Engineering news
Released ahead of Cop26 at the end of the month, Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener sets out how the UK will end its contribution to climate change by 2050. The wide-ranging document makes many commitments and provides plans to achieve them, but it is not going to be plain sailing.
Here are three obstacles that need to be overcome for the government’s plans to be successful – and some potential engineering solutions.
1. Charging times limit EV adoption
The government committed an extra £620m to support the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) by funding additional charging infrastructure, with a focus on on-street residential charging and ‘targeted’ plug-in vehicle grants.
For electric cars to be a viable option for most of the driving population, however, charging will have to get faster. ‘Fast’ 7kW charging can take about six hours to fully charge a Nissan Leaf, for example, while rapid 50kW+ charging requires sufficient in-car charging capabilities. It is also limited, to protect cells from extreme heat and degradation.
Enhanced thermal management could provide batteries with greater protection in future, preventing degradation and enabling regular rapid charging. Rates beyond 150kW would cut charging times down to minutes, not hours, making them much more viable for many more people.
2. ‘Sustainable aviation fuel’ might promise too much
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – it is a name that makes a big promise, and the government hopes it could make a significant contribution to decarbonising aviation. The strategy promises to ‘kick-start the commercialisation’ of SAF, which is made from materials such as household waste, industrial flue gas, cooking oil, animal fats and captured carbon. It includes £180m for the development of UK SAF plants, and an ambition for flights to use 10% SAF by 2030.
The promise could be too good to be true, however. Waste is inconsistent and difficult to process, which could lead to fresh materials being used for biofuel, and demand might outstrip supply.
Instead, many believe that hydrogen is the most promising future fuel for zero-emission aviation. Key players such as the Aerospace Technology Institute and Airbus, and smaller firms such as ZeroAvia, are developing hydrogen-fuelled concepts and aircraft that could help cut significant amounts of carbon emissions from flight.
3. Time of the essence for new nuclear
The strategy includes £120m for the development of nuclear projects, and a commitment to come to a final investment decision on at least one large-scale nuclear project by the end of this parliament.
Time is of the essence, however. Several of the UK’s nuclear power stations are set to close this decade, threatening to leave holes in energy supply. Research into Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) – both mentioned in the strategy – must accelerate, and the UK should maximise its frontrunner position in the race for commercial fusion energy.
“A fully decarbonised power system is vital if we are to achieve the UK’s net zero ambitions, so the commitments to bring forward investment in new nuclear through a regulated asset base and encourage the development of floating wind technology and CCUS at scale are welcome,” said Chris Ball, managing director of nuclear and power at Atkins.
“The scale of the challenge to achieve net zero is greater than any engineering programme ever delivered, from the build rate required to decarbonise power by 2035, to the scale and pace of the programme required to retrofit buildings and transform our transportation systems and infrastructure. The demand for skills and resources, and the pressure on supply chains, cannot be underestimated.”
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