• UKAEA unveils the technical progress being made on nation’s first prototype fusion plant

    The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) provides a complete snapshot of the UK’s first-of-a-kind fusion powerplant prototype through 15 peer-reviewed papers in a publication produced by the Royal Society. The UK’s first prototype fusion energy power plant, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), is currently under development by the UKAEA at a site in north Nottinghamshire, where characterisation works surveying ground and environment are well under way. The aim is for the plant to be operational by 2040. STEP was first announced in 2019 when the UK government revealed it was committing £220m to its design. The reason for this substantial investment is that fusion is a potential source of almost limitless clean energy, which is vital amid rising energy prices and the climate…

  • UK government sets in motion rail reform with launch of ‘shadow’ body to overhaul railways

    The UK government announces the launch of Shadow Great British Railways as the Public Ownership Bill progresses through parliament. In the Labour manifesto, one of the party’s standout commitments was the creation of Great British Railways (GBR) – an effective renationalisation of the UK’s rail system that will happen gradually as existing private contracts elapse. In its manifesto, Labour said GBR will deliver a “unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient services; along with ensuring safety and accessibility”. Transport secretary Louise Haigh has a major role in overseeing the government’s plan to bring the UK’s railways back into public ownership. When Labour came into power in July 2024 she pledged that the government will “deliver value for…

  • Eccentric Engineer - Swing into Spring

    One of the simplest machines in engineering has to be the pendulum, a device known to anyone who has ever tied anything to a bit of string. But it has a strange and misunderstood history. You might imagine that the history of the pendulum is as old as history itself, but it is only really during the Renaissance that people started to wonder about them as timekeepers. The first clock with a pendulum appears, perhaps not surprisingly, in a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci from 1494 but, as with so many of his devices, he never built one, so we can’t be sure it would have worked any better than his helicopter. The list of illustrious scientists and pendulum myths grows from there. A story tells how Galileo Galilei was standing in Pisa Cathedral in 1581 when a breeze set the lamps of the building…

  • Volvo claims its electric semitruck can drive up to 600km on one charge

    Volvo’s electric semitruck can drive up to 600km on a single charge, representing a “breakthrough” for long-distance cargo transport, the Swedish car firm has said. Commercial vehicles responsible for transporting goods have to be capable of travelling long distances while carrying significant weight. To achieve this, they require heavy, expensive batteries, and range anxiety becomes more of an issue for long-haul journeys – factors that have caused issues for electrifying semitrucks in the past. But Volvo says its FH Electric truck, to be launched next year, has enough range to allow transport companies to operate on regional and long-distance routes, with drivers being able to work a full day without having to recharge. “Our new electric flagship will be a great complement to our wide…

  • Researchers solve ‘electrifying’ mystery of how giant gold nuggets are formed

    Giant gold nuggets formed in quartz veins could be the result of earthquakes and electricity, say researchers at Australia’s Monash University. How exactly gold nuggets form has had scientists scratching their heads for many years. Often found nestled within quartz veins, gold flakes will sometimes clump together to form very large nuggets. Indeed, the 78kg ‘Welcome Stranger’, found in Australia in 1869, is often considered the biggest gold nugget ever found. However, how these nuggets form has remained a mystery – a mystery that new research led by Chris Voisey from Australia’s Monash University School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment has helped solve. “The standard explanation is that gold precipitates from hot, water-rich fluids as they flow through cracks in the Earth’s crust…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Green energy auction secures 131 new UK projects in turnaround from last year’s setback

    The UK’s renewable energy auction has secured around 131 new green infrastructure projects, marking a significant turnaround from last year’s failed auction. According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), once complete, the projects will generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 11 million homes. The government is under pressure to ramp up renewables quickly after committing to entirely decarbonise the UK’s electricity grid by 2030 in its manifesto. The results are a marked improvement on the previous auction round in 2023, which saw zero offshore wind projects agreed. The result was seen as a major setback by the renewables industry and was blamed on ministers’ refusal to increase the maximum price for the auction despite a 40% increase in the cost of manufacturing…

  • Plans for tougher North Sea windfall tax will lead to £12bn loss in tax receipts, warns trade body

    The government’s tougher windfall tax on oil and gas companies risks losing £12bn in tax receipts, according to trade body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK). Labour came to power with an election pledge to toughen the windfall tax regime – known as the energy profits levy (EPL). This tax was put in place by the previous government in May 2022 in response to the surging oil and gas prices. In last year’s Autumn Statement, the EPL was increased to 35%, with the Treasury announcing it would remain in place until 2028 unless oil and gas prices fell for a sustained period. However, the Labour Party pledged in its manifesto that it would not issue new licences to explore new oil and gas fields and would close loopholes in the windfall tax left by the previous government that enabled oil and gas firms…

  • Chancellor urged to reform vehicle taxation amid EV surge to avoid £5bn fiscal shortfall

    The Chancellor has been urged to reform vehicle taxation to avoid a fiscal black hole as consumers increasingly switch to electric vehicles (EVs) over petrol and diesel. EV owners are currently exempt from fuel duty – because they don’t need it to operate their vehicles – and road tax, also known as vehicle excise duty (VED). While EVs will finally become subject to VED from April next year, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) has calculated that the UK faces a £5bn decline in fuel duty annually by 2033 based on growing EV adoption trends. Duties levied on petrol, diesel and other fuels currently generate around £25bn a year in revenue for the Treasury. “The new Chancellor faces a looming black hole. She can avoid it, in a way which is fair, and which garners broad public support…

  • From 2025, Formula 1 European grands prix will be powered by low-carbon energy solutions

    Formula 1 motor racing has announced a partnership with UK-headquartered power generation firm Aggreko that will see low-carbon power solutions featured at all European grands prix from the 2025 season. In 2018, Formula 1 set a target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2030. While the sport of motor racing suggests that this may not be a feasible ambition, the focus is not on what is emitted from the race cars themselves, which F1 claims is less than 1% of its total emissions, but all other operations, particularly travel and logistics, within the scope of the sport. As described in the 2023 Formula 1 Impact Report, the carbon footprint of the sport within this scope was 256,551 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tC02e) in 2018. Since then changes made to its operations led to…

  • AI-equipped cameras to catch drivers using phones and not wearing seatbelts

    AI cameras that detect drivers using mobile phones or not wearing seatbelts are being trialled in Greater Manchester. The ‘Heads Up’ technology from Acusensus captures footage of passing vehicles before the images are processed with AI to detect potential offenders. Footage deemed to contain evidence of an offence is then seen by humans to make a final determination. During the trial period, the data will be used by Safer Roads Greater Manchester to understand how many drivers still choose to break the law in a bid to refine future road safety campaigns. According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), research shows that drivers are four times more likely to crash when using their phone while driving and twice as likely to die in a crash if they fail to wear a seatbelt. Peter…

  • Supersonic passenger travel given a boost as Boom's XB-1 completes second test flight

    Colorado-based Boom Supersonic is another step closer to bringing mainstream supersonic travel back to our skies with its Colorado XB-1 demonstrator successfully completing its second test flight. The XB-1 demonstrator’s test programme began in March 2024, when it took to the skies for the first time. This second flight, which took place from California's Mojave Air and Space Port, lasted about 15 minutes and saw the XB-1 reach an altitude of 10,400 feet (3,170 metres) and a speed of 277 mph (446 km/h). The flight tested the retracting and extracting of the vehicle's landing gear for the first time. It also saw a new digital stability augmentation system – or roll damper – being demonstrated for improved handling. In addition, tufting was applied to XB-1’s right wing to observe and…

  • Sizewell C nuclear plant to get £5.5bn taxpayer subsidy amid investor uncertainty

    The government has proposed subsidising the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power plant by £5.5bn as the project struggles to attract additional investment. With the UK’s ageing fleet of eight nuclear power stations in need of replacement, and only Hinkley Point C currently undergoing construction, Sizewell C will play an important role in backing up renewable energy in the switch away from fossil fuels. Both projects are being built by the French state-owned energy giant EDF, but Sizewell is not expected to be finished until 2036; once complete it will provide an estimated 7% of the UK’s electricity needs. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has launched the Sizewell C Devex Scheme, which will provide the government with greater flexibility to cover development…

  • Tracking fish with acoustic telemetry

    Monitoring fish populations and behaviours has taken off globally, thanks to agreed protocols on acoustic telemetry. Understanding how fish move around and use our marine environment is vital to conserving ocean life. GPS does not work underwater so different tools are used. One way to follow the movements of fish underwater is to use sound waves transmitted by small tags on fish, which travel very effectively through water and can be picked up by receivers or loggers. This is acoustic telemetry. Marine scientists around the world have been using acoustic telemetry to remotely track the movements of fish and other marine and freshwater species for many years. Tags attached to marine creatures by scientists transmit sound through a sequence of pulses at high frequency or pings. Unique to…

  • Hyundai unveils plan to launch 21 fully electric vehicles by 2030

    During its CEO Investor Day on Wednesday, Hyundai Motor Company revealed how it plans to launch 21 electric vehicle (EV) models by 2030, ranging from affordable to luxury and high-performance models. Kicking off the CEO Investor Day, Hyundai’s president and CEO Jaehoon Chang took to the stage to provide an update on the company’s EV line-up and upcoming launches. “Hyundai is planning to begin expanding our EV line-up by 2030 in line with the demand recovery forecasts. Specifically we are planning to launch 21 new models by 2030 to provide consumers with a wide variety of options including a full line-up of EVs from economy to luxury and high-performance, giving them more choice,” said Chang. While there was no mention specifically what EVs will be launched, one of the slides during the…

  • Autonomous robots deployed deep below polar ice to measure speed of ice sheets melting

    The Antarctic ice sheets are melting – but at what rate? IceNode, developed by Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is on a mission to find out. Harnessing their expertise in designing robots for space exploration, engineers at the laboratory are working on a fleet of robots that autonomously position themselves to the underside of an ice shelf. Measuring 2.4 metres long and 25 centimetres in diameter, these robots are released from a borehole or a vessel in the open ocean. They then ride the currents beneath the ice shelves – miles-long slabs of floating ice that extend from land – until they reach an area known as the ‘grounding zone’, which is where floating ice shelves, ocean and land meet. Upon reaching this target, the robots use three-legged ‘landing gear’ that springs out from one…

  • UK’s first intercity battery-powered train begins passenger testing

    The first battery-powered train to run on UK tracks has begun testing on routes from York to Manchester Airport and Leeds to Liverpool Lime Street. Over the next eight weeks, a variety of important tests will take place, including the battery’s ability to improve performance on hills, regenerative charging via braking, fuel and emission savings, and zero-emission battery mode in train stations. According to Hitachi Rail, not only will the train reduce emissions and fuel costs by as much as 30%, it will also improve air quality and reduce noise pollution when entering and leaving stations. The TransPennine Nova 1 trains are designed to be able to run on 100% battery power for up to 100km. At this range, the battery technology could be deployed to cover the final non-electrified sections…

  • Debt-laden Thames Water says without steep bill increase it is ‘neither financeable nor investible’

    In its reponse to Ofwat’s draft decisions as part of its price review, Thames Water has claimed it would need a 59% increase in customer bills to survive its funding crisis. In recent years, Thames Water, the UK’s biggest water company, has increasingly found itself in hot water – mostly due to the £14bn debt it has accrued. To help claw its way out of this debt, the private firm stated earlier this year that it would require an increase in customer bills of 40% (59% after accounting for inflation). In July 2024, water regulator Ofwat unveiled its draft proposals as part of Price Review 2024 (PR24). This sets the price, investment and service package for water companies in England and Wales over the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2030. These PR24 draft decisions outlined how water…

  • Japan’s first lunar lander mission ends after months of silence

    Japan’s space agency has abandoned efforts to revive communications with its lunar lander mission after failing to receive a signal for several months. Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim) was originally launched in September 2023 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) and landed on the lunar surface in January this year. The main purpose of Japan’s first lunar surface mission was to achieve a precise lunar landing. Although Slim touched down successfully, it landed on its side, with the solar panels oriented westwards, facing away from the Sun at the start of the lunar day, thereby failing to generate enough power. Slim was put into standby mode, although a change in lighting conditions in its landing area caused the solar panels to begin generating again some weeks after…

  • Global carbon storage capacity shortfall threatens 1.5°C climate target, study warns

    Efforts to rapidly scale up carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology will be significantly hindered by a global lack of underground storage, an Imperial College London (ICL) study has found. Current international scenarios for limiting global warming to less than 1.5°C by the end of the century rely on technologies that remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the Earth’s atmosphere faster than humans release it. The most aggressive emissions reduction projections from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will require the removal of between six and 10 billion tons of CO2 per year by 2050 to stick to the 1.5˚C warming pathway. But the new findings suggest that existing CCS projections are unlikely to be feasible at the current rate of growth. The study found that while…

  • New onshore wind farm in Scotland enables UK to hit 30GW wind power milestone

    The UK has reached a historic milestone of 30GW of wind generation capacity with the opening of the Viking Wind Farm on the Shetland Islands. Viking Wind Farm, developed by SSE Renewables, has been in development for more than 15 years, at a cost of approximately £1.2bn in private investment. According to SSE, because of windy conditions in Shetland, which lies 110 miles north-east of mainland Scotland, it will be the “most productive” onshore wind farm in the UK, generating around 1.8TWh of renewable electricity annually – enough to power almost half a million typical British homes. With all 103 Vestas turbines installed, together with a 260km high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable, green electricity will now be delivered from Shetland to the UK grid. “Delivery of both the…

  • 5 minutes....Generative AI

    When people get excited about AI, it is generative AI specifically that sets the pulse racing. Q Start with the basics... what is artificial intelligence (AI)? It is the ability of machines to ‘think’ or perform functions, like humans, but it comes in different shapes and sizes. Q So AI is not all the same beast then? It is not. Machine-learning algorithms use existing data to learn how to do a task, and gradually get better at it as time goes on – the more data, and the better that data, the better the result. Generative AI (GenAI) uses more sophisticated large language models (LLMs), based on the way neurons work in the human brain. They can learn more from bigger data sources and, dare I say it, have more ‘creative’ outputs. Q AI can be creative? Maybe it appears creative because…

  • Berry-harvesting robot can detect fruits once they reach perfect ripeness

    A UK firm has unveiled an agricultural robot designed for berry-picking that it believes can harvest at the same speed and quality as human pickers. Cambridge-based Fieldwork Robotics said it is already working with Costa Group – one of Australia’s leading producers of fresh fruit and vegetables – to deploy its new model at various berry farms on a trial basis over the next year. Dubbed Fieldworker 1, the new robotic model allows for more accurate detection of berry ripeness than previous models, as well as a heightened picking speed. The new robot supposedly provides growers with a “predictable cost per berry” and can work alongside human labourers. If successful, the technology could be a vital lifeline for British growers of strawberries and raspberries. According to a survey by British…

  • Teachers to use AI for marking and lesson planning in £4m government initiative

    Teachers could soon be utilising AI technology for marking homework and planning lessons under proposals from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The £4m project will pool government documents including curriculum guidance, lesson plans and anonymised pupil assessments to train tools to generate creative content for lessons and workbooks. The content store is targeted at technology companies specialising in education to build tools that will help teachers mark work, create teaching materials for use in the classroom and assist with routine school admin. According to a government analysis, the project will make classroom AI 92% accurate, compared with the 67% rate for current commercial alternatives. DSIT believes that greater use of AI in the classroom could…

  • EU sued by climate campaigners for failure to meet emission targets

    Climate campaigners are suing the EU over its climate ambitions, saying they are “alarmingly off-track” from the 1.5°C limit of the Paris Agreement. According to Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe and the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), European executives have set “unlawful annual emission limits” by 2030 for a number of key industries across the continent. These include the buildings, agriculture, waste, small industry and transport sectors that cover an estimated 57% of total greenhouse gas emissions from the 27 member countries. The lawsuit, which was originally filed earlier this year, has been fast-tracked ahead of an oral hearing in 2025. The NGOs have also called on EU decision-makers to accelerate climate action and take actions that would enable a 65% gross emission reduction…

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