Challenges and Opportunities for the UK in Moving Towards a Low-Carbon Future

Hydrogen VisionThe world is facing its greatest challenge, in order to avert a climate catastrophe, CO2 emissions must be reduced. Hydrogen systems will play a key role in our low carbon future, however, there are many barriers to their commercial exploitation which need to be overcome. The innovation path leading us to this future will consist in the short term of developing and bringing to market niche and/or hybrid systems. This will establish hydrogen systems as a viable technology and pave the way for more widespread incorporation of hydrogen technology in our everyday life, from personal electronic equipment to stationary back-up power systems and the most challenging application / automobiles. At Nottingham we have patented hydrogen storage materials which we are keen to research and develop for early-to-market hydrogen technologies. This proposal will: lead to a major advance in this research; leading to innovative solutions for exploiting these materials; facilitate my own deeper understanding of the roadmap to potential hydrogen futures, thereby identifying early to market opportunities; and deepen my understanding of the broader low carbon technology field.The OpportunityThe Carbon Vision Initiative aims to support outstanding scientists and engineers as they become world leaders in low-carbon research. This proposal will help develop the leadership attributes of the PI and take the innovative research undertaken at Nottingham forward towards commercialisation . This is an exciting opportunity to develop the career of a successful young academic working in a field of low-carbon research. In order to enhance the PI's breadth and depth of expertise, the following priorities have been identified:- to expand portfolio of internationally leading research in low-carbon technology- to build-up understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the broader low-carbon research area (e.g. technological challenges and barriers to commercialisation)- to establish an extensive network with global leaders from academia and industry across a range of relevant technologies.- the dissemination of low-carbon research outcomes and opportunities to stakeholders