February 2023

Written by Binesh Asok Kumar and Abhishek Joshi

One of the most critical problems our planet is experiencing is unpredictable and rapid climate change due to the continuously growing need for energy worldwide, which is now being met by fossil fuels. There is still a long way to go before electric vehicles take the majority share of the global automotive market. However, lithium-ion batteries are used almost entirely to power the electric vehicles on the market today.

Written by Soheil Mohseni and Alan Brent

Green hydrogen is increasingly recognized as an important enabler of the energy transition in integrated energy system plans and, accordingly, a key component in achieving net-zero emissions economies. To this end, optimizing the integration of green hydrogen technologies into smart integrated renewable and sustainable energy systems requires characterizing the associated interactions with alternative low-carbon technologies with a system-of-systems perspective. In this context, this article first provides a brief overview of the promising green hydrogen configurations for community energy solutions before bringing to light supporting techniques and interventions, such as energy storage hybridization and energy arbitrage.

Written by Moshen Khorasany

Stimulated by recent concerns about climate change, countries are establishing ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The billion-dollar question is, “how can GHG emissions be reduced to net zero by 2050 to limit the long-term increase in average global temperature to 1.5 °C?” Everyone agrees that shifting from fossil fuels to renewable resources has a central role in helping the world reach net-zero emissions by 2050. This transition, however, should be done for different sectors. Renewables play an essential role in reducing emissions in buildings, industry, and transport. However, the challenge is that not all sectors can be easily electrified using renewable resources. That’s why hydrogen is back in business. Hydrogen, which was initially used as a fuel in the early 19th century, is back and will be a key player in the decarbonization journey.

Written by Chung Fong, Mazheruddin Syed, Iain R. G. Fleming, Graeme Burt, Efstathios (Stathis) Tapinos, Pavlina Van Rooyenova, Kirsty Webster, and Jon Matthews

The aviation industry has recently reaffirmed its commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Battery technology holds the potential to power regional aircraft while hydrogen has the potential to power up to narrow-body aircraft. Green SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) could potentially cater for all existing aircraft classes¹. All three energy sources have associated net emission profiles, costs, and technological challenges. Although noteworthy progress is being made toward the net zero flight ambition, emissions targets will only be realised with the active commitment and support of airport operators. Existing airports are not designed for electrified or hydrogen aircraft operations and as such development and deployment of new infrastructure will be required.