• Starlink Broadband launches Mini Dish and Mini Roam service in the UK

    Elon Musk’s SpaceX has announced a mini version of its Starlink satellite internet antenna that's small enough to be used on the go. In June 2024, Starlink announced the Starlink Mini – a compact, portable kit that provides high-speed, low-latency internet for customers who require access to the internet when they are on the move or traveling. Michael Nicholls, vice-president of Starlink Engineering, took to X to make the announcement (see image below). Starlink’s broadband service is powered by a constellation of 6,281 low earth orbit satellites, with plans to add thousands more. Starlink is available in 99 countries and territories, and it confirmed in May 2024 that it had reached three million subscribers. Its latest Mini product is roughly the size of a laptop, and at 1.1kg it…

  • Australia commits AUD$18m to protect vital undersea cable network in Indo-Pacific

    Australia has announced more than AUD$18m (£9m) will be spent over the next four years to help it protect its vital undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific. The country relies on 15 international cables that manage around 95% of its international data traffic and contribute an estimated AUD$167bn or more a year to the Australian economy. But the heavy reliance on a relatively limited number of underwater cables leaves the infrastructure open to attack from hostile states or damage from shipping and natural disasters. These polyethylene lined cables are similar in size to a garden hose (17-21 mm diameter) and largely remain untouched during their lifespan, which is usually about 25 years. But every year around 100 to 200 cases of damage are reported on the submarine cables, which comprise…

  • Uber signs deal with BYD to bring 100,000 new EVs into its ridesharing service

    Uber has announced a multi-year partnership with Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD to bring 100,000 new EVs into its ridesharing service. Beginning first in Europe and Latin America, the partnership is expected to offer drivers access to pricing and financing deals for BYD vehicles on the platform. Uber said it will eventually expand the deal to include markets across the Middle East, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. BYD is known for producing low-cost EVs predominantly for consumers in its home market, with the cost for its vehicles starting as low as 100,000 yuan (£10,800). In 2022, the company dethroned Tesla as the world’s largest EV maker by unit sales, even though it has not yet made major inroads in Western markets. Uber said that its drivers are going electric five times…

  • Air New Zealand is first major airline to drop 2030 target to cut emissions

    The airline said it is scrapping emissions targets due to difficulties in procuring new planes and the lack of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Earlier this month Luis Gallego – chief executive officer of International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns British Airways – warned that airlines in Europe will be forced to raise prices to fund the cost of cutting carbon emissions. Lufthansa also recently announced a ticket surcharge to cover the “steadily rising additional costs” of new environmental fuel requirements. Now Air New Zealand has become the first major airline to admit it is dropping its 2030 goal to cut carbon emissions. According to an article in The Guardian, the company has blamed difficulties in procuring new planes and SAF. Aviation accounts for approximately 3% of total…

  • Record £1.5bn price set for UK’s next renewable energy auction

    The new Labour government has boosted the budget for an upcoming renewable energy auction to £1.5bn after last year’s auction failed to attract any bids. Contracts for Difference auctions invite companies to bid to develop renewable energy projects in the UK and give them a guaranteed minimum price for the electricity they will generate. The system also means that if electricity prices in the future rise above that level, the companies pay the excess back to the treasury. But the last auction in September attracted no developers, with the industry saying that the government had set the price too low to make new projects worth pursuing. Energy secretary Ed Miliband today announced that the budget for this year’s renewable energy auction is being increased by £500m to over £1.5bn as part…

  • Energy-hungry data centres consumed 21% of Ireland’s metered electricity in 2023

    The Central Statistics Office (CSO) for Ireland has released metered electricity consumption statistics for 2023, revealing that electricity consumption by data centres increased by 20% in 2023. The CSO statistics revealed that the percentage of metered electricity consumption used by data centres rose from 5% in 2015 to 18% in 2022 and to 21% in 2023. This is more electricity than the total amount for urban dwellings (18%) and for rural dwellings (10%). The percentage of metered electricity consumed by urban dwellings actually dropped 1% from 2022, while the metered electricity consumed by rural dwellings remained the same. The reason why data centres consume so much electricity is not only due to their 24/7 computational-heavy operation, but also the air conditioning systems needed…

  • Key challenges facing the clean hydrogen economy, according to NPL report

    A report by the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) outlines the crucial challenges that must be addressed to boost the hydrogen economy and support the UK in reaching its net zero goals. The UK government has committed to channelling up to £500m into green hydrogen over the parliament in a bid to deliver clean power by 2030. However, for hydrogen to meaningfully contribute to a net zero society it must be produced at scale and at a low cost, and with minimal environment impact. As the UK’s National Metrology Institute and a public sector research establishment, NPL is focused on ensuring that as hydrogen technologies are being developed and deployed, metrology plays a key role in supporting operations, standardisation and innovations throughout the hydrogen economy. For instance…

  • Small modular reactor designs approved in first step towards UK nuclear power expansion

    Britain’s nuclear regulators have approved early designs for small modular reactors (SMRs) developed by Rolls-Royce SMR as a first step towards significant expansion of the UK’s nuclear power capabilities. The firm is offering a different approach to delivering new nuclear power that is easier to scale and more affordable than building larger nuclear power plants. It’s an approach that aims to deliver an entirely factory-built nuclear power plant that would be transported as modules and assembled on-site, radically reducing construction activity and making the SMRs a commodifiable product. The previous government had an ambition to increase nuclear capacity in the UK from around 6GW to up to 24GW by 2050, as set out in the 2022 British energy security strategy. The SMRs designed by…

  • Project Watch - Wind powered oil rig, searching for life on Mars

    Around the world, many great projects are changing the built environment and our infrastructure – but sometimes progress is slow and they slip off the radar. This column follows their development. North Sea Wind-powered offshore rig In 2017 Netherlands-based oil and gas company ONE-Dyas discovered the N05-A oil field in the North Sea. It is located in an area known as GEMS – ‘Gateway to the Ems’ – at the mouth of the Ems River estuary on the border between the Netherlands and Germany. The project was given the go-ahead by the Dutch government in June 2022 when the final permits were granted. In December 2022 construction of the platform got under way at HSM Offshore Energy yard in Schiedam, Netherlands. The N05-A platform will be the first Dutch offshore gas treatment platform to…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Heart Aerospace’s hybrid-electric aircraft for short-haul travel to debut in 2028

    Heart Aerospace is developing a regional hybrid-electric aircraft with a projected battery range of 200km for short-haul flights. In 2021, the Swedish start-up announced its intention to “decarbonise and democratise air travel” with the development of a 19-passenger all-electric short-range airliner, the ES-19. This then evolved into the 30-passenger ES-30. Rather than being fully electric, Heart decided that to extend the range of the aircraft it would include a “reserve-hybrid” configuration. This set-up enables a fully electric range of 200km, in which the four electric propeller motors are powered solely by BAE Systems-designed batteries, and an extended hybrid range of 400km, in which the motors are powered by two aviation-fuel-burning turbo generators. With a lighter load of 25…

  • UK road and rail projects facing cancellation in bid to fill £20bn budget ‘black hole’

    A number of infrastructure projects, including road and rail, have been cancelled by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in a bid to shore up the nation’s finances. In a speech to parliament, Reeves called out the previous Conservative government for leaving a £20bn “black hole” in Britain’s finances and said that difficult decisions had to be made in a bid to stabilise the UK’s financial position. She said the projects needed to be cut because “the previous government refused to publicly cancel [them] despite knowing full well they were unaffordable”. The proposed Stonehenge road tunnel is one of the most significant infrastructure projects that found itself on the chopping block yesterday. The £1.7bn tunnel would have removed the view of road traffic for tourists visiting the ancient heritage…

  • Hydraulic lift system was used to build the world’s oldest pyramid, study suggests

    Ancient Egyptians may have used an advanced hydraulic lift system to raise the massive stone blocks when building Egypt’s Step Pyramid of Djoser, a new study has found. The pyramid in Saqqara, Egypt, is considered the oldest of the seven monumental pyramids built around 4,500 years ago. The six-tier, four-sided structure would have originally stood 62.5 metres tall, with a base measuring 109 metres by 121 metres. For many years, archaeologists scratched their heads as to how this immense pyramid was constructed. It was often believed that ramps and rollers were the primary methods used in building such structures. However, in a study led by Xavier Landreau, an engineer and material scientist from the CEA Paleotechnic Institute and his team of French engineers, hydrologists and material…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • First space-based energy grid could power satellites in low-Earth orbit

    The first “space-based energy grid” is under development by Star Catcher Industries, which has secured $12.25m (£9.55m) in an initial funding round. Once constructed, the Star Catcher Network will be able to beam “significant levels” of broad-spectrum energy to spacecraft in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond. According to the firm, the network will be able to deliver energy on demand and at higher concentrations than existing solar arrays on client spacecraft can provide. The firm was founded by former Made in Space and Redwire leaders Andrew Rush and Michael Snyder, and has been responsible for replacing solar arrays on the International Space Station, alongside other projects. The Star Catcher Network will allow satellites to generate between five to 10 times the amount of power they…

  • Number of plastic bags on UK beaches falls by 80% after charging introduced

    Charging for plastic bags has led to an 80% fall in the number found on the UK’s beaches over the last decade, a Marine Conservation Society (MCS) study says. The ocean charity carries out annual litter surveys in which volunteers record all litter that they find within a 100-metre stretch of beach. An estimated 7.6 billion bags a year were handed out by the leading supermarkets before the 5p charge was introduced in 2015. All retailers with more than 250 employees were obliged to apply the charge to their plastic bags, with many small businesses also reporting voluntarily. In 2020, figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs showed that bag sales fell by 95% since the introduction of the charge. In 2021, the charge was increased to 10p and extended to all businesses…

  • The UK’s manufacturing sector drops to 12th in world rankings, analysis shows

    Make UK, which represents manufacturers in the UK, has released its annual analysis of UK manufacturing in its report UK manufacturing: the facts 2024. The latest analysis of UK manufacturing from Make UK, formerly the Engineering Employers’ Federation, includes a wide variety of data about the contribution of UK manufacturing to the economy including exports, sectoral breakdown, R&D investment, salary levels and how the UK compares to other nations. The data reveals that the sector contributed £217bn in output to the economy last year, supporting 2.6 million jobs. Firms are investing more than in 2023, with £38.8bn worth of investment taking place. China remains the largest manufacturing nation with output worth $5.06tn (almost a third of global production), followed by the US with …

  • This summer marks the humble barcode’s 50th ‘scanniversary’

    The first modern barcode was scanned 50 years ago on a pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum at the checkout of a supermarket in the US city of Troy, Ohio. Taking inspiration from Morse Code, the barcode – with its series of narrow and wider lines – was first invented in 1948. A few years later a ‘barcode reader’ was developed but it wasn’t until the 1970s when the technology was commercially feasible to be used in the public sector. In the early 1970s, grocery executives hoping the barcode would provide an automated solution to rising labour costs through easily tracking their stores’ inventory, created a committee that developed the Universal Product Code (UPC) data standard. This committee chose the IBM barcode symbol over a half-dozen alternative designs. The first ever barcode scanned…

  • Data drives Dutch sailing at Olympics

    Sport has become obsessed with data, using it to gain the fine margins on which success rests. However, it is new to dinghy class sailing, and the Dutch team at the Paris Olympics is taking a data-driven approach in its quest for medals. Annemiek Bekkering is now retired from competitive sailing. She sailed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and again in Tokyo 2020, where she won a bronze medal in the women’s 49er FX. Her career spanned two decades, competing in multiple elite sailing events and rapidly establishing herself as a leading light in the Dutch sailing scene. Yet, in spite of complete dedication to sailing, and maximising her training opportunities and potential, there was a gap, a hole that, if filled, she knew would further enhance her performance and unlock greater…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Sustainable hydrogen gas produced using aluminium cans, seawater and caffeine

    Researchers have developed a new, sustainable method to produce hydrogen gas that uses easily accessible materials including aluminium soda cans, seawater and coffee grounds. The team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, believe the process could be a good, low carbon way to produce hydrogen for use in vehicles. The risk with powering vehicles with a tank full of hydrogen gas is that it is volatile and highly explosive, so the team looked for ways to use the fuel without having to transport it onboard. They discovered that when aluminium comes into contact with water, it undergoes a straightforward chemical reaction that generates hydrogen and heat. However, as soon as the aluminium is out the water and exposed to oxygen, the surface immediately forms a thin layer…

  • Martian rock discovered that contains signs of microbial life

    Nasa’s Perseverance rover has analysed a rock on Mars that has “some indications” it may have hosted microbial life billions of years ago. The vein-filled, arrowhead-shaped rock was nicknamed “Cheyava Falls” by the Nasa team. In an analysis by Perseverance’s instruments, it found the rock exhibits chemical signatures and structures that could possibly have been formed by life billions of years ago when the area being explored by the rover contained running water. But other explanations are also being considered and future research steps will be required to determine whether ancient life is a valid explanation. The rock was collected on 21 July, as the rover explored the northern edge of Neretva Vallis, an ancient river valley measuring 400 metres wide that was carved by water rushing…

  • Lack of data infrastructure threatens UK’s AI boom, report finds

    The UK’s AI boom could be hampered by a lack of data infrastructure, the Open Data Institute (ODI) has warned in a report. The non-profit research body, which was founded by internet creator Tim Berners-Lee, argues that AI technologies have significant potential to transform numerous industries including diagnostics and personalised education. But it predicted the potential gains could be impeded by “significant weaknesses” in the UK’s tech infrastructure and urged the government to take a number of actions to remedy the situation. This includes broader access to high-quality data from both the public and private sector; greater enforcement of data protection and labour rights in the data supply chain; updates to intellectual property laws to ensure AI models are being trained in a fair…

  • ULEZ expansion sees London’s air quality improve faster than the rest of England

    The expansion of London’s ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) is working better than predicted, with the capital’s air quality improving at a faster rate than the rest of England’s. According to a report from the Mayor of London’s office, pollutant emissions in 2023 reduced “dramatically”, with PM2.5 exhaust emissions from cars in outer London falling by around 22%. Within the outer London ULEZ area, nitrogen oxide emissions from cars and vans are estimated to be 13% and 7% lower than a scenario without the expansion. This is equivalent to removing 200,000 cars from the road for one year, the report claims. Since the expansion, 96% of vehicles seen driving within the zone are now compliant, with a 53% reduction in non-compliant vehicles in six months. It’s estimated that London sees around…

  • Great British Energy to develop ‘20-30GW’ of offshore wind farms with the Crown Estate

    Great British Energy will partner with the Crown Estate to build up to 20-30GW of new offshore wind developments, the Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced. The Great British Energy Bill was announced last week in the King’s Speech to enable the creation of the new publicly-owned energy company that will oversee the government’s push to further expand the UK’s carbon-free energy programme. The company will be backed by £8.3bn of new investment over the next parliament, with a goal to leverage a further £60bn in private investment. The Crown Estate, which ostensibly belongs to the monarchy, already has a £16bn portfolio of land and seabed. While it operates independently, all profits generated are returned to the Treasury. It estimates that the new partnership will lead to the creation…

  • National Highways starts trial of carbon-negative aggregate on stretch of M11 motorway

    National Highways is trialling a carbon-negative aggregate on a stretch of motorway in Essex in the hope of reducing the carbon footprint of our roads. According to the Asphalt Industry Alliance, asphalt roads account for over 95% of all UK roads, with 25 million tonnes produced nationally each year. It is also one of the largest sources of carbon emissions. In a bid to find solutions to help reduce its carbon footprint, National Highways, the government body overseeing England’s motorways and major roads, launched a low-carbon innovation competition last summer to find next-generation construction materials to help achieve its net zero targets. Four firms emerged as winners and received up to £80,000 each to move their products forward. Seaham-based Low Carbon Materials was the first…

  • 3D-printed blood vessels could improve heart bypass outcomes

    Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are undertaking research into the development of 3D-printed blood vessels, which closely mimic the properties of human veins, to improve the treatment of those living with cardiovascular disease. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, killing an estimated 17.9 million people each year. Coronary heart disease, which occurs when the coronary arteries that supply the heart with oxygen become narrowed by a gradual build-up of fatty material, is the most commonly diagnosed cardiovascular disease worldwide. The British Heart Foundation estimates that around 200 million people are living with the disease globally and it is now the cause of one in six deaths. Coronary artery bypass…

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