• MPs reject motion to force a vote to ban fracking in the UK

    Newly resigned Prime Minister Liz Truss' government won the vote on fracking legislation by 326 votes to 230 in the House of Commons on Wednesday, despite the lack of votes of 30 Conservative MPs.  The motion discussed was one put forth by Labour to force a vote on the banning of fracking, a very controversial  process of hydraulic fracturing, which uses high-pressure liquid to release gas from shale formations. The moratorium on fracking had been in place since 2019 following a series of earth tremors, but the ban was lifted in September 2022 by Truss. At the time, Conservatives representing seats in northern England hit out at the move to end the ban, which unequivocally breaks a clear Tory manifesto promise. Due to the controversial nature of the motion, as well as the growing animosity…

  • Regulator wants new measures to boost North Sea oil production

    The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said that production remained low in 2021 versus pre-pandemic levels but that current project pipelines and a new licensing round would boost drilling activity. Production totalled around 480 million barrels in 2021, compared with 600 million in 2019. The NSTA’s Wells Insight Report found that pre-pandemic drilling operations were taking place in 141 wells in 2019. But last year, drilling operations began on only 66 wells, including five exploration, five appraisal and 56 development wells, similar to levels recorded in 2020. The report suggests that a focus on second wellbores, the new licensing round and maintaining existing wells could all help boost production in years to come. NSTA head of technology Carlo Procaccini said: “Amid the energy…

  • US grants $2.8bn to boost the production of EV batteries

    The United States has announced it will award $2.8bn (£2.5bn) in grants to boost the US production of electric vehicle batteries and the minerals used to build them in 12 states.  The grants mark the latest push by the Biden administration to help reduce the country's dependence on China, a country that currently produces 75 per cent of the batteries used in electric vehicles, according to officials.  "This is critically important, because the future of vehicles is electric,'' Biden said at a White House event with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. "By undercutting US manufacturers with their unfair subsidies and trade practices, China seized a significant portion of the market. Today we're stepping up... to take it back, not all of it, but bold goals." The funding recipients, first…

  • National Grid trialling tech to boost power line capacity amid renewables influx

    ‘Dynamic Line Rating’ (DLR) technology is being trialled for first time in the UK following successful deployment on National Grid’s electricity networks in the US. DLR uses sensors and a data analytics platform to highlight available spare capacity on overhead power lines when available. Based on the US trial, National Grid said the system has the potential to unlock 0.6GW of additional capacity, enough to power more than 500,000 homes and save £1.4m in network operating costs annually. The sensors continuously monitor the transmission lines and apply advanced analytics to calculate the Dynamic Line Rating which is determined by a power line’s physical and electrical properties, such as size, resistance and maximum safe operating temperature, as well as the local weather conditions.…

  • Shapeshifting AI material created that learns and adapts to changing conditions

    The material is composed of a structural system made up of tunable beams that can alter its shape and behaviours in response to dynamic conditions. The research findings – which posit future applications in the construction of buildings, airplanes and imaging technologies, among other areas – have been published in the journal Science Robotics . When the material is placed in aircraft wings, for example, it could learn to morph the shape of the wings based on the wind patterns during a flight to achieve greater efficiency and manoeuvrability of the plane. Building structures infused with this material could also self-adjust the rigidity in certain areas to improve their overall stability during an earthquake or other natural or manmade disasters. Using and adapting concepts from existing…

  • View from India: Where next for quantum computing?

    Quantum computing isn’t new, but its commercialisation is somewhat recent. Looking back, 2016 could probably be considered as still the pre-market phase for quantum computing. It then seemed like a scam for concerned investors and end users. Since then on, the ground is being prepared for raising awareness about the technology. “The pandemic has fuelled quantum innovation for challenges coming from supply chain management and a distributed workforce. Consequently, there’s is an extra pressure on automation and an enabling hybrid working environment. Now we need to take the technology to the next frontier,” said Dr Eric Holland, business development manager, quantum at Keysight Technologies, speaking at the Keysight World Innovate event held virtually. Quantum is not a plug-and-play technology…

  • Hands-on reviews: Vantrue dashcams E1 and S2 2CH

    Dashcams are increasingly common, both for insurance purposes and a sense of self-preservation. These cameras never lie and it's peace of mind for many motorists to be able to unequivocally prove the facts of an incident. With one in five vehicles now fitted with a dashboard camera, motorists are even being warned to “ drive like they’re being filmed ” every time they get behind the wheel. E&T has previously reviewed dashcams from a range of companies, including Mio , Viofo and Nexar . By and large, the differences between comparable models is often minimal. Any decent dashcam worth its visual salt on the market today will capture high-quality video footage, both day and night, and will also log GPS details of the journey and even watch over your car while you sleep. Where different dashcams…

  • Risks of long-term exposure to space radiation confirmed with mouse experiment

    Ordinary people are now able to travel in space, and the possibility of long-term manned flights to deep space, such as to the Moon and Mars, is increasing. Yet space radiation remains a limiting factor for manned exploration. A team from Osaka Metropolitan University studied the biological effect of the phenomenon by launching frozen mouse embryonic stem cells from the ground to the ISS, exposing them to space radiation for over four years, and quantifying the biological effect by examining chromosome aberrations. Their experiment results show, for the first time, that the actual biological effect of space radiation mirrors predictions previously made by other researchers. Scientists have been conducting intensive studies to measure physical doses of space radiation to better understand…

  • Scientists recycle used facemasks into Ethernet cables

    Green chemistry has empowered researchers to turn used facemasks into Ethernet cables.  In a study published in   Carbon Letters , the Swansea University team outlined the chemical process that allowed them to upcycle materials which would otherwise be thrown away, transforming them into high-quality, single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT).  These CNTs can then be utilised for a wide variety of purposes, including the production of Ethernet cables with broadband quality, as well as  lightweight batteries used in electric cars and drones. “Single-use facemasks are a real travesty for the recycling system as they create vast amounts of plastic waste - much of it ending up in our oceans," said Professor Alvin Orbaek White, one of the authors of the study, from Swansea University’s Energy Safety…

  • Current Paris Agreement efforts are ‘woefully inadequate’

    The Paris Agreement established three global goals – limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C and ideally 1.5°C, promote adaptation and resilience, and align financial flows with low-emissions, climate-resilient development. Nationally determined contributions – or NDCs – are the foundation of the Agreement as they lay out which specific efforts countries are taking to meet it. In their NDCs, each of the Paris Agreement’s 194 countries must lay out its aims to reduce emissions. Although 139 have outlined new or updated NDCs as of September 2022, a report from the World Resources Institute (WRI) found them to be “woefully inadequate to avert the climate crisis”. The report used newly available data from the open-source Climate Watch platform, which captures detailed snapshots…

  • MoD’s ‘fundamental reset’ hampered by lack of digital skills

    The MoD's ambition for its spending programme is to transform the armed forces' use of technology, enabling the MoD to seamlessly share and exploit data in military operations across land, air, sea, space and cyber. However, the National Audit Office (NAO) said the MoD was struggling to recruit and retain the skilled staff it needed - in part, because it could not match the pay on offer in the private sector. “Technologists see the MoD as bureaucratic and the hiring process - including getting security clearance - as too lengthy,” the NAO added. “The shortfall of technical skills is affecting the delivery of both individual programmes and the strategy.” The NAO said the programme faced further challenges due to the nature of the MoD’s business, requiring the use of technology in hostile…

  • Sondrel looks to long-term pursuit of custom silicon

    October is not an auspicious month for stock markets. Thirty-five years ago, Black Monday put the brakes on what had been up to then a display of irrational exuberance for which the markets are notorious for good reason. And October was already famous for sudden drops to the point that stockbrokers are somewhat superstitious about the month. It might not seem the ideal time for an initial public offering (IPO) but for a company like Sondrel, a specialist in electronics design, waiting for the supposedly ideal time is probably a bad idea. For the past year, the chip market has been riding high as companies who now rely on electronics to underpin their designs found that getting hold of key products got a lot harder in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Such demand-driven shortages in semiconductors…

  • Government not on track to protect 30 per cent of UK land and sea by 2030

    According to the Wildlife and Countryside Link, which is a coalition of nature and green groups, just 3.22 per cent of England’s land and 8 per cent of the sea was effectively protected by 2022. This is an increase of just 0.22 per cent of the land and 4 per cent of the sea compared with 2021. In 2020, the government made its 30x30 pledge to protect at least 30 per cent of land and sea for nature by 2030. But two years on, nature campaigners are warning that little progress has been made. Since becoming Prime Minister, Liz Truss has made deregulatory proposals to reform or repeal laws protecting nature and to liberalise planning which would “take England even further away from meeting nature targets”, the report found. It singled out the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill…

  • UK space sector boosted with £15m satellite technology fund

    The competition, running until next spring, aims to focus on creating entire new satellite constellations, ground systems or delivering new services to customers. It will be funded through the UK Space Agency’s leading role in the European Space Agency (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunications Services (ARTES) programme. Ghani, who stepped into the position of science minister within Liz Truss’ cabinet at the beginning of this month, said the funding will help “to strengthen the UK’s position as a world leader in the satellite communications market” and boost STEM skills in the UK. “There are a series of important programmes on the table and I want to harness opportunities in space to grow the UK economy, create jobs and inspire young people into STEM careers,” she added.  The £15m…

  • Smart cities can beat the heat if stakeholders work together

    The threat that climate change poses to those living and working in urban areas came to the fore this summer as the UK experienced a record-breaking 40°C heatwave. With warnings from the World Health Organisation that extreme temperature events are set to increase in frequency, duration, and magnitude, it’s crucial to answer critical questions over how best to future-proof urban areas to increase resilience to climate change. The nature of modern economies and lifestyles in developed cities across the UK requires a radical urban transformation that can only truly be delivered through the better utilisation of data and technology to more efficiently manage both the public’s use of cities and the resources necessary for their operation. As we face extreme weather, from flooding to drought,…

  • Transparent wood could be a sustainable plastic replacement, scientists say

    The renewable and biodegradable properties of transparent wood could make the material a promising and environmentally friendly substitute for glass or plastic. In a study published  in the journal Science of The Total Environment, a team of researchers said transparent wood  generates approximately 24 per cent less global warming potential and about 15 per cent less terrestrial acidification than other petrol-based materials.  The research also showed producing transparent wood is five times more efficient than glass.  “Transparent wood as a material can replace the environmentally harmful petroleum-based plastics such as polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylic, polyethylene etc,” said P rodyut Dhar , an author of the study and assistant professor at the  Indian Institute of…

  • Hydrogen-gas combustor could cut carbon emissions from gas-fired plants

    The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) has unveiled a hydrogen co-firing combustor for gas turbines used in power generation. Hydrogen is highly reactive fuel which increases the risk of high temperatures and flashback, which is where the flame propagates upstream against the gas stream. In order to prevent such risks, KIMM improved a fuel injection method which was then applied to heavy-duty gas turbine. It suppressed instability of the combustion to the same level of the original gas turbine while burning a mixture of 30 per cent hydrogen fuel. While developed in South Korea, the new combustor needed to be transferred to the German Aerospace Center in Cologne for testing. Hydrogen mixed fuel combustor prototype Image credit: Korea Institute of…

  • Software review: Brickit Lego modelling app

    Lego, and compatible building bricks, have caused controversy and consternation for years. Parents’ worst nightmare is stepping on them barefoot. Should you keep sets together or have tubs of different colours and/or sizes? Can you use ‘a Lego’ as a noun or is it ‘a Lego brick’? And if you’ve lost all the instructions, what should you build? As we know from 'The Lego Movie', there are purists who insist on following instructions robotically and then there are freewheeling, creative types. The Brickit app offers a third way. The free app is available on iOS or Android. There’s also a Pro premium option. At the time of writing, there was a free seven-day trial of Pro, after which it costs £3.58 a month or £42.99 a year. Once the app’s installed, spread out your bricks flat. Remove large…

  • Lack of digital skills could be costing the UK close to £13bn per year

    As a result of the digital skills gap, UK workers could be missing out on around £5.69bn in additional wages, according to a new study carried out by Virgin Media O2 and based on modelling from economic consultancy Cebr.  The study found that many people believe that a lack of knowledge on using the internet has held them back at work and also prevented them from shopping online for better deals on goods and services as the cost of living rises. The study concluded that this skills gap is costing the UK economy approximately £12.8bn every year. According to the survey, 34 per cent of those asked said they felt a lack of digital skills training had held back their earning potential, while 31 per cent believed they had been passed over for a promotion or pay rise. Amid ongoing concerns…

  • MPs' 10-point plan targets regulation of carbon markets

    In a new 10-point plan, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Environment called for a tripling of the budget for the Energy Company Obligation, which mandates that energy suppliers must promote measures to improve the ability of low-income, fuel-poor and vulnerable households to heat their homes. This includes actions that result in heating savings, such as the installation of insulation or the upgrade of an inefficient heating system. The APPG wants £3bn to be spent on the initiative rather than the £1bn currently allocated for the next three years. This would allow another 2.1 million households to receive support with energy efficiency measures prior to a potentially dramatic rise in energy prices from next April following recent policy changes made by new chancellor Jeremy…

  • Noise-detecting traffic cameras to identify antisocial drivers

    The new programme, which is part of a trial from the Department for Transport (DfT) to clampdown on antisocial driving, should help to prevent antisocial drivers and reduce noise pollution. The technology uses a video camera in conjunction with a number of microphones to accurately pinpoint excessively noisy vehicles as they pass by. This means that if drivers break the law by revving their engines unnecessarily or using illegal exhausts, they will be automatically detected. The camera takes a picture of the vehicle and records the noise level to create a digital package of evidence, which can be used by local police to fine drivers. Vehicle exhausts and silencers are required to be properly maintained, and not altered to increase noise. Non-compliance can lead to a £50 on-the-spot fine…

  • Australia and Singapore sign ambitious green energy deal

    Australia touted a world-first project that could help make the country a "renewable energy superpower" by shifting huge volumes of solar electricity under the sea to Singapore. On Tuesday, S ingapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese met in Canberra to sign a sustainable commerce agreement to support trade, investment and climate change objectives.  The green trade deal will see the two countries jointly implementing 17 initiatives to promote green shipping, sustainable aviation, government purchases of goods and services from low-emissions sources, sustainable food systems and eco labelling and sustainable schemes, the Australian government said. Albanese said the pact showed a "collective resolve" to slash  greenhouse gas emissions through an…

  • Book review: ‘The Sounds of Life’ by Karen Bakker

    Humans are rather poor listeners, compared with our fellow Earth-dwellers. The world is alive with sound that we cannot hear, from the ultrasonic echolocation of bats to the infrasonic ‘drumming heartbeat’ of the Earth’s crust beneath the crashing of ocean waves. In ‘The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology is Bringing us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants’ (Princeton University Press, £25, ISBN 9780691206288), environmental researcher Professor Karen Bakker explains how the fields of bioacoustics and ecoacoustics – armed with relatively accessible digital technologies – are helping us comprehend and conserve this world we cannot hear. ‘The Sounds of Life’ is filled with stories about the discovery of non-human sounds and their meanings, reaching far beyond the usual suspects…

  • How preparing tech now can minimise impact of transport strikes

    Another set of rail strikes that took place on 1, 5 and 8 October impacted the UK economy, with many businesses facing financial consequences. And with further strikes on Avanti West Coast services already scheduled for late October and early November, an acceptable deal for both parties does not appear to be forthcoming. To minimise the impact of industrial action, businesses need to pinpoint vulnerable areas that strikes will uncover, acting swiftly to address these shortcomings. Those that plan thoroughly will reap the benefits, experiencing little to no downtime while at the same time keeping the door firmly shut against bad actors seeking to take advantage of the situation. Any immediate changes introduced to limit the immediate financial impact will also have a positive effect in…

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