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In the heart of London there is a farm like no other. It's subterranean, sustainable and energy smart. It also has a digital twin looking out for its every need. Thirty-three metres below London’s Clapham High Street is the world’s first underground farm. It’s shaping the future of urban farming.Stacked racks of fresh green leaves thrive under bank…

A carbon-neutral economy in 50 years? Maybe. But what if we were to go faster? Professor Rob Miller says that it is time to completely rethink the schedule.How long will it take to make zero-carbon flight a reality? Thirty years? Longer? “Climate change means that we just don’t have that timescale,” says Professor Rob Miller. “I believe that this t…

On the 3rd March 2021, Professor David Cebon (University of Cambridge) presented to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on the role of hydrogen in achieving net zero.Professor Cebon summarised the potential, the energy efficiency and economical cost for hydrogen-use in reaching net zero target. He provided evidence in the use of h…

Researchers from the Catalysis and Process Integration group (Department of Chemical engineering and Biotechnology), led by Dr Laura Torrente, have developed a new way to produce ammonia. The new system redefines the century old Haber-Bosch process within an energy landscape shifting to renewables, where ‘green ammonia’ will have a role as a long-t…

Nyobolt (previously named CB2 Technology), a spinout of the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry in 2016 and co-founded by Professor Clare Grey and Dr Sai Shivareddy. has secured £7.7 milion ($10m) in Series A funding. The start-up is defining a new category of ultra-high power technology, The round is led by IQ Capital with participation from Camb…

Researchers have identified a new form of magnetism in so-called magnetic graphene, which could point the way toward understanding superconductivity in this unusual type of material. This gain in fundamental understanding of phenomena could potentially have use in energy efficiency, generation and storage..The researchers, led by the University of …

New type of optical computing could solve highly complex problems that are out of reach for even the most powerful supercomputers.An important class of challenging computational problems, with applications in graph theory, neural networks, artificial intelligence and error-correcting codes can be solved by multiplying light signals, according to re…

When she’s not making atomic-scale changes to create super-efficient light bulbs and cut carbon emissions, Professor Rachel Oliver has her sights set on helping to level-up equality and diversity in science. This Cambridge Life spoke with Professor Oliver on International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February).This mindset of delving down …

The winners of the Helios Prize (Department of Engineering) – awarded for graduate research in sustainable energy or energy efficiencyThe Helios Prize, Department of Engineering (University of Cambridge) was awarded to Matteo Craglia, for his research in energy efficiency in the transport sector. Matteo is supervised by Dr Jonathan Cullen and won t…

The widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles offers the greatest energy efficiency and potential for CO2 reduction, new analysis by Cambridge engineers has shown.But they warn, that in order for the full potential of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to be unlocked, grid improvements will be necessary to meet elevated electricity demand and …

A review of ten types of policy used to reduce carbon suggests that some costs fall on those less able to bear them – but it also shows these policies can form the bedrock of a ‘green recovery’ if specifically designed and used in tandem.Some of the low-carbon policy options currently used by governments may be detrimental to households and small b…

The University of Cambridge is one of 21 organisations awarded a share of over £7 million in funding meant to put the UK at the forefront of the latest advances in space innovation.The funding will support companies and universities with radical ideas for how we tackle climate change through earth observation or address satellite communications cha…

Researchers have developed environmentally friendly materials that could harvest enough energy from indoor light to power wireless smart devices.We are increasingly using more smart devices like smartphones, smart speakers, and wearable health and wellness sensors in our homes, offices, and public buildings. However, the batteries they use can depl…

The MacKay Carbon Calculator provides a model of the UK energy system that allows you to explore pathways to decarbonisation, including net zero by 2050.Using the MacKay Carbon Calculator, you can create pathways to find out how we might reduce the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and beyond. You choose your ‘levels of ambition’ fo…

On 19 November 2020 UKRI announced 10 university-led research projects that will receive £8 million in funding from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The investment is part of the Enabling Research competition in the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge (SSPP). It aims to help tackle plastic waste in the UK and aims to find solutions…