• Hard-to-reach areas could derail plan to increase 4G coverage to 95% of UK landmass

    Efforts to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK’s landmass by the end of 2025 may not be sustainable and are at risk of being missed, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have said. While the rate of infrastructure roll-out has been at the pace necessary to reach the target, the remaining locations will be harder to reach and connect compared to the work that has been done thus far. In 2020, the four major operators – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – signed a £1bn deal to expand rural mobile network coverage by sharing their infrastructure to help boost coverage in hard-to-reach areas. But the PAC warned that the Shared Rural Network programme was facing cost pressures as the price of delivering new masts has been higher than expected. It is also unclear who will be responsible for…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Next government must prioritise grid connections and storage to meet net zero targets, warn MPs

    A new report by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has found that slow grid connections and a lack of clear plans for energy storage must be fixed in order for the UK to meet its net zero goals by 2035. The EAC – a cross-party parliamentary committee responsible for scrutinising the UK government’s environmental policy across all departments – has published a new report called Enabling sustainable electrification of the UK economy. The report highlights the government’s commitment to decarbonising Great Britain’s electricity grid fully by 2035. This will mean increasing capacity by 250% in little over a decade and, as such, is one of the most ambitious undertakings by any peacetime government. To support this increase in renewable energy projects, there is an urgent need to revamp…

  • Clever ball control - new tech at the Euros

    Uefa has planted sensors in the ball for this summer’s European Championships to help match officials with offside and handball decisions. But will this technology solve two of football’s most contentious on-field problems? Every week, wherever football is televised or watched, it’s the same story. Was that handball? Was that goal offside? Was that referee biased or just inept? The speed of the game and the complex movements and interactions on the field make it difficult for referees to make precise, accurate offside and handball calls. Human error is inevitable, but an incorrect decision can turn a game and even cost a team the match. Goal line technology and video assistant referees (VARs) may save us from a repeat of some of yesteryear’s most memorable mistakes: Frank Lampard’s shot…

  • UK’s intercity battery train trial gets underway

    A battery intercity train trial will demonstrate how battery retrofit technology can help decarbonise our railways. A collaboration between TransPennine Express, Angel Trains and Hitachi Rail has seen the first UK trial of a battery replacing a diesel engine on an intercity train. The train – a TransPennine Nova 1 (five-carriage intercity class 802) – has been retrofitted with a single battery unit, capable of generating a peak power of more than 700kW. Despite its impressive energy and power density, the battery will deliver the same levels of high-speed acceleration and performance, while being no heavier than the diesel engine it replaces. 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…

  • Ambitious targets needed to end ocean plastic pollution by the end of the century, says study

    New research has revealed that plastic pollution must be reduced by more than 5% every year to meet UN targets; however, even on reaching those targets microplastics will still persist in our oceans beyond 2100. Plastics are circulating in all of the Earth’s oceans. Rather than biodegrade, they simply break down into tinier and tinier pieces, producing microplastics, which measure less than 5mm long. According to US environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy, 11 million metric tons of plastics enter our oceans every year. This is in addition to the estimated 200 million metric tons that are already there. Rather than washing up on beaches, some of the greatest concentrations of plastic are miles from land, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It has an estimated surface area of…

  • Zero emission cement hailed a ‘breakthrough for the construction industry’

    Engineers at the University of Cambridge have developed a process for producing recycled cement that has zero emissions and can be rapidly scaled. Concrete is the most widely used manufactured material on earth. It has quite literally created the foundations of our built environment, but it comes with a massive environmental cost. The production of cement, the key ingredient of concrete, generates around 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 every year – about 8% of the global total. Finding a scalable, cost-effective way of reducing these emissions while still meeting global demand for concrete poses a huge challenge. However, researchers at the University of Cambridge think they have cracked it with a recycling method that uses the electrically-powered arc furnaces used for steel recycling to…

  • BT delays plan to switch off copper landlines by over a year

    BT has delayed its plan to switch customers from physical, copper-based landlines to internet-based services because of concerns about the way it could impact vulnerable customers. BT originally planned to complete the national switchover by the end of 2025 but has now pushed this back to the end of January 2027. Many vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with disabilities, rely on personal alarms, known as telecare, to offer remote support. The devices are particularly in use in rural and isolated areas. But the move away from the traditional copper network towards a digital system using fibre-optic cables could impact their ability to function correctly. It’s estimated that nearly two million people in the UK use the devices. BT’s current plan is to connect 25 million premises…

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    E+T Magazine

  • ESA plans commercial space shuttle service to low Earth orbit by 2030

    The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected two firms to develop a commercial service capable of transporting cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS) in low Earth orbit by 2030. The Exploration Company, which is based in Germany, and French firm Thales Alenia Space will each receive €25m (£21m) to help develop their ideas, which they will be expected to demonstrate “ideally” by 2028 and no later than 2030. Europe currently relies on international partners to bring its cargo and crew to space, providing in exchange key contributions to international space projects, such as the Columbus laboratory on the ISS, or the European Service Modules that power the Orion vehicles for Artemis missions. This competition to build a cargo service is designed to strengthen European industry…

  • The UK is running out of options for a ‘just and fair’ offshore energy transition, says report

    A new report by Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen has revealed that the UK and Scotland will fail to achieve a “just and fair” transition by 2030 unless there is urgent alignment across the political spectrum to sustain the size of the workforce and supply chain. The UK has committed to achieving net zero by 2050. While this destination is clear, the report – Delivering our energy future: pathways to a “just and fair” transition – has found that the current pathways in order to reach this goal are far from “just and fair”. This “just and fair” transition coined by the UN is defined as “ensuring that no one is left behind or pushed behind in the transition to low-carbon and environmentally sustainable economies and societies”. In its report, the RGU analysed over 6,560 pathways…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Rolls-Royce’s nuclear power vision is a step closer with launch of new manufacturing facility

    Rolls-Royce SMR is partnering with the University of Sheffield to launch a new facility to manufacture and test prototype modules for its small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power plants. The Rolls-Royce SMR Module Development Facility, which will be based in the University of Sheffield AMRC Factory 2050, will produce working prototypes of individual modules that will be assembled into Rolls-Royce SMR power plants. The initial phase, worth £2.7m, of this £15m deal with the University of Sheffield will see Rolls-Royce produce three prototype modules by the end of this year. Rolls-Royce SMR 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…

  • Introducing Power Blade®︎: The Intelligent Power Solution Redefining Defense Applications

    AirBorn's Power Blade is a 6U power supply offering the highest overall VPX power density and efficiency available today. As a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) product, it meets VPX and VITA 62 open architecture and performance requirements. Notably, it delivers nearly twice the output of traditional 6U power supplies with a remarkable efficiency of 95%. This enables customers to support the higher power levels required in modern defense applications without increasing the size of their power supply units. Moreover, the Power Blade boasts conducted EMI emissions well below VPX requirements. This unique feature offers significant cost and space savings compared to alternative solutions on the market. The Power Blade VPX power supply is an intelligent power solution that meets and exceeds…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Extreme rainfall last winter was made 10 times more likely by climate change, says study

    A new study by World Weather Attribution (WWA) has found that the total rainfall experienced during autumn and winter 2023/24 was made 10 times more likely and was 20% wetter due to human-induced climate change. This past winter, it felt as if we were experiencing relentless rainfall and stormy weather. Roads were regularly flooded, houses were damaged and farmers’ fields lay underwater for much of the season. According to the British Red Cross, storms and flooding caused weather-related home insurance claims in the UK to rise by more than a third, reaching a record-breaking £573m worth of claims. Data now shows that October 2023 to March 2024 was indeed the second-wettest October-March period on record for the UK since records began in 1836, and the third-wettest for Ireland, with records…

  • Government gives green light for major nuclear power plant in Wylfa, North Wales

    The UK government has announced that Wylfa is its preferred site for the UK’s third mega-nuclear power station and will now launch talks with global energy firms to explore its construction. A gigawatt-scale nuclear energy plant in Wylfa – an island off the coast of north Wales – has been in the works for a number of years with the project stuck in limbo since 2019, when Hitachi abandoned the project. The site was already home to a nuclear power station that operated for over 40 years until decommissioning began in 2015. The government is now considering replacing this plant by building two evolutionary power reactors (EPRs), which are based on a pressurised water design. While there are a number of other potential sites that could host civil nuclear projects, following today’s announcement…

  • UKAEA renews engineering framework agreement to boost fusion energy’s commercial future

    The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has renewed its four-year £9m Engineering Design Services Framework with nine companies. Following the successful delivery of various engineering and design desk-based projects, the UKAEA will work closely with these companies for another four years in its mission to develop commercial fusion energy, while also helping to grow the UK economy by ensuring industry is fully involved. The nine companies are Assystem, AtkinsRealis, Demcon, Eadon, Frazer Nash, IDOM, Jacobs, M5tec and Optima. “This framework has enabled UKAEA to work collaboratively and with maximum efficiency with the fusion supply chain,” said Colette Broadwith, strategic procurement business partner for UKAEA. “By renewing it for another four years, UKAEA can continue to leverage the…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Underwater microphones could locate crashed planes such as MH370 – study

    Signals captured by underwater microphones, or hydrophones, may play a crucial role in locating aeroplanes that crash into the ocean such as Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Cardiff University research shows. The study, published in Scientific Reports, analysed more than 100 hours of data from hydrophones following 10 historical aircraft accidents and the disappearance of a submarine. The findings offer recommendations for further investigation of the aircraft’s last known location and establishes a framework for addressing similar incidents in the future. MH370 vanished in 2014 during a journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Extensive rescue operations were undertaken, but the main body of the plane is still missing despite several pieces of debris washing up in the years since the flight…

  • Self-driving cars could hit UK roads by 2026 after milestone law comes into force

    Self-driving vehicles could hit the UK as early as 2026 after a new law permitting the technology on UK roads was given Royal Assent. The Automated Vehicles (AV) Act, which became law on Monday (20 May), will allow self-driving vehicles on the roads as long as they achieve a level of safety as high as “careful and competent” human drivers. The vehicles will also be required to meet rigorous safety checks. The Department for Transport (DfT) said the sector could create over 38,000 new jobs and generate £42bn for the UK economy by 2035. Both MPs and the automotive sector had recently issued warnings that the UK risks squandering its lead in the technology if the legislation to make their operation possible was not quickly passed. A major element of the law makes companies, rather than…

  • Human faeces in our public waters: new report outlines actions to tackle health risks

    A new report calls on upgrades in wastewater infrastructure to protect those who enjoy recreational activities in our rivers, lakes and seas from coming into contact with human faecal matter. The report – Testing the waters: priorities for mitigating health risks from wastewater pollution – published by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC), examines the actions required to mitigate public health risks associated with the recreational use of public waters polluted with human faeces. Ageing infrastructure, together with growing urbanisation and increased rainfall due to climate change, has only increased the pressure on our wastewater system. Additionally, there has been a surge in recreational activities in coastal and inland open waters across the UK, such as ‘wild swimming’…

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    E+T Magazine

  • E+T Off The Page: Is population growth the elephant in the room?

    Dr Joe Strong, Joe is a Demographer and currently a Teacher on Health and International Development at the Department of International Development, LSE Chris Edwards is a freelance writer and regular contributor to E+T and the E+T editorial team.

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    E+T Magazine

  • British chip sector boosted by new independent Semiconductor Institute

    One year on from the launch of the £1bn National Semiconductor Strategy, the UK government has now announced the UK Semiconductor Institute, which will bring together government, universities and the private sector to support key components laid out in the strategy to grow the UK’s semiconductor sector. Over a trillion semiconductors are manufactured each year, and the global semiconductor market is forecast to reach $1tn by 2030, with these chips underpinning future technologies, such as AI, quantum and 6G. Taiwan holds the lion’s share of global chip production, but its proximity to China has seen governments of some Western nations take a closer look at financing their own chipmaking plants and consider the cost to be worth bringing at least some production home. For instance, in the…

  • The AI Safety Institute to open US office as the second AI Safety Summit kicks off in Seoul

    The UK government’s AI Safety Institute (AISI) is to open a new office in San Francisco to enable it to tap global talent on both sides of the Atlantic. This news comes as the second international AI Safety Summit is to be held this week in Seoul, South Korea, where governments are expected to press tech firms on AI safety. AISI was set up a year ago as a research organisation within the UK government’s Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. Its mission is to measure AI safety risks so as to equip governments with an empirical understanding of the safety of advanced AI systems. Ian Hogarth, chair of the AI Safety Institute, said in a post on AISI’s website that there was “a strong belief that AI is a transformational technology that has an incredible capacity to improve our lives…

  • Onshore wind farms offset their carbon emissions within two years, new study finds

    A new study, which finds that onshore wind farms are capable of offsetting the carbon emissions generated across their entire lifespan within two years, “underscores the environmental efficiency of onshore wind farms and their important role in the energy transition”. According to a new study from the Sustainable Energy Systems research group at the Wellington Faculty of Engineering, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, an onshore wind farm is capable of offsetting the carbon emissions generated across its entire 30-year lifespan within two years when compared to thermal power plants. Additionally, the study found that within six months a turbine can generate all the energy consumed across its life cycle. For its research, the team studied the Harapaki onshore…

  • ESA and Nasa team up to land rover on Mars

    The European Space Agency (ESA) and Nasa have announced a partnership for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission to enable the Rosalind Franklin rover to get to Mars by 2030. The Rosalind Franklin rover is on a mission to find out whether life exists or has ever existed on the red planet. However, its development and original launch date has been hampered by delays. The rover is part of the ExoMars programme, which comprises two missions: the first – the Trace Gas Orbiter – launched in 2016 while the second, carrying the Rosalind Franklin rover, will launch in 2028. The ExoMars mission was initially pushed back from 2020, because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for more tests on the spacecraft. Then in 2022, it was announced it would not go ahead that year as planned because of…

  • The amount of copper needed to build EVs is ‘impossible for mining companies to produce’

    Copper cannot be mined quickly enough to keep up with current policies requiring the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), according to a University of Michigan study. Copper is fundamental to electricity generation, distribution and storage. According to GlobalData, there are more than 709 copper mines in operation globally, with the largest being the Escondida mine in Chile, which produced an estimated 882,100 tonnes of copper in 2023. This may sound like a lot but with electrification ramping up globally it is not. The Michigan study, Copper mining and vehicle electrification, has focused on the copper required just for the production of EVs over the coming years. Many countries across the world are putting forward policies for EVs. For instance, in the US the Inflation Reduction…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Armed Forces developing weapon that disables drones using radio frequencies

    The UK’s armed forces are developing a new weapon that uses radio waves to disable enemy electronics and take down multiple drones at once. According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the system can neutralise a swarm of drones for just 10p a shot. The system, which is defined as a Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW), is capable of detecting, tracking and engaging with a range of threats across land, air and sea. It will be able to affect targets up to 1km away, with further development in extending the range ongoing. It beams radio waves to disrupt or damage the critical electronic components of enemy vehicles, causing them to stop in their tracks or fall out of the sky. The MoD said that due to its cheap operational costs, the device is a significant cost-effective alternative…

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