Institution news
Combined with concerns over city air quality, CO2 emissions, the rise of the electric vehicle, along with new challenges in decarbonising our heat systems and we find ourselves faced with making ever more complicated decisions about an increasing number and variety of technologies.
The desire to promote and deliver energy to homes, vehicles and industry via renewable and low carbon resources as well as reduce our reliance on fossil fuel means we need to understand what is involved in delivering new infrastructure and technologies.
When faced with decisions we are often quick to choose the technology that will have the ‘least worst’ impact on our built and natural environment. This is the right way to think about new and incumbent technologies. We know, for example, that the particulates from coal, diesel and wood stoves are polluting our city air and contributing to poor lung health. Along with this we must also consider how efficient a particular fuel or energy vector is at delivering our needs as well as how much land and materials may be required to meet the energy demands of our increasing population and changing lifestyles.
There is also the cost involved to producing this energy, but as a recent Institution of Mechanical Engineering survey [1] showed, this is not the main concern for consumers, with less than 25% of respondents stating this was important for them . What is important is securing our supply of energy for all our domestic, commercial and industrial needs.
When it comes to managing our resources and meeting our climate change targets, the truth about a particular technology can sometimes conflict with our emotional response to it. When it comes to technologies like carbon capture and storage, underground energy storage, hydraulic fracking for shale gas, the disposal and management of radioactive wastes and even geothermal energy they have the ability to trigger strong responses based on what we believe their impacts on human health and our environment to be. This means that we must uncover the truth behind the performance and impact of new, emerging and existing technologies ensuring we can make informed decisions.
In engineering we often talk about research, development and demonstration this is an integral part of developing our understanding of the performance and impact of technologies. We have to be sure that we make good decisions based on reliable evidence from projects like the new UK Geoenergy Observatory launched today by the British Geological Survey [2]. We are very fortunate to have non-partisan institutions like BGS to undertake research into some of our more difficult technologies ensuring we can use the information to identify good pathways to decarbonising our energy system.
The UK Geoenergy Observatory will attract world-leading geologists, engineers and other scientists to undertake energy-related research at its Cheshire Energy Research Field Site. This research will advance our understanding of the technologies and science needed for carbon storage, energy storage, underground storage of waste material and shale gas. Many engineering activities that we are beginning to discuss introducing into our expanding energy mix require sub-surface development. It is crucial that we understand how geology in different parts of the UK will responds to new energy developments: can it provide the structures we require? Maintain a protective barrier? Support a structure and deliver resources to support our changing energy demands safely?
This new evidence base will inform investors, decision makers, regulators and technology developers on the possibilities that our sub-surface can offer without jeopardising the opportunities of future generations to manage their own populations, lifestyles and ecosystems. It could inform a future visions for our growing infrastructures and how our built and industrial environments could develop around these.
I hope that results from the Observatory lead to more large scale engineering demonstration providing reassurance that the decisions we make as a society benefit us and do not adversely impact others around the globe.
[1]https://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/public-backs-construction-of-new-coal-with-carbon-capture-technology
[2] http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/energy/esios/home.html