Energy Futures Lab, Imperial College London

🌍 Imperial Alumni in Action at New York Climate Week Two of our MSc Sustainable Energy Futures alumni are making significant strides in the fight against climate change, featured in this recent Imperial College London article from New York Climate Week. Claire BURTIN (MSc 2016), Head of Strategy & Planning – North America at John Cockerill Hydrogen, emphasises the need for a holistic approach. “There’s no single magic solution," she says, urging us to rethink how we design and live in cities, stressing the importance of small, collective actions. Stephen Mushegan (MSc 2012) highlights the crucial role of cities in climate resilience. He notes that urban areas must lead the way by 2025 through policies focused on reuse, green infrastructure, and emissions minimisation. Their work showcases the impact that Imperial graduates are having on a global stage. Read more about their contributions to shaping a more sustainable future here: https://lnkd.in/eYNukD-5 #ClimateAction #EnergyFutures #ImperialAlumni #Sustainability #NYClimateWeek 4o

The UK chemical sector is a major energy consumer and emitter, yet it’s often overlooked in net zero discussions. The latest report from the Imperial Policy Forum highlights key steps to reduce emissions, including the need for regulatory changes and the potential role of blue chemicals in cutting energy use and emissions. #netzero #UKEnergy

New podcast episode out today! Shaping the Future of Material Design with AI. In this episode of the Energy Futures Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Sam Cooper, a pioneer at the intersection of artificial intelligence and materials science. Dr. Cooper is driving innovation in sustainable material design, with a special focus on battery technology. He leads the TLDR (Tools for Learning, Design, and Research) group and co-founded Polaron, an Imperial College London spinout using generative AI to transform material design. Key Topics Discussed: - The role of AI in sustainable design - Challenges in scaling AI for industry - AI’s potential to decarbonise manufacturing - Barriers to AI adoption in key sectors - How Polaron is applying AI to real-world problems - The impact of UK policy on renewable energy Tune in to explore how AI is shaping the future of material design and its crucial role in creating a sustainable energy future. Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eZ9-MzS5 Dyson School of Design Engineering #AI #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #BatteryTech #Innovation #EnergyFuturesPodcast #MaterialsScience #NetZero #ClimateTech #Polaron #EnergyTransformation #ImperialCollegeLondon #JonnyPrest

I'm delighted to share that Caroline Lucas, former MP and leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, will give this year's Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment Annual Lecture. Caroline is someone I have long admired – a hugely impressive parliamentarian, not afraid of challenging the status quo in Westminster or doing things differently. Throughout her career, she has been a tireless advocate of #ClimateAction, social justice and the protection of the natural world. In her lecture, Caroline will explore how we can foster hope and build resilience in a time of growing populism and climate breakdown. She will also be joined for a discussion by a panel of leading climate experts and changemakers. If you're in London on October 29th, please do come along (and spread the word); I'd love to see you there! More details here: https://lnkd.in/e2nRnznd

🔌 Can you keep the grid balanced? ⚡ At National Grid ESO, experts in the control centre work tirelessly to ensure electricity supply meets demand in real-time. Balancing the grid is no easy feat—it’s impacted by changing demand throughout the day, weather, and seasonal shifts. Now, you can step into their shoes! National Grid ESO has developed an interactive game that gives you the chance to experience what it's like to balance the grid while tackling real-world challenges. Test your skills and see if you can keep the power flowing! Play here: https://lnkd.in/e_UNRUuj #EnergyFutures #GridBalancing #EnergyTransition #Electricity #EnergySystems

Launch of Energy Futures Lab’s Net Zero Skills Paper On 8 October, Energy Futures Lab will release a new briefing paper titled Net-Zero Skills: Jobs, Skills, and Training for the Net-Zero Energy Transition. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the skills required to support the UK’s transition to low-carbon energy sectors, identifying key barriers and opportunities for growth. Through expert interviews and sectoral case studies, the paper explores how to address gaps in training and proposes the establishment of a Net-Zero Skills Commission to guide policy and workforce development. https://lnkd.in/eiDv4vjb Imperial College London Imperial Civil and Environmental Engineering Imperial College Business School Imperial Enterprise Imperial College Executive Education Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London Imperial Executive Education | Sustainable Finance and Investing: Unlock Global Investment Data Science Institute at Imperial College London Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College Imperial Mechanical Engineering EDF (UK) Energy UK Sizewell C ScottishPower Iberdrola UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) Innovate UK Innovate UK Net Zero Living programme Images courtesy of Rampion Offshore Ltd

Such a pleasure to speak with Professor Brian Cox about batteries for The Royal Society school experiments video series! Check out the video! (https://lnkd.in/eN9EHpm6) This is a series of free videos and resources, featuring Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, designed to inspire and engage students with practical science. All featured topics link directly to the STEM curriculum, with the new secondary level resources featuring new and emerging technologies. The aim of the resources is to reach as many young people as possible and see more students across the UK doing practical science regularly. Go to to find all the resources: https://lnkd.in/eJZ8FFAk Many thanks to Catalina Pino-Muñoz, Elizabeth Olisa and Charlotte Roe for engaging with the video as well as Brian Cox, Ruby Seger-Bernard the team at The Royal Society for pulling together this great resource! The Faraday Institution, Imperial College London, Dyson School of Design Engineering, Energy Futures Lab, Imperial College London, Francesca MacLennan (Long), Dominic Grantley-Smith, #BrianCoxSchoolExperiments

🎙️ And we’re live! ⚡ After months of hard work we have switched on our new energy show- Energy Futures Podcast, a brand-new video-first series by Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College London! #OurImperial Our first episode: Powering the UK with expert guests Dr. Aidan Rhodes and Dr. Nadine Moustafa, Ph.D. 👀 Watch episode 1  https://lnkd.in/ePq-VsUG 👂Or listen  Spotify- https://lnkd.in/ebXVygmU Apple Podcasts- https://lnkd.in/exESMJ3s What can you expect? Expect critical conversations surrounding the clean energy transition, featuring insights from world-class researchers, industry experts and policy leaders. 🌍 - Discussions on cutting-edge topics: grid infrastructure, renewable technology, carbon capture, global energy markets and more.  - Episodes released every Monday morning on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Podcasts.  - Designed for energy professionals, academics, students and energy enthusiasts. Watch, Listen & Subscribe: YouTube: Energy Futures Podcast  https://lnkd.in/eimKxBUX Apple Podcasts  https://lnkd.in/ePyD5c-a Spotify  https://lnkd.in/e3kEtSHE  Thanks to everyone who contributed to the show- Nadine Moustafa, Peter Bryant (EDF (UK) Sizewell C), Yujia Du (The Climate Circle), Juliette Sanders a.k.a. Killah Jules (Energy UK), Cathy McClay FREng (National Grid), Guy. Nicholson (Statkraft), Leo J Barnett (UK Zero), Sir David King (Climate Crisis Advisory Group CCAG), Caitríona S. (Bord na Móna), Malte Jansen (University of Sussex), Lior Suchoy (Imperial), Rayan Kassis (Aed Energy), Dr. Yousef M. Alshammari FEI (Imperial / CMarkits), Lukas Schirren (Imperial) and Sam Cooper (Imperial / Polaron). Thanks to the Energy Futures Lab Team for your support- Aidan Rhodes, Peter Childs, Anna Korre, Victoria Ebo, Jonny Prest, Louise McDermott, Marina Lomberg, Maria Sokolikova, Elisa Collado and Gavin Eves. #EnergyFuturesPodcast #CleanEnergy #Sustainability #PodcastLaunch #EnergyTransition #ImperialCollegeLondon #ThoughtLeadership #Innovation #Collaboration 

Addressing the battery talent shortage with interdisciplinarity. https://lnkd.in/edHAD9_m In a recent Nature Energy World View article, Imperial College London's Dr. Billy Wu highlights the urgent need for a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to tackle the growing shortage of skilled individuals in the battery industry. #Batteries are increasingly recognised as critical for #decarbonisation, with deployment driven by governmental mandates, economic opportunities and energy security concerns. The demand for battery-related talent is accelerating, with the Volta Foundation Battery Report 2023 estimating that global production will require between 300,000 and 1.4 million jobs by 2030. Dr. Wu argues that the future success of the battery industry hinges on solving the 'AND' problem: creating solutions that combine high performance, long lifetimes, low costs and sustainability. This will require expertise from material scientists, electrical engineers, policymakers and beyond, working together in an interdisciplinary framework. Through his research, Dr. Wu calls attention to the need for a skills ecosystem that brings together diverse disciplines to power the energy transition and meet the industry’s growing demands. #Energy #BatteryIndustry #SkillsEcosystem #Interdisciplinary #Imperial

New research from Imperial College London by Madison Cuthbertson and Mark Workman, in collaboration with Aoife Brophy from the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment - University of Oxford, explores the critical need for demand-side incentives to scale up greenhouse gas removal (GGR) technologies. The study highlights that while the US has made significant strides in expanding GGR #research, development, and deployment, the absence of clear demand-side policies jeopardises the global deployment of high-integrity GGRs at the gigatonne scale. Key takeaways: - GGRs are essential to achieving global net zero by 2050. - Systemic risks, such as offtake uncertainty and unclear subsidy frameworks, hinder private sector investment. - Addressing these risks is crucial to establishing a sustainable global GGR market. Read the full paper to understand the implications of #USpolicy on the future of global #GGR deployment. https://lnkd.in/gWN_zvnq #NetZero2050 #ClimatePolicy #GreenhouseGasRemoval #SustainableTech #CarbonReduction