How British technology aims to drive the battery revolution To cut carbon emissions and provide energy to keep the lights on, minsters are backing battery innovation. Gareth Taylor reports.
MoveS to cut air pollution and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels have suddenly become even more controversial than they were. First the Government announced plans to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2040 by ensuring they’re ‘zeroemission’, prompting an outcry among petrol and diesel enthusiasts. Then came news that Honda is to close its UK vehicle manufacturing plant, potentially costing thousands of jobs. Brexit uncertainty, a long-term fall in global car sales and new EU diesel emission rules have been variously blamed but most agree Honda’s decision is a further signal the tide has turned for fossil fuel-powered transport. Electric vehicles are the future. The UK is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050 – England accounts for four fifths of current emissions and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the rest.
made. Renewable energy capacity overtook that of fossil fuels in the UK for the first time between July and September, according to Imperial college. The capacity of wind, solar, biomass and hydropower reached 41.9GW, beating 41.2GW from coal, gas and oil-fired power plants.
supports research, training and analysis for innovation in electrochemical energy storage. Focusing on automotive technology, ministers hope the advances achieved will translate into other transport modes such as aerospace and rail. Four initial research projects, involving 20 universities and 30 industry partners, have been awarded £42m – to look into extending battery life, battery system modelling, recycling and reuse, and next-generation solid-state batteries.
That progress will stall without major technology improvements, so ministers are intent on turning the UK into a battery powerhouse. In July 2017 the Government launched the Faraday Battery challenge, part of the ‘Industrial Strategy challenge Fund’, investing £246m to address the productivity gap in a growing market worth an estimated £5bn in the UK and £50bn across Europe by 2025.
For Ian Ellerington, the institution’s Head of Technology Transfer, batteries can do more than address Britain’s long-term energy needs – they can be a catalyst for the country’s industrial revival.
They also established the Faraday Institution, a charitable trust that
“The world is approaching a tipping point and the electric vehicle is
To achieve this we’ll need to switch reliance from fossil fuels to renewable sources. However, wind, sun and tidal energy are by nature unreliable, and ministers are relying on energy storage to even out the peaks and troughs and guarantee supply. It’s a big ask – present-day battery technologies are nowhere near able to fill these gaps. That said, major advances have been
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This presents an enormous opportunity, not only to make renewable energy to work for everyone, but also to restore Britain’s leading position in auto manufacturing. Ian Ellerington, Head of Technology Transfer, Faraday Institution
