Last month, I wrote to you about ways that consumer companies can use Imperial’s sustainability expertise to transform their operations and business models. This month, we’re continuing to spotlight innovations that can help businesses prepare for a zero-pollution future, now shifting our attention to the energy sector.
To create a sustainable energy system, businesses in the energy sector will need to make use of technologies such as renewables, energy storage, green hydrogen and CCS. They will also need to examine the economics, policy and systems thinking required to implement them in the most effective way possible.
Linked below you’ll find an introduction to the expertise Imperial is offering in these areas. We welcome queries from companies who’d like to talk more about working with us on innovations for sustainable energy.
Best wishes,
Dr Simon Hepworth
Director of Enterprise Imperial College London
Six innovations to help transition
energy systems to net zero
Renewables Renewables have come of age, but Imperial experts are continuing to improve them. Existing planning tools, for example, often overlook the fact that local wind and tidal flows change once turbines are in place: This is one issue addressed by digital twinning tools under development at Imperial.
Energy storage The intermittent nature of renewable energy means that renewables cannot by themselves power a stable energy grid. Imperial inventors are concentrating efforts on storage technologies that could be used to build a stable grid based on renewables without the need for fossil fuels or nuclear power.
Green hydrogen For vehicles, planes, and industrial technologies that can’t easily be electrified, hydrogen could offer a zero-emission alternative to fossil fuels. Most hydrogen is currently produced using natural gas, but technologies under development at Imperial could make it possible to produce the fuel cost-efficiently with solar power.
Carbon capture and storage While the world transitions away from fossil fuels, carbon capture and storage technologies could help meet energy demand while meeting net zero targets. Imperial experts are working with companies on everything from fine-tuning the technologies to modelling their environmental impacts and economics.
Energy usage To meet net zero targets, we need to use energy more smartly and efficiently. Imperial researchers and startups are working on a vast number of innovations in this space, including better building design, vehicle electrification, and tools to help electricity grids accommodate new technologies and decentralised power supply.
Systems thinking To design a sustainable energy system, it’s vital to see the big picture: Bigger and better batteries, for example, won’t create the transition we need if the materials they rely on create pollution problems of their own. Imperial experts are joining together across disciplinary boundaries with partners in a range of sectors to adopt a systems approach that takes the broader view.
A test developed by Bruker using an Imperial invention could help rapidly determine whether a bacterial infection is resistant to antibiotics of last resort.
Imperial startup Breathe Battery Technologies has raised £1.5m to scale up its intelligent battery management algorithms for electric vehicles and consumer electronics.
RFC Power, an Imperial energy storage startup, will be given access to expertise from the UK’s most valuable cleantech company, Ceres Power, also founded with Imperial research.
Charco Neurotech, a medical technology company developing solutions for people with Parkinson's, has raised a $10 million seed investment round co-led by Amadeus Capital Partners and Parkwalk Advisors.
Imperial's Advaced Hackspace has launched Hackstarter, a grant programme that offers inventors and entrepreneurs at Imperial the opportunity to turn their early-stage concepts into prototypes for proof-of-concept.
Inflowmatix, which uses digital technologies created at Imperial to improve the resilience of water networks, has been acquired by SUEZ, a worldwide provider of environmental services.
14 December, Online A seminar from the Academic Health Science Centre explores how Healthcare data and artificial intelligence are helping clinicians make better decisions.
Enterprise at Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, London SW7 2BU, United Kingdom
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