Past events

Direct air capture of CO2 — what’s it got to do with energy policy? Everything, really — and this is a problem, because most people who think about energy policy see air-capture as a futuristic and largely hypothetical distraction. But the cumulative impact of carbon dioxide emissions means there is a high chance that much of the CO2 generated by fossil [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Weekly, term-time talks on topical energy issues. These talks are free and open to all. Tuesdays during term time at 5pm in the School of Geography and the Environment. Lecture Theatre, School of Geography and the Environment Speaker Professor Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith FRS will give a guided tour of the ‘Oxford Energy wheel’ and describe some research highlights. He will then outline [...]

Speaker Eddie is co-founder and chief executive of Mainstream Renewable Power and founder of Airtricity. He is an Honorary Director of the European Wind Energy Association and is widely know as the ‘father of the super grid’. Download a recording of the talk (MOV) Read the full transcript (PDF)