• UK’s ambitious sustainable aviation fuel mandate officially comes into force

    A mandate on the aviation sector to supplant 2% of its jet fuel demand with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has come into force from 1 January 2025. The mandate was first introduced by the previous Conservative administration in 2022 and requires the sector to ramp up its usage of SAF until at least 10% of UK aviation fuel is derived from sustainable sources by 2030. In July 2024, then transport minister Louise Haigh said the Labour government would stick to the previous government’s plan after introducing a bill to support SAF production in the King’s Speech. Made from sustainable sources, including materials such as household waste or used cooking oil, SAF is considered a major tool in helping to lower climate change emissions from air travel – widely regarded as one of the most difficult…

  • AI assistants could enable ‘social manipulation on an industrial scale’, researchers warn

    AI assistants could be used to forecast and influence the future decisions of the consumers that use them, with those ‘intentions’ later sold on to third-party companies, researchers have said. A team of AI ethicists from the University of Cambridge say the tech sector is at the beginning of a “lucrative yet troubling new marketplace for digital signals of intent”, which would include actions such as buying tickets to see films or voting for political candidates. In the future, AI agents including chatbot assistants, or even digital tutors and girlfriends, will have access to vast quantities of intimate psychological and behavioural data gleaned from their conversations. It could then use this data, alongside knowledge of online habits, to build levels of trust and understanding that…

  • IET Comment: Is e-voting in the UK on the horizon?

    Steve Schneider, director of the Surrey Centre for Cyber Security, professor of secure systems at the University of Surrey and chair of the IET Working Group on e-voting. General elections in the UK, with their paper ballots, tend to be accompanied by calls for electronic voting. Yet there are good reasons to be cautious. In the early 2000s the Electoral Commission carried out several pilots exploring modernising the electoral system, which included electronic voting. Their final report made a strong statement that “the level of risk placed on the availability and integrity of the electoral process was unacceptable” and raised concerns around security and transparency of e-voting solutions. No further UK pilots have been carried out to date. The IET has been investigating this topic since…

  • The digital build: Erecting Everton FC’s new stadium

    Construction of Everton FC’s new £555m stadium has relied on the novel use of 4D modelling technology, which is credited with helping to keep the project on schedule and within budget. Football stadiums bear witness to spectacle and, often, pure drama. For Everton last season, there was plenty of both. With the club in the process of building a new 52,888-seat stadium on Liverpool’s Bramley-Moore Dock, they had a total of eight points deducted for breaching financial rules. It looked at one stage that this new ground would not be visited by Premier League clubs any time soon until a much-needed end-of-season surge saw the Toffees narrowly retain their top-flight status. Building stadiums can be equally precarious, says Simon Beards, the principal planner for the new £555m venue, which is…

  • How France rebuilt Notre-Dame: Blending medieval craftsmanship with cutting-edge tech

    Notre-Dame Cathedral is set to reopen to the public this December five and half years after it was badly damaged by fire. The iconic building has been restored using a combination of digital technologies and medieval engineering practices. At around 6.20pm on 15 April 2019, a fire broke out inside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The fire burned until the next morning, destroying the roof, spire and a network of supporting oak beams so vast it was known as la forêt (the forest). The burning remains (including some 30,000 scaffolding poles, in place because restoration work was already being done on the spire) crashed through Notre-Dame’s limestone vaulting into the main cathedral, causing even more damage. Over 850 years after it was built, one of Europe’s most visited landmarks lay in ruins…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • The year in review: 2024’s biggest technology and engineering stories

    As the year draws to a close, we at E+T magazine have been looking back at some of the most important trends in engineering and technology over the last year. AI AI has been the technology leading the pack in 2024, with pretty much every major tech firm hoping that their chatbot will be the one to take the crown. While fears of imminent job losses may have been tamped down a little since the public launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, there is still much uncertainty about the impact it will have. Whether the technology is overhyped or the start of a major societal shift will become clearer over the next year. ChatGPT consumes one 500ml bottle of water per 100-word request, according to research Is AI the over-hyped bubble that is about to burst? AI-driven underwater vehicle performs ‘world…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • France's next-generation nuclear reactor begins operations after years of delays

    France’s most powerful nuclear reactor finally came online over the weekend following years of delay and setbacks. While the Flamanville 3 European pressurised reactor (EPR) in Normandy achieved its first nuclear reaction in September, teams from EDF, France’s state-owned power company, have spent the last few months conducting various tests and inspections prior to its connection to the grid. These tests will continue over the following months as the plant slowly increases its power output to full capacity of 1,650MWe. “Starting up a reactor is a long and complex operation,” EDF said. “It requires the full mobilisation of teams and is carried out at each stage with the highest level of safety and industrial reliability.” The Flamanville plant’s first two reactors originally came online…

  • Edinburgh Airport to capture turbulent low-level wind energy with wind ‘panel’ tech

    Edinburgh Airport has partnered with Scottish clean tech company Katrick Technologies to help it generate renewable energy at its airfield. The airport aims to meet 55% of its annual electricity demand through on-site green technologies by 2028. In 2023, it installed a 10MW photovoltaic solar farm on site together with a 1.5MW battery pack with the aim of this technology providing up to 26% of the airport’s annual energy needs. However, a mid-2024 analysis conducted by Edinburgh Airport revealed a significant rise in its average daily energy demand, increasing from 68.49MWh to 83.70MWh, largely driven by the growing use of electric vehicles and fixed electrical ground power for aircraft. The airport then partnered with Katrick Technologies to evaluate the potential of ground-level wind…

  • Local councils given £1.6bn to repair roads and fix potholes

    The government has promised to fix the UK’s roads and fill potholes with an extra £1.6bn investment that will be distributed to local councils. The Department for Transport (DfT) said the money represents an increase of nearly 50% on local road maintenance funding from last year and goes beyond Labour’s manifesto pledge to fix the equivalent of over 7 million extra potholes in 2025 to 2026. Recent data from the AA found that the number of vehicles damaged by potholes reached a five-year high. In November 2023, the Conservatives announced that £8.3bn in redirected HS2 funds would be spent to try and remedy the issue, but while the funding represented an increase, the Asphalt Industry Alliance said that more than £14bn in central government funding would be needed to fix the backlog of repairs…

  • How software can help make mandatory climate reporting easier for small and medium-sized companies

    Small and medium-sized businesses in the UK and Europe are under increasing pressure to manage and report progress on their sustainability efforts. This session intends to provide an overview of the regulations driving an increased focus on sustainability, what it means for small and medium businesses, and how software like Zeigo Activate can help. Presenters: Jack Loughran, Deputy Editor, E+T MagazineRussell Reading, Head of Decarbonisation and Energy Markets, Zeigo PowerVishnu Nair, Commercialisation Manager, Schneider ElectricREGISTER TO JOIN

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Predictions for 2025: Road to decarbonisation

    What will the energy landscape look like in the year ahead on the road to decarbonisation and the looming 2030 net zero targets? The energy industry is in the midst of a transformative shift, with a move away from fossil fuels and the coming online of renewable technologies. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 2025 will see renewables surpass coal to become the largest source of electricity generation. It also predicts that the next five years will see almost 3,700GW of new renewable capacity come online. But with the energy transition accelerating at an unprecedented pace, it brings challenges along with it including skills shortages and access to the energy grid. 2025 will also see the UK government publish its much anticipated Industrial Strategy in the spring. This…

  • Government denies HS2 reports suggesting costs could overrun by a further £9bn

    The Department for Transport (DfT) has said a report from the HS2 management team suggesting that costs could rise by a further £9bn are not “accurate or reliable”. An HS2 board paper released in June anticipated that the project was now expected to cost between £54bn and £66bn in 2019 prices – a marked increase from estimates the previous November of £49bn to £57bn. But in a written statement to parliament, the DfT said the estimates did not take into account recent changes to the scope of the project, including efforts to bring in private financing for the final London leg that stretches to Euston. “We do not think these figures are accurate or reliable,” the DfT said, while noting that transport secretary Heidi Alexander has asked the board of HS2 Ltd to provide new cost estimates…

  • China plans major expansion of battery swapping for electric vehicles

    Chinese battery manufacturer CATL is launching a new scheme to standardise the swapping of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) with 30,000 ‘swap stations’. Battery swapping makes complete sense for EV drivers. Instead of pulling up to a station, plugging in and waiting for the battery to charge, an automated machine will merely swap the battery out for a fully charged one, and the driver can get back on the road. However, it is far more challenging to achieve than it sounds. For one, it requires the standardisation of batteries that are to be swapped between different vehicles. CATL is taking a step in this direction by announcing it has launched two standard ‘Choco-Swap’ batteries: #20 and #25. According to the company, these two standard battery models – made from either lithium…

  • National Grid details £35bn upgrade to double UK transmission capacity

    The National Grid has detailed £35bn in “unprecedented” upgrades to the UK’s power network that will help the country decarbonise by allowing full electrification of key industries. The UK is building huge amounts of new renewable energy facilities, led by a series of major wind power projects that are ultimately designed to wean the network off fossil fuels entirely. However, a report earlier this month suggested that the grid was not ready for the major influx of green energy coming online in the next few years. BloombergNEF data suggests that for every pound invested in renewable energy, the UK should be investing at least £1 in the grid. Then the current ratio is more like 25p to every £1. National Grid has now revealed its infrastructure plans to March 2031, which will include upgrades…

  • Two Nasa astronauts stuck in space since June 2024 face further delays

    Nasa has announced its SpaceX Crew-10 will launch in late March 2025 to return the stranded astronauts to Earth. The two astronauts – Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams – have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024, having arrived there aboard Boeing’s Starliner. However, the mission was only ever meant to last 10 days. Following years of delays, Boeing’s Starliner eventually lifted off in June 2024 and successfully docked with the ISS. But plans went awry when, during docking, Starliner suffered thruster failures and helium leaks. This forced the two astronauts to remain on board the ISS while Nasa figured out how to get them home. In August, Nasa announced it was considering bringing them back on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in 2025. This return flight is now…

  • Tech predictions for 2025: AI boom or bust?

    AI has been on every technology watch list for the past few years. Will its rise continue into 2025? In mid-2023, market analyst Gartner put GenAI beginning its slide into the ‘trough of disillusionment’ in its hype cycle. Life on the AI frontier is proving hard as problems build up on multiple fronts: cost, the supply of data, applications and – perhaps most importantly – the underlying architecture. Will 2025 mark the pinnacle of AI’s dominance? Or is the over-hyped AI bubble about to burst? Here are five predictions for AI in the year ahead: Heading for a bust A report by tech consultancy Strategy Insights has found that concerns among the company executives surveyed indicate that AI’s rise will be tempered by some practicalities in 2025. These concerns and challenges include…

  • Tech predictions for 2025: cyber security

    What will the cyber-security and data security landscape look like in 2025? Summer 2024 saw one of the biggest global IT outages in history. With many organisations unable to operate their Microsoft PCs, mass disruption ensued across governments and industries. The meltdown stemmed from an update issued by global cyber-security firm CrowdStrike to its Falcon Sensor software, which caused Windows devices to crash. It was the most significant cyber-security event of 2024, with estimated losses reaching $1bn. It was also a stark reminder of the importance of cyber resilience in an increasingly interconnected world. The event may have had something to do with the UK government in September 2024 elevating data centres to critical national infrastructure status to ensure they are less likely…

  • Heathrow to invest further £2.3bn to upgrade airport over the next two years

    Heathrow’s £2.3bn investment over the next two years will be the “largest private sector capital investment in UK transport infrastructure”. The investment will be used to enhance capabilities across all terminals, including baggage delivery and projects to support punctual departures and arrivals. The £2.3bn, which Heathrow says is an uplift of £244m on previously forecasted investments, will be divided into £1.05bn to upgrade the airport’s infrastructure in 2025 and £1.29bn in 2026. This compares to the £1.1bn investment in the airport in 2024, including £191m on upgrading security lanes. The announcement comes after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and French investment firm Ardian completed a €4bn deal to acquire a combined 37% stake in the airport from Spanish construction…

  • Airbus to build 100 next-gen satellites for OneWeb’s expanding network

    Airbus will launch 100 new satellites to expand OneWeb, the low-Earth orbit communications constellation partly owned by the UK government. OneWeb operator Eutelsat said the firm would help to build the constellation’s second generation of satellites that will include various upgrades, including integration with 5G networks back on Earth. Around 100 new satellites will be built by Airbus, which will also be designed for compatibility with Europe’s upcoming IRIS2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) constellation. Once complete, the €6bn IRIS2 will provide secure communications, location tracking and security surveillance services to governmental agencies, although it will not have the capacity for broader coverage provided by similar services such…

  • Tata Steel UK and JCB strike deal for ‘green’ steel supply from Port Talbot plant

    Construction equipment giant JCB has signed a memorandum of understanding for the supply of low-carbon steel from Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant. At the end of last year, the UK government struck a deal with Tata Steel to invest £500m in the Port Talbot plant to help it transition over to electric arc furnaces (EAFs). This will replace the existing coal-powered blast furnaces and in the process cut the site’s CO₂ emissions by up to 90% and the UK’s overall carbon emissions by about 1.5%. An EAF uses an electric current to melt scrap steel or iron to produce new high-quality steel, whereas blast furnaces use coke – a carbon-intensive fuel made from coal – to produce steel. The new deal with JCB marks the first supply agreement Tata Steel UK has made since announcing its transition to…

  • UK government must act now to capture fusion’s £5bn global economic opportunity – report

    The Fusion industry Association (FIA) has laid out policy recommendations to ensure the UK attracts fusion investment and secures its position in the global fusion race. The UK aims to be a global leader in clean energy innovation. At the end of last week, energy secretary Ed Miliband outlined ‘ambitious reforms’ as part of the government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. While fusion power is still in the research phase and will not be part of the 2030 decarbonisation goals, it has been predicted that it will be on the grid by 2040. Fusion is a potential source of almost limitless clean energy, which its seen as vital for energy security and the climate crisis. The UK’s Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is currently building the UK’s first prototype fusion energy power plant, the Spherical…

  • E+T | Expert Engineering - Restoring Notre Dame

    In April 2019, French hearts were broken as Notre Dame de Paris was devastated by fire. But five years of restoration work are nearing completion, work that has combined traditional techniques and materials with some of the latest engineering technology. Now, as the historic cathedral is opening its doors to the public again, we look at how the team in Paris engineered this remarkable achievement.

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Tech to conserve carbon-storing mangroves gets under way in the United Arab Emirates

    Climate tech start-up Nabat is using AI and autonomous robotics to conserve natural ecosystems, beginning with mangroves and expanding to other habitats. Mangroves are often referred to as nature’s carbon storehouse. These salt-tolerant trees and shrubs grow in lattice formations in shallow and brackish ocean water. According to the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry, mangroves remove and store about 10 billion tons of carbon as biomass, more than most other ecosystems on Earth, including rainforests. They can be found in tropical and subtropical climates throughout the world, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In a bid to restore these vital biomes within its borders, the UAE has committed to planting 100 million more mangrove trees by 2030 as…

  • Italy developing small nuclear reactors to power future settlements on the Moon

    Italy’s national space agency, ASI, has kicked off its Selene project, which aims to develop small nuclear fission reactors to provide power on the lunar surface. There are many Moon missions currently under way – from collecting samples from the lunar surface, such as India’s Chandrayaan-4 mission to the Moon’s south pole, to having a human presence on the Moon. For instance, Nasa expects to return humans to the lunar surface by 2030 and intends to build a permanent research station near the south pole shortly after. This human presence will require resources, one of which is energy. Selene (Sistema Energetico Lunare con l’Energia NuclearE) has received €2m in funding from ASI to develop alternative energy infrastructures on the Moon that overcome the limitations of traditional technologies…

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