News

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…

Congratulations to Professor Peter Guthrie who has been appointed Vice-President at the Royal Academy of Engineering.Peter Guthrie is the first Professor in Engineering for Sustainable Development in the UK, and was the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development from 2000 to 2016. He continues to work on various research projects.  His rese…

Cambridge Zero was pleased to announce the launch of the “Green Recovery: A Blueprint for a Green Future” report this month at the Cambridge Zero Climate Change Festival 2020 . The report is an ambitious multidisciplinary report from the Cambridge Zero Policy Forum on how we can ensure a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemicThe Forum is a colla…

Researchers have developed a new approach to printed electronics that allows ultra-low-power electronic devices which could recharge from ambient light or radiofrequency noise. The approach paves the way for low-cost printed electronics that could be seamlessly embedded in everyday objects and environments.Electronics that consume tiny amounts of p…

The Resource Efficiency Collective (Dept of Engineering) report, The 'P' Word, was released last week, which focusses on use of plastics in the UK. Plastics are ubiquitous in modern society, owing to their usefulness, durability and how cheap and easy they are to produce. This makes plastics both a blessing and a curse. We manufacture a myriad of p…

University plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2038. The University of Cambridge aims to divest from all direct and indirect investments in fossil fuels by 2030 as part of the University’s plan to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2038, more than a decade before the date set by the UK government.The £3.5 billion Cambridge Uni…

Last week HRH The Prince of Wales gave the opening address to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Turbo Expo conference, the largest annual conference on the subject of flight and land-based power generation, due to have been held in London earlier this year but which is being held online due to the pandemic.In the message His Royal Highne…

Using an alcohol mixture, researchers modified how ink droplets dry, enabling cheap industrial-scale printing of electronic devices at unprecedented scales.Have you ever spilled your coffee on your desk? You may then have observed one of the most puzzling phenomena of fluid mechanics – the coffee ring effect. This effect has hindered the industrial…

Researchers have identified a potential new degradation mechanism for electric vehicle batteries – a key step to designing effective methods to improve battery lifespan. The researchers, from the Universities of Cambridge and Liverpool, and the Diamond Light Source, have identified one of the reasons why state-of-the-art ‘nickel-rich’ battery mater…

by Eleanor Palmer, Cambridge ZeroCOVID-19 has led to a resurgence in plastic use across society, from PPE to the likes of Pret, Caffè Nero and Starbucks no longer accepting reusable cups and exclusively relying on disposables. However, Taylor Uekert (Department of Chemistry) is hopeful that this plastic renaissance will inspire more holistic thinki…

Startups funded by US agency Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) file patents at twice the rate of similar cleantech firms. The UK should trial its own climate-focused ARPA as part of COVID-19 recovery package.The “innovation advantage” bestowed by ARPA-E – an energy version of the legendary DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects A…