Past events

05 Jun

Innovation and Governance of the GB Energy System: implications of decentralisation, decarbonisation, digitalisation and flexibility needs.

Momentum within the current energy system is towards decentralisation, decarbonisation and digitalisation (D3) and this requires a more flexible system operation. Together this is having an impact on market design, network regulation, regulatory mechanisms (ie a move to more performance based outcomes), business models, retail offerings and customer propositions. Whereas in the conventional energy system the links between, for example, [...]

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29 May

European and Global Challenges to the Future of Gas: unburnable or unaffordable?

Modelling studies suggest that COP21 targets can be met with global gas demand peaking in the 2030s and declining slowly thereafter. This would qualify gas to be considered a `transition fuel’ to a low carbon economy. However, such an outcome is by no means a foregone conclusion, particularly in Europe where decline may be more rapid post-2030. There are limited [...]

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15 May

Chemical energy storage and how we can exploit it to improve energy conversion processes

Chemical energy storage and how it differs from other forms of energy storage will be discussed.  We will consider the fundamental requirements of a chemical energy store system in order to select possible chemical solutions.  Energy densities will be compared to other forms of energy storage for context.  Material and energy balances for overall chemical energy storage processes will be [...]

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01 May

BMW Group | From Innovation to Series Production | BMW Group Electric Powertrain

By providing a range of different models with specific characteristics the BMW Group e-fleet meets the requirements on urban and long-distance mobility, ecological compatibility and regulatory provisions while keeping the joy of driving that is typical for a BMW. In this way the BMW Group asserts its leadership in terms of innovative developments and high-performance products. In order to continue [...]

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24 Apr

Scientific, technical and economic factors in the production of ‘green’ ammonia

This combined presentation will be given by two independent group leaders from the University of Oxford who have been working collaboratively to address the development of ‘green’ ammonia synthesis [1]. First, Rene Banares-Alcantara (DoES) will set the scene by presenting intermittency as the main challenge in the integration of renewable energy (RE) to the grid, and how energys torage (ES) systems [...]

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01 Feb

Inequality, unelectrified hospitals and post-truth politics: Howto address the social dimension of energy planning in Uganda

In Uganda, 84% of the population does not have access to electricity. While electrification technologies are well-known and finance availability has greatly increased, electrification in Uganda is marred by several salient socio-political issues. This talk explains some of these problems, and suggests how they can be addressed in spatially explicit energy planning models. Speaker Philipp Trotter, University of Bath Organisers: Smith School Who can [...]

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30 Jan

Energy from our nearest star: commissioning a solar mini-farm in rural southern India.

Energy is collected from our nearest star by day and stored as chemical energy, so that the observatory can safely be used to observe interesting stars by night. Speaker Katherine Blundell will describe how the commissioning and operation of a solar-mini farm powers an astronomical observatory at a school in rural southern India. She will illustrate its challenges, successes, and its impact [...]

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16 Jan

Fully Charged: Revolutions in Energy and Transport

Speaker Robert Llewellyn live, comic actor and television presenter is also a massive advocate of clean energy technologies, especially electric vehicles and renewables. Since 2010, he has been running his own Youtube channel, Fully Charged, on these issues. With over 300 episodes made, more than 200k followers, and some episodes gathering over 1m views, Fully Charged is becoming a vital source [...]

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28 Nov

Finding the balance – New System Flexibility with Storage and Demand Response

The UK government believes that a smart energy system with storage and demand response could save consumers up to £40bn by 2050. In this colloquium we will unpack the drivers behind the increasing need for flexibility andr eview the potential roles for electricity storage and demand response in addressing them. Interesting tensions between efficient and flexible uses of energy emerge. Speaker Dr [...]

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