• Aviation firms ordered to cut jet fuel use as government launches ‘Jet Zero Taskforce’

    Aviation firms will soon be obliged to replace more than a fifth of their jet fuel with sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) as the government launches a revamped ‘Jet Zero Taskforce’ looking at how the sector can cut its carbon emissions. Building on the previous Jet Zero Council, which was set up under the Conservatives in 2020, transport secretary Louise Haigh has introduced the taskforce. It will see the government regularly meeting with senior figures in the sector such as the CEOs of major airlines and airports, as well as fuel producers, trade bodies and universities. Aviation, which accounts for approximately 3% of total CO2 emissions worldwide, is considered a hard-to-abate sector because of a lack of technologically mature alternatives to traditional jet-fuelled engines such as electric…

  • Grid decarbonisation efforts threatened by climate change impact on hydropower

    Changes in water availability caused by climate change could decrease the ability of hydropower facilities to generate energy, making grid decarbonisation efforts more difficult, researchers have said. A team from University of California San Diego estimated that in the Western US hydropower generation could decline by up to 23% by the year 2050, even as electricity demand rises by 2%. Hydropower accounts for more than 22% of all electricity generation in the Western US – primarily from states including California, Oregon and Washington. As the energy produced is zero carbon, it is considered one of the key ways to wean the US off fossil fuels for its power. But the researchers estimated that an additional 139 gigawatts of power capacity would need to be built between 2030 and 2050 –…

  • Supersonic test flight achieves Mach 0.82 as it paves the way for commercial supersonic travel

    Colorado-based Boom Supersonic has successfully completed the eighth test flight of its supersonic Colorado XB-1 demonstrator, with the aim of achieving Mach 1 by the end of the year. The XB-1 demonstrator’s test programme began in March 2024, when it took to the skies for the first time. The company says that the flight test programme, consisting of a series of 10 supersonic flights, is to confirm the aircraft’s performance and handling qualities before it reaches supersonic speeds. The company recently completed its eighth test flight on its path to achieving Mach 1 by the end of the year. Mach 1, the speed of sound, is around 767 miles per hour (1,234 km/h). This eighth flight, which took place from California’s Mojave Air and Space Port, lasted about 54 minutes and saw the XB-1…

  • What will Great British Energy actually do?

    The UK government is gradually unveiling details about Great British Energy, a new publicly owned energy company. So what might it look like? We already have public ownership of energy in this country,” argued Ed Miliband, the UK energy secretary at the launch of Great British Energy on 25 July. But, he added, it is owned “by foreign governments”. The creation of Great British Energy (GB Energy) was one of the Labour Party’s key manifesto commitments. And since coming to power, they’ve wasted no time in setting the company up. In July, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero released a founding statement, confirmed that the company would be headquartered in Scotland, and named Juergen Maier, a former Siemens chief executive, as its chair. It would be capitalised with £8.3bn of…

  • BAE demonstrates ‘game changer in the underwater battlespace’

    BAE Systems’ Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, known as Herne, has successfully completed its first underwater trials off the coast of Portsmouth. Herne has been built to help autonomously monitor vast expanses of the seabed without the limitations of a human crew. BAE Systems’ engineers have created a configurable design for Herne with the latest in battery, propulsion and autonomy technology to ensure the craft’s maximum mission endurance. Following successful trials of the technology on a surface vessel earlier this year, BAE Systems’ engineers in Portsmouth have now completed sea trials. These saw the craft conduct a pre-programmed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission, powered by Nautomate. This is BAE Systems’ platform agnostic high specification autonomous…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Nasa developing autonomous underwater robots to study Jupiter’s icy moon

    Nasa is developing swarms of smartphone-sized underwater robots designed to explore the oceans of other planets in our Solar System. The Europa Clipper, which was launched last month, is a space probe with a mission to study Europa, a Galilean moon of Jupiter. Once it reaches its destination in 2030, the spacecraft will prepare to aim its science instruments towards the surface of Europa during 49 flybys, looking for signs that the ocean beneath the moon’s icy crust could sustain life. Nasa is now developing an ocean-exploration mission concept called SWIM (Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers), which envisions sending dozens of self-propelled robots under the surface in a bid to carry out exploration in areas that traditional rovers would be incapable of searching. Once delivered to…

  • COP29: $300bn package to help developing nations tackle climate change is approved

    The world’s poorest countries will receive a combined $300bn annually by 2035 to help them address the growing impacts of climate change, countries at the COP29 climate conference have agreed. The new pledge, which followed 48 hours of intense bargaining between represented countries, represents a tripling of previous ambitions. Developing countries have long called for greater financial assistance from richer nations to help them mitigate and adapt to climate change. This is because developed countries have been the primary contributors to greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution, while developing countries typically face the brunt of the worst impacts of the world’s changing climate. But despite the enhanced pledges announced over the weekend, India’s representative…

  • Comment: Why it’s still invaluable to claim R&D tax relief to fuel business growth

    Despite a mixed picture for R&D in the UK, engineering and technology companies can still use mechanisms to strengthen and protect claims for R&D tax relief and help avoid HMRC R&D enquiries. The world of research and development (R&D) tax relief has recently been overshadowed by a combination of stricter HMRC policies, increased compliance requirements and bad press, which is largely down to rogue specialist R&D boutique firms offering flawed advice. Despite this challenging environment, R&D remains crucial for innovation-driven industries, particularly in engineering and technology. These sectors are among the most active in pursuing R&D, and they continue to benefit from the government’s R&D tax relief schemes, which reduce the financial risks and costs associated with innovation, fostering…

  • Europe and Japan space agencies strengthen tie-up to explore asteroids, the Moon and beyond

    The European Space Agency (ESA) has deepened its relationship with Japanese counterpart the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) under a new joint statement that will see them collaborate further. Over the past two decades ESA and Jaxa have collaborated on a number of missions. The most recent is the EarthCARE satellite, which lifted off in May 2024 to study clouds and aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere. The latest joint statement between the two involves collaborating on ESA’s Ramses mission to the asteroid Apophis. Roughly 375 metres across, the asteroid will pass within 32,000 km from Earth’s surface on 13 April 2029. Being this close to Earth is an extremely rare natural phenomenon. As part of ESA’s Space Safety programme, the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) mission…

  • Google’s online search monopoly could end if US court forces it to sell Chrome

    The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has proposed a number of measures to end Google’s monopoly on web searching, including the forced sale of Chrome. Google currently handles more than 90% of online queries. Its web browser Chrome also dominates personal computers, tablets and smartphones. In many cases, it’s the default browser on these devices, with Google having entered exclusive deals with device manufacturers including Apple. In a landmark case in August 2024, the US district court found Google liable for maintaining monopolies in US general search services and US general search text advertising. Amit Mehta, the judge presiding over the case, branded the tech giant a “monopolist”. He accused Google of illegally crushing its competition in online search. To ‘remedy’ the situation…

  • British Steel opens £10m stocking facility for 'railways of the future'

    British Steel has opened a £10m stocking facility with capacity to hold 25,000 tonnes of finished rail. The new rail hub is based at British Steel’s headquarters in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, where the vast majority of rail laid in the UK is made. The investment forms part of British Steel’s strategy to support Network Rail in its delivery of track maintenance, renewal and enhancement activities. This dedicated storage facility will ensure that there is enough rail stock as and when Network Rail requires it. From this location, rails can be safely handled, stored and available for loading. Craig Harvey, British Steel’s commercial director, rail, said: “We are committed to building the railways of the future, and this investment supports the government’s ambition to improve rail…

  • India successfully tests first long-range hypersonic missile

    India has conducted a flight trial of a long-range hypersonic missile, capable of carrying various payloads over distances exceeding 930 miles. The successful test of the missile was conducted from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha’s eastern coast. The hypersonic missile was developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at the laboratories of the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and industry partners. India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh took to X to post about the achievement: According to a statement posted on the DRDO’s website, the missile was monitored by various range systems across multiple domains, with data from down-range ship stations confirming successful terminal manoeuvres and…

  • Ofgem gives go-ahead to Eastern Green Link 1 subsea cable between Scotland and England

    Energy regulator Ofgem has awarded a £2bn funding package for the 196km Eastern Greenlink 1 (EGL1) interconnector project. The UK government has pledged to decarbonise all electricity by 2030. This requires a drastic revamp of the grid, with thousands of miles of planned high-voltage cables. There are many projects currently underway to connect both onshore and offshore wind to meet government targets via a mix of subsea, overhead and underground cables. One of these electricity ‘superhighway’ projects is the Eastern Green Links, which consists of four links between Scotland and England. These links will transport the vast amount of renewable energy generated in Scotland to other areas of the UK. In August 2024, Ofgem approved £3.4bn of funding for delivery of Eastern Green Link 2 …

  • BAE Systems invests £25m in new artillery production facility in Sheffield

    Work is under way on a new BAE Systems artillery development and production facility in Sheffield that will create 50 high-skilled jobs. BAE Systems is on an investment drive. Last month, the firm announced it was investing £220m to significantly upgrade its UK aerospace technologies factory in Rochester. The company also recently invested £300m to upgrade its Glasgow-based shipbuilding facilities and £200m to upgrade its UK munitions business. It has now announced its latest investment – £25m for a new 94,000 sq ft facility in Sheffield. This factory will specialise in artillery expertise that will deliver the company’s M777 lightweight towed howitzer manufacturing capability. This weapon is used by the ground forces of Canada, Australia, India and the US. Construction on the facility…

  • ‘World’s largest’ offshore solar project now operational off coast of China

    The first solar units from CHN Energy’s 1GW offshore PV project have connected to China’s energy grid. Developed by CHN Energy’s Guohua Energy Investment, the offshore PV project is located 8km off the eastern coast of the city of Dongying and spans approximately 1,223 hectares. CHN Energy claims it is the “first and the largest” offshore PV installation of its kind in the world. It features 2,934 PV platforms, with each measuring 60m in length and 35m in width. These platforms were installed using large-scale offshore steel truss platform fixed-pile foundations. In a statement on its website, CHN Energy says that this project “marks the first time in China that a 66-kilovolt offshore cable paired with an onshore cable has been used for high-capacity, long-distance transmission in the…

  • News analysis - Steel sector

    Faced with foreign competition, an overproduction crisis and a raft of closures, how can british steel compete in the current climate? The UK’s steel industry has been in decline for decades, but the sector is now facing some particularly challenging hurdles that present an existential threat to domestic producers. Can anything be done to rescue what used to be one of Britain’s crowning industries, or are we seeing the dying embers of a fire about to be snuffed out? China became the world’s largest steel producer as far back as the late 1990s, and in 2023 it accounted for 54% of the world’s production. Western producers have long struggled to compete on price due to comparatively higher wages and material costs, but this has never been more acute than in 2024. Recent sluggishness in the…

  • Contrail avoidance is a ‘simple and cheap’ way for aviation to reduce its climate impact

    Climate-damaging emissions from aircraft jet engines could be tackled for less than £4 a flight, a new study by campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) says. Contrails, or vapour trails, are line-shaped clouds produced by aircraft engine exhaust or changes in air pressure, typically at aircraft cruising altitudes several kilometres above the Earth’s surface. While the exact warming effect of contrails is uncertain, it is believed to be greater than warming caused by aviation’s CO2 emissions. A study published by T&E finds that with only 3% of flights generating 80% of contrail warming, a ‘quick fix’ lies in tweaking the flight paths of these aircraft. Rerouting this small amount of flights could reduce global contrail warming by more than half by 2040, the study says. It also estimates…

  • UK government’s £500m skills drive to support next generation of engineers and scientists

    Thousands of postgraduate students will be backed by a £500m government fund to study biological, engineering and environmental sciences at 45 UK universities. Today (13 November) is National Engineering Day, which raises public awareness of how engineers make a difference in the world and celebrates how they shape the future. It is no coincidence that science and technology secretary Peter Kyle chose today to announce the new £500m fund that will help in the government’s pursuit of “driving long-term economic growth”. Over 4,700 postgraduate engineering and science university places will be made available through the fund. The Doctoral Landscape and Doctoral Focal Awards, provided by UKRI (UK Research and Innovation), will allow these students to study projects in biological, engineering…

  • VW and Rivian increase tie-up agreement to $5.8bn to ‘help accelerate EV adoption’

    Developers and engineers from VW and Rivian will work together in a new tech venture to “help accelerate EV adoption”. In June 2024, Volkswagen and EV (electric vehicle) start-up Rivian entered a joint venture (JV) to create next-generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms. The $5bn deal has been upped to $5.8bn. Now, the JV aims to make EV more accessible to customers by pooling expertise, speeding up innovation, reducing development costs and scaling new technologies. RJ Scaringe, founder and CEO of Rivian, said: “We’re thrilled to see our technology being integrated in vehicles outside Rivian – this is an important enabler to help accelerate EV adoption.” The JV will employ a team of developers and software engineers based in Palo Alto, California. There are also three other…

  • Nasa backs sustainable aviation with $11.5m for green aircraft designs

    Nasa is giving five projects a cumulative $11.5m to progress designs for new sustainable aircraft. The agency has asked industry and academia to come up with studies looking at aircraft concepts, key technologies and designs that will allow commercial aviation to fit within net zero 2050 goals. The sector accounts for approximately 3% of total CO2 emissions worldwide, but is considered a hard-to-abate sector because of a lack of technologically mature alternatives to traditional jet-fuelled engines, as well as the low scale-up of sustainable aviation fuel production. Through Nasa’s Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability 2050 initiative, it has awarded funds to five projects: • Aurora Flight Sciences – a company owned by Boeing that is examining new alternative aviation…

  • COP29: Starmer plans to cut UK’s emissions by 81% by 2035

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to cut the UK’s emissions by 81% by 2035 and called for greater international collaboration on climate change. Speaking at the COP29 climate conference, he said his government “recognises that the world stands at a critical juncture in the climate crisis” and that the UK “has a critical role to play”. The pre-existing target was to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, so the newly announced target represents a ramping up in ambition for the following five years. Starmer also said that the UK’s energy independence and economic stability hinges on being able to decouple itself from fossil fuels and adopting future-facing technologies. While the target covers greenhouse gas emissions that occur within the UK’s borders, it excludes…

  • LG Display reveals ‘world’s first stretchable display’ capable of expanding by 50%

    The new LG stretchable display prototype features a 12-inch screen that stretches up to 18 inches, while maintaining clear, full-colour image quality. In 2020, LG Display announced it had been selected by the South Korean government to work on an R&D project aimed at propelling the country’s next-generation display industry. Since then it has partnered with 20 other organisations in South Korea’s industrial-academic sector to develop a stretchable display prototype. Stretchable displays are seen as the ultimate free-form screen technology because they can be transformed into any shape by stretching, folding and twisting. In November 2022, LG Display unveiled its first display prototype with a 12-inch stretchable display as part of this national project. This model was able to stretch…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Remote Scottish island finally gets 4G coverage as UK looks to eliminate ‘total not-spots’

    Mobile operator O2 has built a 4G mast on the remote Scottish island of South Uist as part of the government’s efforts to reach 100% coverage in ‘total not-spot’ areas. In 2020, an agreement known as the Shared Rural Network (SRN) was signed by all major operators – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – to share some of their masts and infrastructure to deliver 95% coverage across the whole of the UK by the end of 2025. As of September 2024, 94.9% of the UK’s landmass has 4G coverage from at least one operator – an increase from 91% when the SRN program began. The investment also came with £500m in public funding to eliminate total not-spots – typically hard-to-reach areas where there is currently no coverage from any operator. Network operators also committed an additional £532m to the project…

  • Britain to boost operating capacity to 18GW by 2032 through major new undersea energy links

    Ofgem has approved five major new undersea energy links, including three high-voltage subsea interconnector cables and Britain’s first two offshore hybrid assets (OHAs): LionLink and Nautilus. The OHAs will directly feed energy generated by offshore wind farms in Dutch and Belgian waters into electricity grids in the UK and Europe. LionLink, which is being developed with Dutch transmission system operator TenneT, will have an onshore landing point in Suffolk and provide up to 1.8GW of clean electricity to both the Netherlands and the UK. Nautilus, which is being developed with Belgian transmission operator Elia, will come ashore at the Isle of Grain in Kent and will provide up to 1.4GW of offshore wind to both the UK and Belgium through subsea cables. National Grid, which has been involved…

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