• Energy-hungry data centres consumed 21% of Ireland’s metered electricity in 2023

    The Central Statistics Office (CSO) for Ireland has released metered electricity consumption statistics for 2023, revealing that electricity consumption by data centres increased by 20% in 2023. The CSO statistics revealed that the percentage of metered electricity consumption used by data centres rose from 5% in 2015 to 18% in 2022 and to 21% in 2023. This is more electricity than the total amount for urban dwellings (18%) and for rural dwellings (10%). The percentage of metered electricity consumed by urban dwellings actually dropped 1% from 2022, while the metered electricity consumed by rural dwellings remained the same. The reason why data centres consume so much electricity is not only due to their 24/7 computational-heavy operation, but also the air conditioning systems needed…

  • Key challenges facing the clean hydrogen economy, according to NPL report

    A report by the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) outlines the crucial challenges that must be addressed to boost the hydrogen economy and support the UK in reaching its net zero goals. The UK government has committed to channelling up to £500m into green hydrogen over the parliament in a bid to deliver clean power by 2030. However, for hydrogen to meaningfully contribute to a net zero society it must be produced at scale and at a low cost, and with minimal environment impact. As the UK’s National Metrology Institute and a public sector research establishment, NPL is focused on ensuring that as hydrogen technologies are being developed and deployed, metrology plays a key role in supporting operations, standardisation and innovations throughout the hydrogen economy. For instance…

  • Small modular reactor designs approved in first step towards UK nuclear power expansion

    Britain’s nuclear regulators have approved early designs for small modular reactors (SMRs) developed by Rolls-Royce SMR as a first step towards significant expansion of the UK’s nuclear power capabilities. The firm 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 factory-built nuclear power plant that would be transported as modules and assembled on-site, radically reducing construction activity and making the SMRs a commodifiable product. The previous government had an ambition to increase nuclear capacity in the UK from around 6GW to up to 24GW by 2050, as set out in the 2022 British energy security strategy. The SMRs designed by…

  • Project Watch - Wind powered oil rig, searching for life on Mars

    Around the world, many great projects are changing the built environment and our infrastructure – but sometimes progress is slow and they slip off the radar. This column follows their development. North Sea Wind-powered offshore rig In 2017 Netherlands-based oil and gas company ONE-Dyas discovered the N05-A oil field in the North Sea. It is located in an area known as GEMS – ‘Gateway to the Ems’ – at the mouth of the Ems River estuary on the border between the Netherlands and Germany. The project was given the go-ahead by the Dutch government in June 2022 when the final permits were granted. In December 2022 construction of the platform got under way at HSM Offshore Energy yard in Schiedam, Netherlands. The N05-A platform will be the first Dutch offshore gas treatment platform to…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Heart Aerospace’s hybrid-electric aircraft for short-haul travel to debut in 2028

    Heart Aerospace is developing a regional hybrid-electric aircraft with a projected battery range of 200km for short-haul flights. In 2021, the Swedish start-up announced its intention to “decarbonise and democratise air travel” with the development of a 19-passenger all-electric short-range airliner, the ES-19. This then evolved into the 30-passenger ES-30. Rather than being fully electric, Heart decided that to extend the range of the aircraft it would include a “reserve-hybrid” configuration. This set-up enables a fully electric range of 200km, in which the four electric propeller motors are powered solely by BAE Systems-designed batteries, and an extended hybrid range of 400km, in which the motors are powered by two aviation-fuel-burning turbo generators. With a lighter load of 25…

  • UK road and rail projects facing cancellation in bid to fill £20bn budget ‘black hole’

    A number of infrastructure projects, including road and rail, have been cancelled by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in a bid to shore up the nation’s finances. In a speech to parliament, Reeves called out the previous Conservative government for leaving a £20bn “black hole” in Britain’s finances and said that difficult decisions had to be made in a bid to stabilise the UK’s financial position. She said the projects needed to be cut because “the previous government refused to publicly cancel [them] despite knowing full well they were unaffordable”. The proposed Stonehenge road tunnel is one of the most significant infrastructure projects that found itself on the chopping block yesterday. The £1.7bn tunnel would have removed the view of road traffic for tourists visiting the ancient heritage…

  • Hydraulic lift system was used to build the world’s oldest pyramid, study suggests

    Ancient Egyptians may have used an advanced hydraulic lift system to raise the massive stone blocks when building Egypt’s Step Pyramid of Djoser, a new study has found. The pyramid in Saqqara, Egypt, is considered the oldest of the seven monumental pyramids built around 4,500 years ago. The six-tier, four-sided structure would have originally stood 62.5 metres tall, with a base measuring 109 metres by 121 metres. For many years, archaeologists scratched their heads as to how this immense pyramid was constructed. It was often believed that ramps and rollers were the primary methods used in building such structures. However, in a study led by Xavier Landreau, an engineer and material scientist from the CEA Paleotechnic Institute and his team of French engineers, hydrologists and material…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • First space-based energy grid could power satellites in low-Earth orbit

    The first “space-based energy grid” is under development by Star Catcher Industries, which has secured $12.25m (£9.55m) in an initial funding round. Once constructed, the Star Catcher Network will be able to beam “significant levels” of broad-spectrum energy to spacecraft in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond. According to the firm, the network will be able to deliver energy on demand and at higher concentrations than existing solar arrays on client spacecraft can provide. The firm was founded by former Made in Space and Redwire leaders Andrew Rush and Michael Snyder, and has been responsible for replacing solar arrays on the International Space Station, alongside other projects. The Star Catcher Network will allow satellites to generate between five to 10 times the amount of power they…

  • Number of plastic bags on UK beaches falls by 80% after charging introduced

    Charging for plastic bags has led to an 80% fall in the number found on the UK’s beaches over the last decade, a Marine Conservation Society (MCS) study says. The ocean charity carries out annual litter surveys in which volunteers record all litter that they find within a 100-metre stretch of beach. An estimated 7.6 billion bags a year were handed out by the leading supermarkets before the 5p charge was introduced in 2015. All retailers with more than 250 employees were obliged to apply the charge to their plastic bags, with many small businesses also reporting voluntarily. In 2020, figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs showed that bag sales fell by 95% since the introduction of the charge. In 2021, the charge was increased to 10p and extended to all businesses…

  • The UK’s manufacturing sector drops to 12th in world rankings, analysis shows

    Make UK, which represents manufacturers in the UK, has released its annual analysis of UK manufacturing in its report UK manufacturing: the facts 2024. The latest analysis of UK manufacturing from Make UK, formerly the Engineering Employers’ Federation, includes a wide variety of data about the contribution of UK manufacturing to the economy including exports, sectoral breakdown, R&D investment, salary levels and how the UK compares to other nations. The data reveals that the sector contributed £217bn in output to the economy last year, supporting 2.6 million jobs. Firms are investing more than in 2023, with £38.8bn worth of investment taking place. China remains the largest manufacturing nation with output worth $5.06tn (almost a third of global production), followed by the US with …

  • This summer marks the humble barcode’s 50th ‘scanniversary’

    The first modern barcode was scanned 50 years ago on a pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum at the checkout of a supermarket in the US city of Troy, Ohio. Taking inspiration from Morse Code, the barcode – with its series of narrow and wider lines – was first invented in 1948. A few years later a ‘barcode reader’ was developed but it wasn’t until the 1970s when the technology was commercially feasible to be used in the public sector. In the early 1970s, grocery executives hoping the barcode would provide an automated solution to rising labour costs through easily tracking their stores’ inventory, created a committee that developed the Universal Product Code (UPC) data standard. This committee chose the IBM barcode symbol over a half-dozen alternative designs. The first ever barcode scanned…

  • Data drives Dutch sailing at Olympics

    Sport has become obsessed with data, using it to gain the fine margins on which success rests. However, it is new to dinghy class sailing, and the Dutch team at the Paris Olympics is taking a data-driven approach in its quest for medals. Annemiek Bekkering is now retired from competitive sailing. She sailed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and again in Tokyo 2020, where she won a bronze medal in the women’s 49er FX. Her career spanned two decades, competing in multiple elite sailing events and rapidly establishing herself as a leading light in the Dutch sailing scene. Yet, in spite of complete dedication to sailing, and maximising her training opportunities and potential, there was a gap, a hole that, if filled, she knew would further enhance her performance and unlock greater…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Sustainable hydrogen gas produced using aluminium cans, seawater and caffeine

    Researchers have developed a new, sustainable method to produce hydrogen gas that uses easily accessible materials including aluminium soda cans, seawater and coffee grounds. The team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, believe the process could be a good, low carbon way to produce hydrogen for use in vehicles. The risk with powering vehicles with a tank full of hydrogen gas is that it is volatile and highly explosive, so the team looked for ways to use the fuel without having to transport it onboard. They discovered that when aluminium comes into contact with water, it undergoes a straightforward chemical reaction that generates hydrogen and heat. However, as soon as the aluminium is out the water and exposed to oxygen, the surface immediately forms a thin layer…

  • Martian rock discovered that contains signs of microbial life

    Nasa’s Perseverance rover has analysed a rock on Mars that has “some indications” it may have hosted microbial life billions of years ago. The vein-filled, arrowhead-shaped rock was nicknamed “Cheyava Falls” by the Nasa team. In an analysis by Perseverance’s instruments, it found the rock exhibits chemical signatures and structures that could possibly have been formed by life billions of years ago when the area being explored by the rover contained running water. But other explanations are also being considered and future research steps will be required to determine whether ancient life is a valid explanation. The rock was collected on 21 July, as the rover explored the northern edge of Neretva Vallis, an ancient river valley measuring 400 metres wide that was carved by water rushing…

  • Lack of data infrastructure threatens UK’s AI boom, report finds

    The UK’s AI boom could be hampered by a lack of data infrastructure, the Open Data Institute (ODI) has warned in a report. The non-profit research body, which was founded by internet creator Tim Berners-Lee, argues that AI technologies have significant potential to transform numerous industries including diagnostics and personalised education. But it predicted the potential gains could be impeded by “significant weaknesses” in the UK’s tech infrastructure and urged the government to take a number of actions to remedy the situation. This includes broader access to high-quality data from both the public and private sector; greater enforcement of data protection and labour rights in the data supply chain; updates to intellectual property laws to ensure AI models are being trained in a fair…

  • ULEZ expansion sees London’s air quality improve faster than the rest of England

    The expansion of London’s ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) is working better than predicted, with the capital’s air quality improving at a faster rate than the rest of England’s. According to a report from the Mayor of London’s office, pollutant emissions in 2023 reduced “dramatically”, with PM2.5 exhaust emissions from cars in outer London falling by around 22%. Within the outer London ULEZ area, nitrogen oxide emissions from cars and vans are estimated to be 13% and 7% lower than a scenario without the expansion. This is equivalent to removing 200,000 cars from the road for one year, the report claims. Since the expansion, 96% of vehicles seen driving within the zone are now compliant, with a 53% reduction in non-compliant vehicles in six months. It’s estimated that London sees around…

  • Great British Energy to develop ‘20-30GW’ of offshore wind farms with the Crown Estate

    Great British Energy will partner with the Crown Estate to build up to 20-30GW of new offshore wind developments, the Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced. The Great British Energy Bill was announced last week in the King’s Speech to enable the creation of the new publicly-owned energy company that will oversee the government’s push to further expand the UK’s carbon-free energy programme. The company will be backed by £8.3bn of new investment over the next parliament, with a goal to leverage a further £60bn in private investment. The Crown Estate, which ostensibly belongs to the monarchy, already has a £16bn portfolio of land and seabed. While it operates independently, all profits generated are returned to the Treasury. It estimates that the new partnership will lead to the creation…

  • National Highways starts trial of carbon-negative aggregate on stretch of M11 motorway

    National Highways is trialling a carbon-negative aggregate on a stretch of motorway in Essex in the hope of reducing the carbon footprint of our roads. According to the Asphalt Industry Alliance, asphalt roads account for over 95% of all UK roads, with 25 million tonnes produced nationally each year. It is also one of the largest sources of carbon emissions. In a bid to find solutions to help reduce its carbon footprint, National Highways, the government body overseeing England’s motorways and major roads, launched a low-carbon innovation competition last summer to find next-generation construction materials to help achieve its net zero targets. Four firms emerged as winners and received up to £80,000 each to move their products forward. Seaham-based Low Carbon Materials was the first…

  • 3D-printed blood vessels could improve heart bypass outcomes

    Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are undertaking research into the development of 3D-printed blood vessels, which closely mimic the properties of human veins, to improve the treatment of those living with cardiovascular disease. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, killing an estimated 17.9 million people each year. Coronary heart disease, which occurs when the coronary arteries that supply the heart with oxygen become narrowed by a gradual build-up of fatty material, is the most commonly diagnosed cardiovascular disease worldwide. The British Heart Foundation estimates that around 200 million people are living with the disease globally and it is now the cause of one in six deaths. Coronary artery bypass…

  • Lack of data hampers efforts to fix UK’s pothole problem, watchdog finds

    Britain’s pothole crisis is continuing to worsen and the Department for Transport (DfT) does not have enough data on local roads to allocate funding effectively, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said. In a report, the body said that given limited money, it is vital the DfT secures “maximum value from the funding it has available”. But at present the DfT does not have a good enough understanding of the condition of local roads or whether the funds it allocates are delivering improvements in road condition. While local authorities are supposed to report the proportion of their road networks that should be considered for maintenance each year, they do not provide all the data that the DfT mandates. For example, one-fifth of authorities did not share data on the proportion of their A roads…

  • London’s Kew Gardens could lose half its 11,000 trees to climate change, new report finds

    Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) Kew has revealed the effects the projected future climate will have on the Garden’s 11,000 trees, 50% of which will be at risk. Kew Gardens, founded in 1840, consists of gardens, botanical glasshouses and Grade I and II listed buildings set over 330 acres in south-west London. RBG Kew says it houses the “largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world”. Spurred on by the loss of 400 trees during the drought of 2022, and the realisation that climate change is only going to bring about more such heatwaves and droughts, scientists at Kew decided to map and chronicle the climate risk to its vast collection of trees and woody shrubs over the coming decades. As much of Kew's planting took place more than 100 years ago, the species it…

  • Aircraft fitted with 5G antenna array could provide internet in disaster zones

    A group of UK companies have trialled an airborne 5G system that can provide internet coverage on the ground from an overhead aircraft. Cambridge-based Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL) is leading the design of the new technology with demonstration flights provided by manufacturer Britten-Norman. SPL said the technology could offer numerous valuable applications, such as quickly restoring networks after major disasters including earthquakes or tsunamis, where traditional mobile network infrastructure has been disrupted. A trial was conducted last week by Britten-Norman’s Flight Test Organisation that aimed to demonstrate the aircraft’s capability to operate safely with a large 5G phased array antenna installed. The trial tested aircraft performance and handling in both normal and…

  • Rolls-Royce secures further funding to progress its space nuclear reactor technology

    Rolls-Royce’s space nuclear power technology is one of a number of national projects to secure funding from the UK Space Agency (UKSA). The £4.8m awarded to Rolls-Royce under the UKSA’s National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) will help it advance the development and demonstration of key technologies in the space nuclear micro-reactor. The Rolls-Royce NSIP, with a total project cost of £9.1m, aims to bring the nuclear micro-reactor closer to a full system space flight demonstration before 2030. Over the next 18 months, in collaboration with academic partners from the University of Oxford and Bangor University, this funding will help accelerate the programme further. The limiting factor for long-term space exploration is ensuring there is sufficient power onboard a spacecraft. Unlike…

  • Ofcom promises to crackdown on deepfakes as new detection method is discovered

    Ofcom has warned it will penalise online platforms that fail to tackle the rising number of illegal deepfakes as researchers develop a new process for detecting them using techniques normally deployed in astronomy. The regulator commissioned research that showed that two in five people have seen at least one deepfake in the last six months that includes depictions of sexual content, politicians and scam adverts. Concern over their proliferation on social media is ramping; in January, research was published revealing that more than 100 deepfake video ads impersonating Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had reached 400,000 people on Facebook as part of a concerted smear campaign ahead of the general election. According to Ofcom, among adults who say they have seen deepfake content, one in seven…

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