plants and active material investment is central to achieving this.

This UKERC Research Landscape provides an overview of the competencies and publicly funded activities in energy efficiency (industry) research, development and demonstration (RD&D) in the UK. It covers the main funding streams, research providers, infrastructure, networks and UK participation in international activities.

UKERC ENERGY RESEARCH LANDSCAPE: ENERGY EFFICIENCY - INDUSTRY

• Section 1: An overview which includes a broad characterisation of research activity in the sector and the key research challenges
• Section 2: An assessment of UK capabilities in relation to wider international activities, in the context of market potential
• Section 3: Major funding streams and providers of basic research along with a brief commentary
• Section 4: Major funding streams and providers of applied research along with a brief commentary
• Section 5: Major funding streams for demonstration activity along with major projects and a brief commentary
• Section 6: Research infrastructure and other major research assets (e.g. databases, models)
• Section 7: Research networks, mainly in the UK, but also European networks not covered by the EU Framework Research and Technology Development (RTD) Programmes
• Section 8: UK participation in energy-related EU Framework Research and Technology Development (RTD) Programmes
• Section 9: UK participation in wider international initiatives, including those supported by the International Energy Agency

Scope of the Call for Evidence and objectives in respect of flexibility

We welcome the attention being paid by Ofgem and BEIS to the need for flexibility in Britain’s electricity system. In our view the main reason to support electricity system flexibility is that it can help minimise the costs of meeting the UK’s statutory climate targets whilst ensuring that system security is not compromised. The electricity system’s ability to adapt to changing demand in timescales of years down to minutes and varying availability of power from different resources will be extremely important to meeting these policy goals. Furthermore, action is needed so that those consumers that are best able to adapt their patterns of use of electricity have sufficient incentives and rewards for doing so. One manifestation of the main goal in accommodating future generation and demand is an objective to maximise the utilisation (across each year of operation) of electricity system assets, i.e. generators, network components and storage facilities.

Whilst the title of the call for evidence focuses on ‘a smart, flexible energy system’, most of the raised relate to the electricity system. We have therefore focused most of our responses on electricity rather than the energy system as a whole. Our responses are selective. We have only answered those questions where we can offer relevant evidence, based on our research and expertise.

• Energy Storage
• Flexible Demand
• Pricing and tariffs
• Procurement of System Services
• Interactions between transmission and distribution
• Industry Leadership
• Roles in planning and operating the future power system
• Evidence and access to data

Scope of the Call for Evidence and objectives in respect of flexibility

We welcome the attention being paid by Ofgem and BEIS to the need for flexibility in Britain's electricity system. In our view the main reason to support electricity system flexibility is that it can help minimise the costs of meeting the UK's statutory climate targets whilst ensuring that system security is not compromised. The electricity system's ability to adapt to changing demand in timescales of years down to minutes and varying availability of power from different resources will be extremely important to meeting these policy goals. Furthermore, action is needed so that those consumers that are best able to adapt their patterns of use of electricity have sufficient incentives and rewards for doing so. One manifestation of the main goal in accommodating future generation and demand is an objective to maximise the utilisation (across each year of operation) of electricity system assets, i.e. generators, network components and storage facilities.

Whilst the title of the call for evidence focuses on 'a smart, flexible energy system', most of the raised relate to the electricity system. We have therefore focused most of our responses on electricity rather than the energy system as a whole. Our responses are selective. We have only answered those questions where we can offer relevant evidence, based on our research and expertise.

This document only answers questions 28 -32 inclusive. Another document is available http://ukerc.rl.ac.uk/UCAT/PUBLICATIONS/Response_to_Ofgem-BEIS_call_for_evidence-smart_flexible_energy_system.pdf which gives answers to other questions in the consultation.

This executive summary describes work on the project AFM248Br, which involved CCFRA and Bristol University as a research consortium and the collaboration of Shipston Mill, Kerry Aptunion, Kraft Europe, Kellogg's UK, Warburtons, Unilever, RHM Culinary Brands, Greencore, Weetabix and Glaxo Smith Kline Nutritionals.

AFM248Br was a one year Bridge-LINK project that finished in October 2007. The project identified sources of waste thermal energy from food processes that could be recovered to produce mechanical power using Stirling engine technology. In the context of the project 'waste thermal energy' implied any source of heat released from a process that was rejected to the environment. Flue gases from combustion processes, hot air from baking ovens, steam or steam condensate from cooking operations were a few examples found in the food industry.

The project proposed the assessment of Stirling engine technology to achieve this purpose. Stirling engines are external combustion heat engines, with several advantages that make them suitable for waste heat streams (no contact between heat source and moving parts, scalable to application, low maintenance). They have high theoretical efficiencies and have been developed for several applications (micro CHP systems, biomass and solar powered), although they have not reached yet full commercial development except for very specific niche applications.

Ten different food factories were visited to gather information on waste energy streams released from processing operations. The nature of manufacturing operations studied was varied because the companies chosen for collaboration in the study belonged to different food sub-sectors. These included bread and cereal manufacturing, wheat processing, fruit processing, production of coffee, elaborated and prepared foods and soft drinks.

The project showed that although a significant amount of energy was lost through food manufacturing operations, the range of temperatures at which it was released (typically in the range between 30 and 200°C maximum) did not allow for an efficient and cost effective transformation into mechanical power. It concluded that exploitation of this potential was constrained by the lack of suitable technology. Attractive alternatives to the Stirling are now emerging: for example rotary scroll compressors for refrigeration and automotive air-conditioning. Together with new methods of manufacturing compact heat exchangers and reactors (direct laser deposition, DLD), these could form the basis of a new rotary heat engine using a recuperated rotary Ericsson cycle. This "scroll" engine will have the same theoretical efficiency as the Stirling, but will achieve a higher proportion of it in practice, at commercially acceptable costs. A research proposal on this concept was submitted to Defra following the finalisation of this project.

However, another potential application for heat engines within food processing facilities was identified. This comprised the concept of utilising high grade primary energy (from gas burning) to run a Stirling engine and produce electricity, and then use the remaining thermal energy to run the food process (e.g. baking oven).

Through a case-study of Yorkshire water, staff interviews, examination of its current practices and insights from academic literature, the brief identifies opportunities for reducing energy use in water management. It underscores the need to enhance public awareness of water-energy interdependencies, emphasising shared responsibility for environmen

This policy brief explores the dual nature of DHTs in contributing to and mitigating healthcares carbon footprint. Focusing on Englands National Health Service (NHS), the study delves into how the adoption of digital technologies could either reduce or exacerbate the healthcare sectors carbon footprint, raising critical questions for the NHSs digital transformation efforts.

The analysis reveals that while DHTs offer avenues for reducing emissionssuch as telehealth reducing the need for patient and cl

This report focuses on food miles - what they are, whether and how it might be possible to reduce them and what the consequences of so doing might be.

'Food miles' is a phrase used to encapsulate concerns about the increasing distances our food travels, and the environmental and social consequences thereof.

In this report we consider whether measures to shorten the food supply chain and reduce food miles can help cut CO₂ emissions from transport and, in so doing, achieve an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the food system.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that we need to achieve a 60-80% cut in human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. All sectors, including the food industry, will have to make a proportionate contribution to achieving this goal.

We suggest that the features of a lower carbon food system would include the following six elements:

In short, action to foster a lower carbon food system requires movement in the following direction:

1. A recognition that the food system needs to reduce the quantities of CO₂ it emits very considerably.
2. Policies and measures to reduce carbon emissions throughout the life-cycle of food so that trade-offs become synergies.
3. A stronger national and regional food base.
4. Measures to shift businesses away from long distance food transport and towards more nationally and regionally based sourcing.
5. Co-ordinated and co-operative methods of distributing goods both for the multiples and for local independent stores.
6. Information and Communication Technology which assists the development of less carbon-intensive systems.
7. Different retail structures.
8. Changes in the way we consume.
9. Ongoing research.

Finally, industry, government and consumers alike have a choice. We can seek to salvage elements of sustainability from the current system, in order to keep the system going as it is for a little longer. Or we can take a risk, look further into the future, and start to think and do differently. We believe the second route to be the only survivable option.

1. Introduction
2. Food in the supply chain
3. Food and freight: The trends and their impact
4. The technological approach: How far will efficiency get you?
5. Why things are the way they are: The influences shaping the food supply chain
6. The business approach: Anticipating and preparing for the future
7. Food, transport distance and life-cycle carbon emissions: Exploring the relationship
8. A lower carbon food system: Exploring the alternatives and the policies for achieving them
9. Recommendations

• Annex one: Localism: The debate

This document is the supplementary written evidence from Professor Pam Thomas, CEO at the Faraday Institution, submitted to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology following an inquiry evidence session on Tuesday 9 March 2021 for the 'Role of Batteries and Fuel Cells in Achieving Net Zero'.

Is the right strategy, funding and support in place to enable the research, innovation and commercialisation of battery technologies in the UK?
• If the UK is to play a significant role in battery manufacture and to decarbonise a range of industrial sectors, a larger and longer-term commitment in R&D of next generation energy storage technologies will be required.
• Funding for the FI's core research portfolio is currently maintained at £30m per annum.
• An additional £20m per annum (bringing the core funding to £50m pa) is deemed necessary to focus on new research problems that look beyond electrochemical aspects of battery research, for example, materials and systems engineering.