Supergen Storage Network Plus 2019
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Chemical Engineering
Abstract
Energy Storage (ES) has a key role to play as a part of whole UK and global energy systems, by providing flexibility, enhancing affordability, security and resilience against supply uncertainties, and addressing the huge challenges related to the climate change. Following UKRI investment over the last decade, the UK is in a strong position internationally in ES research and innovation. Although areas of UK expertise are world leading, there is little interaction between these areas and interplaying disciplines e.g. artificial intelligence, data and social sciences. This fragmentation limits the community's ability to deliver significant societal impact and threatens the continuity of delivering research excellence, missing opportunities as a result. Consequently, there is now an urgent need for the ES community to connect, convene and communicate more effectively. The proposed Supergen Storage Network Plus 2019 project (ES-Network+) responds to this need by bringing together 19 leading academics at different career stages across 12 UK institutions, with complementary energy storage (ES) related expertise and the necessary multidisciplinary balance to deliver the proposed programme.
The aim of the ES-Network+ is to create a dynamic, forward-looking and sustainable platform, connecting and serving people from diverse backgrounds across the whole ES value chain including industry, academia and policymakers. As a focal point for the ES community, we will create, exchange and disseminate ES knowledge with our stakeholders. We will nurture early career researchers (ECR) in ES and establish ambitious, measurable goals for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). We will complement existing activities (e.g. Faraday Institution, UKERC, Energy Systems Catapult, CREDS, other Supergen Hubs) to serve the UK's needs, delivering impact nationally and internationally.
The ES-Network+ will convene and support the ES community to deliver societal impact through technological breakthroughs, generating further value from the UKRI ES portfolio. It will be a secure and inclusive eco-system for researchers in ES & related fields to access, innovate, build and grow their UK and international networks. It is distinctive from the current Supergen Storage Hub: We have a PI with non-electrochemical background, an expanded investigator team with complementary expertise in energy network integration, mechanical and inter-seasonal thermal ES, hybrid storage with digital knowledge, cold storage, transport with ES integration, ES materials measurement & imaging and social science with policy implications. Early career researchers will hold key positions within the ES-Network+ and we will underpin all of our work with EDI values. We will develop an authoritative whitepaper for steering ES related decision-making, giving an overview of the ES community and a technical view on how ES research should be steered going forward.
The team is extremely well-connected to the ES industry and the wider energy community and has secured 57 supporting organisations, including energy production, transmission, distribution & network operation, specialist aggregators of heat & power, storage technology developers and integrators; ES related manufacturers, ES related recycling; and research institutes/centres/hubs/networks/associations both nationally and internationally. The supporting organisations also bring in a significant amount of extra resources to ensure a successful delivery of the ES-Network+.
The aim of the ES-Network+ is to create a dynamic, forward-looking and sustainable platform, connecting and serving people from diverse backgrounds across the whole ES value chain including industry, academia and policymakers. As a focal point for the ES community, we will create, exchange and disseminate ES knowledge with our stakeholders. We will nurture early career researchers (ECR) in ES and establish ambitious, measurable goals for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). We will complement existing activities (e.g. Faraday Institution, UKERC, Energy Systems Catapult, CREDS, other Supergen Hubs) to serve the UK's needs, delivering impact nationally and internationally.
The ES-Network+ will convene and support the ES community to deliver societal impact through technological breakthroughs, generating further value from the UKRI ES portfolio. It will be a secure and inclusive eco-system for researchers in ES & related fields to access, innovate, build and grow their UK and international networks. It is distinctive from the current Supergen Storage Hub: We have a PI with non-electrochemical background, an expanded investigator team with complementary expertise in energy network integration, mechanical and inter-seasonal thermal ES, hybrid storage with digital knowledge, cold storage, transport with ES integration, ES materials measurement & imaging and social science with policy implications. Early career researchers will hold key positions within the ES-Network+ and we will underpin all of our work with EDI values. We will develop an authoritative whitepaper for steering ES related decision-making, giving an overview of the ES community and a technical view on how ES research should be steered going forward.
The team is extremely well-connected to the ES industry and the wider energy community and has secured 57 supporting organisations, including energy production, transmission, distribution & network operation, specialist aggregators of heat & power, storage technology developers and integrators; ES related manufacturers, ES related recycling; and research institutes/centres/hubs/networks/associations both nationally and internationally. The supporting organisations also bring in a significant amount of extra resources to ensure a successful delivery of the ES-Network+.
Planned Impact
The direct impacts of this project will be felt across the whole energy storage (ES) and wider energy community.
With recent investment directed towards electrical storage (particularly Li-ion batteries through the Faraday Institution), key research questions relating to non-electrical (e.g. thermal, mechanical, chemical) and non-Li-ion based electrical ES technologies are at risk of going unanswered. As a result, academics working on thermal, mechanical, chemical and non-Li-ion based ES will benefit from the ES-Network+, which through its programme of work, will rebalance the UK ES research portfolio.
Academics working on energy system level requirements will benefit from discussion and knowledge exchange with colleagues working on a variety of different ES technologies. A better understanding of the system level requirements also ensures more application-driven research geared towards addressing research gaps, and will benefit a wide range of stakeholders with their ES related decision-making.
For industry, applications of ES technologies carry varying levels of risks and current academic led research does not always address the most appropriate research questions to de-risk further investments or wider adoption of ES technologies. Engagement with industry throughout the project will ensure that future research (including the flexible funding of the ES-Network+) can stay relevant to challenges faced by industry.
Organisations focusing on areas of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) will directly benefit from the ES-Network+ through its EDI working group. The working group will set ambitious, measurable EDI goals for the ES-Network+ to aspire to throughout the project duration. As part of its remit, the EDI working group will interact with InterEngineering (IE, LGBT focussed) and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnicity Engineers (ABME), with an initial aim to secure EDI working group membership for a representative from each of these organisations. Through EDI working group meetings and EDI activities, both organisations (and likely more) will be able to share examples of best practice, ensuring that the ES-Network+ is addressing the gaps that are of paramount importance to IE and ABME.
Early Career Researchers (ECRs) working on ES and related areas will benefit from a carefully planned programme of mentoring from their senior colleagues within the ES and related fields, leading to future UK ES research leaders.
The ES-Network+ project will develop an ES database and an authoritative ES whitepaper through ES network mapping, data gathering, EDI and ECR activities and feasibility studies. The database and the whitepaper will benefit a large number of stakeholders. Academic stakeholders will be able to access the information from the database and document, opening up pathways for future collaborations. Industrial stakeholders will use the information to identify academics working in fields of interest to explore potential collaborative research programmes, and to make ES related decisions. Policymakers and public sector stakeholders will be able to use the information as a direct route to ES experts, from whom they can draw advice, shaping local and national energy policy in the longer term.
A better-connected ES community will accelerate the development and deployment of energy storage technologies, benefitting the economy (e.g. growing the manufacturing sector), environment (e.g. reduced emissions) and society (e.g. reduced energy bills and increased job opportunities).
With recent investment directed towards electrical storage (particularly Li-ion batteries through the Faraday Institution), key research questions relating to non-electrical (e.g. thermal, mechanical, chemical) and non-Li-ion based electrical ES technologies are at risk of going unanswered. As a result, academics working on thermal, mechanical, chemical and non-Li-ion based ES will benefit from the ES-Network+, which through its programme of work, will rebalance the UK ES research portfolio.
Academics working on energy system level requirements will benefit from discussion and knowledge exchange with colleagues working on a variety of different ES technologies. A better understanding of the system level requirements also ensures more application-driven research geared towards addressing research gaps, and will benefit a wide range of stakeholders with their ES related decision-making.
For industry, applications of ES technologies carry varying levels of risks and current academic led research does not always address the most appropriate research questions to de-risk further investments or wider adoption of ES technologies. Engagement with industry throughout the project will ensure that future research (including the flexible funding of the ES-Network+) can stay relevant to challenges faced by industry.
Organisations focusing on areas of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) will directly benefit from the ES-Network+ through its EDI working group. The working group will set ambitious, measurable EDI goals for the ES-Network+ to aspire to throughout the project duration. As part of its remit, the EDI working group will interact with InterEngineering (IE, LGBT focussed) and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnicity Engineers (ABME), with an initial aim to secure EDI working group membership for a representative from each of these organisations. Through EDI working group meetings and EDI activities, both organisations (and likely more) will be able to share examples of best practice, ensuring that the ES-Network+ is addressing the gaps that are of paramount importance to IE and ABME.
Early Career Researchers (ECRs) working on ES and related areas will benefit from a carefully planned programme of mentoring from their senior colleagues within the ES and related fields, leading to future UK ES research leaders.
The ES-Network+ project will develop an ES database and an authoritative ES whitepaper through ES network mapping, data gathering, EDI and ECR activities and feasibility studies. The database and the whitepaper will benefit a large number of stakeholders. Academic stakeholders will be able to access the information from the database and document, opening up pathways for future collaborations. Industrial stakeholders will use the information to identify academics working in fields of interest to explore potential collaborative research programmes, and to make ES related decisions. Policymakers and public sector stakeholders will be able to use the information as a direct route to ES experts, from whom they can draw advice, shaping local and national energy policy in the longer term.
A better-connected ES community will accelerate the development and deployment of energy storage technologies, benefitting the economy (e.g. growing the manufacturing sector), environment (e.g. reduced emissions) and society (e.g. reduced energy bills and increased job opportunities).
Organisations
- University of Birmingham (Lead Research Organisation)
- Aggregated Micro Power Holdings (Project Partner)
- Scottish and Southern Energy (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- GS Yuasa Battery (UK) (Project Partner)
- Cenex (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Northern Powergrid (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- H J Enthoven & Sons (Project Partner)
- Siemens plc (UK) (Project Partner)
- Tata Motors (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Rolls-Royce (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- The Alan Turing Institute (Project Partner)
- Heatcatcher Ltd (Project Partner)
- Advanced Propulsion Centre (Project Partner)
- Flexible Power Systems (Project Partner)
- Atkins (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- PassivSystems (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Penso Power (Project Partner)
- Johnson Matthey (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- National Grid (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Williams Advanced Engineering Ltd (Project Partner)
- Newcastle University (Project Partner)
- Oxis Energy (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Innovatium (Project Partner)
- Northern Gas Networks (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (Project Partner)
- ABB (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Pivot Power LLP (Project Partner)
- Nexeon (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- ITM Power (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Scottish Power (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- International Energy Storage Alliance (Project Partner)
- Highview Power Storage (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Doosan (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
Publications
Li C
(2019)
A novel high temperature electrical storage heater using an inorganic salt based composite phase change material
in Energy Storage
Li C
(2019)
Carbonate salt based composite phase change materials for medium and high temperature thermal energy storage: A microstructural study
in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
Li J
(2021)
Distributed Consensus-Based Coordination of Flexible Demand and Energy Storage Resources
in IEEE Transactions on Power Systems
Li Q
(2020)
High performance cooling of a HVDC converter using a fatty acid ester-based phase change dispersion in a heat sink with double-layer oblique-crossed ribs
in International Journal of Energy Research
Li R
(2020)
Insight into diffusion-rebonding of Nano-Al2O3 on Fe surface in high-temperature thermal energy storage system
in Applied Surface Science
Li W
(2022)
Solar-thermal energy conversion prediction of building envelope using thermochemical sorbent based on established reaction kinetics
in Energy Conversion and Management
Li Z
(2023)
A novel nonlinear radiative heat exchanger for molten-salt applications
in Applied Thermal Engineering
Liang T
(2022)
The optimal design and operation of a hybrid renewable micro-grid with the decoupled liquid air energy storage
in Journal of Cleaner Production
| Description | The Supergen Energy Storage (ES) Network+ programme has continued to progress remarkably well in the past year, successfully keeping pace with our ambitious targets, despite the lingering obstacles still posing challenges in the post- pandemic world and difficulties in recruiting a project manager to cover the maternity leave. Below are some of the highlights: - During the last year, our network has more than doubled in size, increasing from ~500 academics, industrialists, policymakers and early career researchers (ECR) to 1189+. This growth was driven a series of productive seminars/workshops, including events such as the Medium Duration Energy Storage 2022 workshop; the 3rd International Workshop on Carnot Batteries; From Academia to Industry: A Conversation With Ian Wilkinson From Siemens Energy; Cross Supergen Hub/Programme Event 'The Fishbowl Event at COP26'; and the 2nd World Energy Storage Conference (WESC) / 7th UK Energy Storage Conference (UKESC). Awareness of our work has continued to increase amongst the wider stakeholder community due to presentations by our researchers to other Supergen hubs, the delivery of keynote lectures at events such as 14th International Green Energy Conference (IGEC) and platforms for knowledge exchange like the First IDRIC Partner & Stakeholder Forum. • The UK Energy Storage Observatory has grown to almost 86 map entries, effectively showcasing a wealth of useful information from a variety of different research and industrial energy storage facilities across the country. As the map further evolves over the coming year to encompass international facilities beyond the MANIFEST research consortium, the value of this resource to the community is only going to increase. • We remain firmly committed to ensuring awareness of EDI issues in all activities undertaken by the Supergen ES Network+. To monitor the successes, as well as shortcomings, of our current EDI strategy we have conducted an EDI survey, through which we aim to identify and further develop methods to address the most pressing EDI needs of the ES community. Keeping the principles of EDI in mind, a diverse team of volunteers including Supergen ES Network+ committee members, helped run an educational stall at the Meet the Expert STEM showcase held at Birmingham's Thinktank science museum. Last week, we held, before the formal opening of the 2nd WESC/7th UKESC, a Supergen Energy Storage Network+ ECR meeting on EDI, where ECR committee members were invited to contribute to discussions pertaining to EDI best practice. • Our Flexible Funding scheme continues to support ECRs, helping to cover costs associated with travel, training, and conference expenditures (4 such grants were awarded to ECRs last year), while also providing finance for several multidisciplinary seedcorn projects. A joint call, involving a collaboration between Supergen ES Network+ and the Henry Royce Institute, has recently been issued to help support the development of novel long duration energy storage (LDES) technologies. • In addition to our Flexible Funding scheme, we continue to support our thriving ECR community through the provision of letters of support, offering career guidance and by providing opportunities for training and networking though a series workshops, masterclasses and seminars (e.g. the Masterclass on Life cycle by Jacquetta Lee). As a response to ECR feedback, we have also supported the formation of ECR committee, which will help in shaping future activities. • With the support of the Flexible Funding scheme of the Supergen ES Network+', Dr Jianing Li of the University of Birmingham, successfully conducted an Energy Storage: Gaps and Opportunities Analysis (ESGOA), producing an organic document which community members can use to exchange information pertinent to the field and discover potential new avenues for future research. This exciting new development is covered in much greater detail in case study 2. • As in our second year, we have continued to pursue opportunities for cross-hub collaborations. This has seen further Supergen cross-hub webinars such as the Proposal Writing Workshop for ECRs, and the organisation of events including the Hydrogen Storage in Caverns 2022, which investigated the key challenges involved in deploying hydrogen storage facilities in caverns, and the Green Infrastructure Week, which sort to explore the challenges in delivering net zero infrastructure to the UK. • Members of the Supergen ES Network+ have continued to engage actively with the wider international academic community, delivering multiple plenary and keynote presentations at conferences and workshops such as the 8th Brunei International Conference on Engineering and Technology 2021 and World University Alliance on Carbon Neutrality (WUACN) - First & Second Workshops. • In accordance with our communication and engagement plan, we continue to raise awareness of energy storage by means of our active twitter account (@ukenergystorage) with 683 followers and a mailing list with approximately 1135 subscribers. The Supergen Network+ sends out a regular (quarterly) e-newsletter to all members of the network. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes of the Supergen Network+ will benefit a large number of stakeholders from multidisciplinary backgrounds across the whole energy community, including industry, academia and policymakers. Academics working on thermal, mechanical, chemical and non-Li-ion based storage will benefit from discussion and knowledge exchange with colleagues working on a variety of different storage technologies leading on more multidisciplinary application-driven research geared towards addressing key research gaps. Industry will benefit by academic led research that addresses the appropriate research questions to de-risk further investments or wider adoption of storage technologies. Industrial stakeholders will be able to identify academics working in fields of interest to explore potential collaborative research programmers, ensuring that future research can stay relevant to challenges faced by industry. Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) issues will be identified within the community and under representative members will benefit from better representation in the Supergen Network+'s activities. Policymakers and public sector stakeholders will benefit by having a direct route to experts, from whom they can draw advice, shaping local and national energy policy in the longer term. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Construction,Education,Energy,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice,Transport |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/ |
| Description | Article in the Professional Engineering Magazine of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or Improved professional practice |
| Description | Communicating your research, workshop for Supergen early career researchers |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Early career researchers developed their communication skills and conveyed important messages from their research to the public |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/news/communicating-your-research-workshop-for-supergen-early-career-rese... |
| Description | Contribution to POSTnote on energy storage |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0688/ |
| Description | Net Zero - Technical Report of the Committee on Climate Change Published in May 2019, used evidence provided by modelling carried out by Imperial College related to decarbonisation of heat and transport sectors |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | The CCC technical report accompanies the 'Net Zero' advice and recommendation to the UK Government and Devolved Administrations on the date for a net- zero emissions target in the UK and revised long-term targets in Scotland and Wales. This report made twenty-three references to Imperial College research that provided evidence regarding decarbonisation pathways. It was demonstrated that coordinated approach and flexibility technologies may bring savings of more that 10bn/year. |
| URL | https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/analysis-of-alternative-uk-heat-decarbonisation-pathways/ |
| Description | OFGEM RII0-2 Challenge Group |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | Ofgem established the RIIO-2 Challenge Group with the objective to provide challenge to the energy network companies on their Business Plans for RIIO-2 and to Ofgem on their framework for RIIO-2, on behalf of existing and future consumers. Independent report was delivered to OFGEM. |
| URL | https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2020/01/riio-2_challenge_group_independent_report_for_ofg... |
| Description | Oral evidence to House of Commons Select Committee |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/event/17108/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/ |
| Description | Prof Goran Strbac appointed as Lead Author in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group III |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | This will provide evidence to all governments related to the climate change mitigation, assessing methods for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. It is expected that work will be the core for the development of national and International policy frameworks to ensure cost effective reduction of carbon emissions at the global level. |
| Description | Professor Goran Strbac appointed as a member of the Joint EU Programme on Energy Systems Integration of the European Energy Research Alliance |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | The Joint Programme in Energy Systems Integration seeks to bring together research strengths across Europe to optimise EU energy system, in particular by benefiting from the synergies between heating, cooling, electricity, renewable energy and fuel pathways at all scales. The energy elements of the water and transport system are also included, as well as the data and control network that enables the optimisation. The Joint Programme in Energy Systems Integration is designed to develop the technical and economic framework that governments and industries will need to build the future efficient and sustainable European energy system. It is fully aligned with the recently published SET Plan Integrated Roadmap and potential impact include increased reliability and performance, minimisation of cost and environmental impacts and, in particular, increased penetration of renewable energy sources. This is informing the EU about the development of future energy research projects. |
| Description | Professor Goran Strbac appointed as a member of the Open Networks Challenge Group of Energy Networks Association |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | Given the objectives of Ofgem and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Challenge Group provides challenge on policy and regulatory progresses to ensure that the programme remains ambitious in delivery and implementation of key proposals related to development of framework for flexibility. The Challenge Group is giving stakeholders an increased role in challenging and shaping flexibility proposals and ensuring that the programme is sufficiently ambitious in its scope and is delivering change at pace. |
| Description | Response to BEIS Consultation (Call for Evidence) on Long Duration Energy Storage |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/facilitating-the-deployment-of-large-scale-and-long-dura... |
| Description | A multi-scale, high-resolution, tri-beam facility for fast machining and 3D characterisation |
| Amount | £1,970,212 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/T031379/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2020 |
| End | 09/2023 |
| Description | DEcarbonisation of Low TemperAture Process Heat Industry, DELTA PHI |
| Amount | £2,004,075 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/T022981/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2020 |
| End | 09/2023 |
| Description | Development of functional porous particulates for green ammonia production |
| Amount | £200,217 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/X018253/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2022 |
| End | 12/2023 |
| Description | Electro-Intrusion - Simultaneous transformation of ambient heat and undesired vibrations into electricity via nanotriboelectrification during non-wetting liquid intrusion-extrusion into-from nanopores |
| Amount | € 3,651,381 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | FETPROACT-EIC-07-2020 |
| Organisation | European Commission H2020 |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Belgium |
| Start | 01/2021 |
| End | 12/2024 |
| Description | Heat Accumulation from Renewables with Valid Energy Storage and Transformation - HARVEST |
| Amount | £1,504,773 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/V041665/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2021 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | PATCH: Plasma Assisted Thermo-CHemical energy storage for Carnot batteries |
| Amount | £1,065,178 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2022 |
| End | 06/2024 |
| Description | PCM based Thermal management of battery systems |
| Amount | £26,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute Europe GmbH |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | Germany |
| Start | 02/2018 |
| End | 01/2022 |
| Description | Research on Hydroxide-Based Thermochemical Energy Storage Technology |
| Amount | € 329,000 (EUR) |
| Organisation | Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute Europe GmbH |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | Germany |
| Start | 12/2022 |
| End | 11/2024 |
| Description | Research on high temperature thermal energy storage device with high effective storage densities for flexible heat supply |
| Amount | £208,333 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute Europe GmbH |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | Germany |
| Start | 08/2020 |
| End | 01/2023 |
| Description | Salt Science - Physical Properties |
| Amount | £164,874 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NNL/NIP/031 - Lot 3 |
| Organisation | National Nuclear Laboratory |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2020 |
| End | 06/2021 |
| Description | Salt Science - Salt Handling |
| Amount | £239,667 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NNL/NIP/031 - Lot 4 |
| Organisation | National Nuclear Laboratory |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2020 |
| End | 06/2021 |
| Description | Solar-driven thermochemical fuel conversion from carbon dioxide for energy accumulation and storage |
| Amount | £12,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | The Royal Society |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2021 |
| End | 03/2023 |
| Description | Supergen Storage Network Plus 2019 |
| Amount | £1,012,009 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/S032622/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2019 |
| End | 09/2023 |
| Description | UK-China Workshop on Renewable Energy and Latent Heat Storage Integration for Buildings |
| Amount | £24,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2019-RLWK11-10724 |
| Organisation | British Council |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2020 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Title | UK Energy Storage Observatory |
| Description | UKESTO showcases national energy storage innovation, describing energy storage facilities in the UK and providing data from test beds: covering Energy storage facilities; Database; and Energy storage roadmap. The UK Energy Storage Observatory has grown to almost 86 map entries, effectively showcasing a wealth of useful information from a variety of different research and industrial energy storage facilities across the country. As the map further evolves over the coming year to encompass international facilities beyond the MANIFEST research consortium, the value of this resource to the community is only going to increase. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The first of its kind, providing a graphical representation of the locations across the different energy sectors. One of the aim is to stimulate collaboration across diverse communities, of academics looking for partners, NGOs, industries looking for experts, and other select communities. The UK Energy Storage Observatory has grown to almost 86 map entries, effectively showcasing a wealth of useful information from a variety of different research and industrial energy storage facilities across the country. As the map further evolves over the coming year to encompass international facilities beyond the MANIFEST research consortium, the value of this resource to the community is only going to increase. |
| URL | https://ukesto.supergenstorage.org |
| Title | VEHICLE CHARGING |
| Description | Disclosed is a vehicle charging station (1) comprising a first reservoir (5) arranged to contain a first charging fluid and a charging fluid delivery system (3) arranged to deliver at least part of the first charging fluid (5) into a heat exchange relationship with a vehicle thermal energy storage material (108) of a vehicle (100) selectively connected to the vehicle charging station (1), thereby charging the vehicle thermal energy storage material (108) by changing its temperature and/or phase and/or chemistry. |
| IP Reference | WO2019162680 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2019 |
| Licensed | Commercial In Confidence |
| Impact | Significant interest from commercial companies; leading to several subsequent research and development projects |
| Description | "Energy Storage for Decarbonisation - Vision, Challenges, Innovation, Deployment and Experience" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Energy Storage is a key enabling technology for decarbonising future energy systems and serves as a catalyst to accelerate the realisation of Net Zero goal 2050. The event is to get industry experts and academies together to share the vision and experience, to learn the good practice examples and to discuss the pressing challenges to the development and deployment of energy storage. We highlighted and identified the business and market need for attracting investment to speed up energy storage applications. The Supergen Energy Storage Network+ (https://supergenstorage.org) has close links with research institutes and industry sectors for ES technology innovation so the event facilitated the direct conversation between industry and academic research community. With the Joint UK-India Clean Energy Centre (JUICE, https://www.juice-centre.org.uk), we connected the wide audience and stakeholders from the UK and India. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/events/energy-storage-for-decarbonisation-vision-challenges-innovation-d... |
| Description | "Energy Storage towards a Net-Zero Future" Workshop (24th June) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An interactive workshop organised by our ECR committee for ECRs to share Energy Storage research and frame key messages for COP26. Webinar topics focused on the role of energy storage research and innovation in achieving a net-zero future followed by a group discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/events/energy-storage-towards-a-net-zero-future |
| Description | 1st ECR Supergen cross hub webinar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The webinar was held on 23rd June 2020, allowing ECRs from all the Supergen programmes to connect and share their exciting projects. This was a great chance for ECRs to see what research is happening across the whole Supergen programmes, providing opportunities to ECRs to find some new opportunities for cross-programme collaborations. We had 83 participants from the Supergen Network+ and the Supergen Bioenergy, Energy Networks, ORE, and SuperSolar hubs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/early-career-researchers/events-2/our-first-supergen-cross-hub-webinar-2... |
| Description | 1st EDI working group meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A dedicated working group was set up, consisting of members from various disciplines, organizations, ethnicities, career levels, and gender to ensure input from broad experience into the Supergen Network+ EDI approach. The EDI lead, Dr Sian Dutton facilitated a meeting with the working group to discuss the network's EDI strategy, questionnaire, and key EDI issues. The main outcome was that the Supergen Network+ needs to focus on is a methodology to track EDI impact on the energy storage community and the working group impacted our EDI strategy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Article in The Conversation on energy storage |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An article on 'Energy storage technology is accelerating - but grids aren't ready for the transition', which had >30 responses in the comments section. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/energy-storage-technology-is-accelerating-but-grids-arent-ready-for-the-... |
| Description | Cambridge ECS Student Chapter Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Cambridge Zero Research Symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at Cambridge Zero Research Symposium: Zero-Carbon Energy Transformation |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Carnot Batteries - "Academia meets Industry" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a joint webinar with the IEA Energy Storage Task 36. The aim of this webinar was to bring together both Industry and Academia communities to identify major challenges in Carnot Batteries (CB) and their role in future zero-carbon energy system, and to discuss how we may work together to address the challenges. The focus was on understanding the state-of-art in the development and demonstration of key CB components (e.g. compressors, expanders, heat exchangers, pumps, heat/cold storage), their performance under both static and dynamic, as well as under designed and off-designed conditions, and economic aspects. Subscriptions to the Supergen Network+'s mailing list increased approximately by 20% after the webinar. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/events/our-events/carnot-batteries-academia-meets-industry/ |
| Description | Decarbonisation of energy in the maritime sector - workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 25 January 2021 we came together with the Supergen Bioenergy and Offshore Renewable Energy Hubs to hold a Maritime Decarbonising Workshop, to explore the challenges and opportunities of 'decarbonising' maritime, ahead of the upcoming Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition. We were joined by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Maritime UK, as we worked together on how academia can support the maritime sector to achieve its decarbonisation targets. Patricia Thornley (Director, Supergen Bioenergy Hub), Deborah Greaves (Director, Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Hub), Yulong Ding (Director, Supergen Energy Storage Network+) and Antzela Fivga (Project Manager, Supergen Energy Storage Network+) presented on behalf of their respective Hubs/Network, outlining how their objectives align with the opportunities they see to decarbonise the maritime sector. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/events/our-events/supergen-decarbonising-maritime-workshop/ |
| Description | ECR Supergen cross hub webinar 'Well-being and working from home' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | We hosted a well-being and working from home webinar on 2nd July 2020 in a new series of cross-hub webinars to allow ECRs from all the Supergen Hubs to connect and share their experience under these challenging circumstances due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The webinar was delivered by Matt Dix, trainer and coach, from the University of Birmingham. We believed that an independent expert outside the Supergen consortium will be appropriate for the webinar. Matt has a broad range of experiences gained over 25 years as a trainer, coach, counsellor and training manager within organisations ranging from policing, higher education, voluntary/charitable sectors and the private/commercial sectors. The webinar session aimed to assist ECRs to reflect on their own personal circumstances and resilience at challenging times. The sections covered responses to opportunity and threat and explored the significance of thoughts, behaviours and language in the context of mental health and wellbeing. Another aspect of the webinar was for audiences to consider how to adjust their approach to managing time and energy when working from home, identifying what supports personal resilience and how we can use our empathy effectively to assist others. We had 28 participants from all Supergen programmes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/events/our-events/supergen-cross-hub-webinar-wellbeing-and-working-from-... |
| Description | Early Career Researchers Annual meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Our first ECRs meeting took place on the 07/05/2020. It was an opportunity to introduce the Supergen Network+, our Co-Is, discuss with ECRs the flexible funding scheme, receive feedback throught an online poll on network's ECR activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/early-career-researchers/events-2/1st-ecrs-online-event-7th-may-2020/ |
| Description | Energy Storage Roadmap launch event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The UK Roadmap for Energy Storage Research and Innovation was launched in an open webinar with a presentation on the Roadmap, and contributions from stakeholders, including industry and academia. A panel Q&A followed. Over 50 attended the event, which was recorded and made available publicly through YouTube, viewed so far by 150+ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BvHvr6RX-Y |
| Description | Energy Sub-Alliance in University Alliance of the Silk Road (ESA-UASR) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited as a Plenary Speaker to deliver a lecture entitled 'Microencapsulation of phase change materials for cold energy storage applications'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Fishbowl conversation: What might energy systems look like in a net zero world? 4th November 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | In the afternoon of the 4th of November (Energy Day) during COP26, the UK Research and Innovation Supergen programme held a public engagement event at the Ramshorn Theatre, central Glasgow. The 'fishbowl' conversation was facilitated by Steve Connor and saw members of the public from different backgrounds discuss and debate their visions for a net zero energy future, with academic support from Supergen researchers. Professor Sian Dutton (University of Cambridge) and Dr Antzela Fivga (University of Birmingham) represented the Supergen Energy Storage Network+. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/news/supergen-fishbowl-conversation |
| Description | Formal meeting with the Henry Royce Institute |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Formal meeting with the Henry Royce Institute to discuss potential joint activities and collaborations. It was agreed to proceed with a joint funding call specifically for ECRs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | From Academia to Industry: A Conversation With Ian Wilkinson From Siemens Energy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | ECRs seminar series on networking and career development. Dr Ian Wilkinson is part of Siemens Energy's UK decarbonisation team, with a particular interest in the use of hydrogen and hydrogen carriers such as ammonia in decarbonising energy systems at nation scales. He graduated with a PhD in Physics from Bristol University and later completed an MBA at Oxford Brookes University. He has worked in the R&D of superconducting magnets used in MRI scanner technology at Siemens Magnet Technology. Also at Siemens, he has led the team that designed and built the Green Ammonia energy storage system demonstrator at a test site at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. His current focus is on commercial ventures establishing and scaling UK's green hydrogen economy. Ian talked about his experiences and insights on his career path from academia to industry in the UK and what it means to work during and toward the energy transition. The talk was followed by a Q&A and a discussion on how current graduate and postgraduate students and other early-career engineers or researchers can be part of that transition - potentially with Siemens Energy. Chair: Dr Ludmilla Steier, Associate Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Oxford |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/events/a-conversation-with-ian-wilkinson-from-siemens-energy-networking-... |
| Description | High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This webinar was jointly organized by the UK National Heat Transfer Committee on the 19th February 2021. The aim of this webinar was to bring together the academic communities interested in thermal energy storage, thermo-fluid engineering and process engineering to discuss recent advancements in latent heat and thermochemical TES for high temperature applications, and discuss how to we may work together to address the challenges. The focus was on state-of-the-art development and thermo-fluid and thermo-chemical performance of TES components (e.g. heat exchangers, heat intensification inserts, enhanced TES materials, reactors, etc) as well as process integration aspects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/high-temperature-thermal-energy-storage-recent-developments-in-latent-he... |
| Description | Hydrogen Storage in Caverns - 12th April 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | There is broad consensus that hydrogen will have a major role to play in the Net Zero energy system. Our Co-I, Garvey, organised a joint workshop with the British Geological Society London and ERA, focusing on key issues around storing hydrogen in caverns and its role towards Net Zero as a storage option. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hydrogen-storage-in-caverns-tickets-148329009059# |
| Description | IEA ES Task 36 'Carnot Batteries' - 3rd Expert Workshop - 15 & 16 April 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The workshop was hosted by the University of Birmingham, UK and is being coordinated with the support of the IEA Energy Storage Task 36, Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage, and the Supergen Energy Storage Network+. The overarching aim of Task 36 is to ease the transition from a fossil-fuel to a renewable source based energy system, through the promotion of novel energy storage systems, assisting their development, deployment, demonstration and their deep understanding. Therefore, Task 36 aims to stablish a platform that brings together experts from the industry and academia, to systematically investigate, assess and strengthen the potential role of Carnot Batteries in the future energy systems, gaining international attention. About the International Energy Agency's 'Energy Storage' (ES) Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) The IEA's ES TCP programme (see https://iea-eces.org), hereafter referred to as 'ES TCP', formerly known as the Energy Conservation through Energy Storage (ECES) TCP, was established in 1978 with the aim of catalysing collaborative R&D on energy storage (both electrical energy storage - EES, and thermal energy storage - TES). It is one of 38 TCPs organised under the IEA's umbrella (21 of which the UK participates in) and comes under the IEA's Working Party on Energy End-Use Technologies (EUWP). EUWP agreed a five-year extension of ES TCP to 2021, based on the 2017 Strategic Plan (see https://iea-eces.org/publications/strategic-plan-2017-2021/). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/events/iea-es-task-36-carnot-batteries-3rd-expert-workshop |
| Description | IEEE Distinguished Lecturer |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The lecture delivered as IEEE Region 8 activity. The title is "Longer Duration Energy Storage for Decarbonising Future Grid and Overview of Compressed Air Energy Storage" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | ISIS FAP 4 - chair |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Chair of ISIS facilities access panel - excitations |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020,2021 |
| Description | ISIS FAP 4 - member |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Member of ISIS peer review panel - FAP 4 Excitations |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020,2021 |
| Description | International Summer School Lecture - Shandong University, China |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | guest lecture entitled: Phase change based Thermal Energy Storage and applications |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | International Summer School Lectures - Tianjin University, China |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Development and applications of phase transition based thermal energy storage and conversion technologies |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Joint event between Institute of Physics (UK) and German Physical Society (DPG) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Title: Volatile Energy - how to solve the long-term storage problem? Date: 24 November 2022 Audience: IOP and DPG members, physics community and general audience The IOP and DPG bilateral event series is organised by the Institute of Physics (IOP) and German Physical Society (DPG). The event series brings together speakers from the UK and Germany to address current issues that are important to society. The panel discussions aim to improve the visibility of physics and highlight how a multidisciplinary approach works to benefit society. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Joint funding call and workshops with the Supergen OffShore Renewables and Energy Networks Hubs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The outcome was a series of virtual workshops, bringing together academics and companies to explore common challenges, synergies, and opportunities. Following the workshops, projects seeking solutions and pathways for the identified challenges will be funded. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Launch of the Supergen Network+ website and Twitter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We have an informative website (www.supergenstorage.org), an active twitter account (@ukenergystorage) with 427 followers sharing news from the Supergen Network+ and a mailing list with approximately 421 members. The website shares relevant news and opportunities to the storage community and key outcomes of the Supergen Network+. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.supergenstorage.org |
| Description | MSc module - Sustainable Cooling and the Cold Chain |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Give a guest lecture entitled: Overview of technologies for sustainable cooling and the cold chain |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Medium Duration Energy Storage Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Medium Duration Energy Storage event took place online on Monday 23rd March 2020, involving leading experts on the subject from around the world. As the UK transitions to a sustainable future in which the net emission of CO2 is driven to zero, it is inevitable that solar power and offshore wind power will deliver large fractions of the total energy requirement. In this future, energy storage and the storage of energy services will be one of the main mechanisms by which the mismatch between resource availability and service demand is resolved. Different technology sets are appropriate for addressing different storage durations. Supercapacitors and flywheels dominate the very short discharge durations. Batteries and demand-side response combine to provide very effective solutions for discharge durations up to 2-3 hours. Fuels of different sorts such as hydrogen, ammonia, bio-ethanol, bio-methane etc. deliver very attractive options for long-durations where energy may be stored for years and discharged over periods of months. The overall aim of the event was to answer the question is whether there is a role for storage technologies which are suited to discharge durations ranging from 4 hours to 200 hours. The event was a collaboration by The Energy Research Accelerator and Supergen Energy Storage Network+. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/latest-news/medium-duration-energy-storage-in-the-net-zero-uk/ |
| Description | Meet the Expert: University of Birmingham and Tyseley Energy Park |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The public met experts from the University of Birmingham, and the Supergen Energy STorage Network+ who are working together at Tyseley Energy Park with the Birmingham Energy Institute, to understand and tackle the issues of Climate Change. This was an opportunity to learn more about zero-carbon fuels and how we can produce energy for heating and cooling. The public was able to ask questions about Net-Zero, Solar Power, Hydrogen fuel, storage recycling, biodiversity and influences from Birmingham's industrial heritage. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/thinktank/whats-on/meet-the-expert-university-of-birmingham-tys... |
| Description | Opening Ceremony of SKKU Institute of Energy Science & Technology (SIEST) and 1st SIEST Forum, Korea (online), May 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Gave an online talk at the Opening Ceremony of the SKKU Institute of Energy Science & Technology (SIEST) and 1st SIEST Forum, Korea, May 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Panel chair at Dubai Future Forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Using text from the website below: The inaugural Dubai Future Forum convened over 400 of the world's top futurists to Dubai to anticipate challenges, imagine opportunities, share foresight, and shape the future. The Forum provided an international platform for futurists and thought leaders, from diverse sectors, to build a long-lasting community by engaging on tomorrow's most pressing issues. I chaired a panel 'Can We Depend on a Sustainable Energy Future?' with five international experts from industry and academia, and took part in the wider event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.dubaifuture.ae/dubaifutureforum |
| Description | Presentation and Activity at a Winter School |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Leadership Programme on Solving Global Challenges GCRF COMPASS Cambridge Winter School |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Presentation at 2nd UK-China Clean Energy Utilisation / Energy Storage Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 2nd UK-China Clean Energy Utilisation / Energy Storage Conference |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Presentation at the Supergen cross-hub workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | 20 early career researchers attended to discuss the potential collaborations cross the three supergen research hubs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Presentation on future energy system for WMCA Net Zero Bootcamp |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk on 'Legislative and Socio-economic Factors affecting Energy' to group with discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/short-courses/eps/skills-bootcamp-net-zero-togethe... |
| Description | Press release regarding the new Supergen Network+ |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The press release aimed to announce the award of the Supergen Energy Storage Network+, explain to the public it's aims and objectives, the posibilities available for engagement with target audiences. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/energy/news/2019/bces-to-lead-the-uks-new-energy-storage-resea... |
| Description | QMAT3 presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at QMAT3 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bose.res.in/Conferences/QMAT2020/index.html |
| Description | Quoted in BBC online news article on energy storage |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interviewed and quoted by journalist for an article on novel energy storage |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60066690 |
| Description | Shivaji College Dehli - presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to undergraduates studying Materials Science at Shivaji College |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Speaker at Low Carbon Agriculture Show |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presented on "How energy storage will help the UK reach Net Zero targets" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.lowcarbonagricultureshow.co.uk/ |
| Description | Super energy Infrastructure Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A formal workshop with the Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) to identify how the integration of thermal energy storage technologies into the energy system can enable new services that existing infrastructure cannot provide and how the overall efficiency can be improved with their implementation. The concept, the needs and rationales for the Super Energy Infrastructure was analysed during the workshop. This activity will lead to further collaborations with the ESC. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Supergen Cross Hub Report: Impact of COVID-19 on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and Research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | As part of our ED&I initiatives, we recently collaborated with the Supergen Energy Networks, Solar Network Plus, Offshore Renewable Energy Hub, and Bioenergy Hub to develop a survey as to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on our networks and stakeholders work to further support our ED&I activities. Comments and responses to the survey will be read and incorporated into our future action plan. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/news/supergen-cross-hub-report-impact-of-covid-19-on-equality-diversity-... |
| Description | Supergen Cross-Hub Workshops and Seedcorn Funding |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The Supergen Energy Storage Network+ came together with the Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Hub and Supergen Energy Networks Hub to hold a series of virtual cross-discipline workshops, bringing together Academics, Researchers, Practitioners and companies to explore the common challenges, synergies and opportunities with a goal to achieving step changes towards the highly ambitious net-zero carbon 2050 vision. Following the workshops the three Supergen programmes are making seedcorn funding available to fund specific projects seeking solutions and pathways for the prioritised challenges identified within the cross-discipline workshops. The main outcome of the workshops was new cross-discipline collaborations between participants to carry out pilot studies to enable new and adventurous research, ultimately leading to further grant applications through existing funding bodies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/events/our-events/supergen-cross-hub-workshops-and-seedcorn-funding/ |
| Description | Supergen Directors Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The meeting was attended by the Supergen Bioenergy, Energy Networks, ORE, and SuperSolar hubs and initiated joint future collaborations, such as Early Career Researcher activities and webinars. We are also collaboratively working on a Supergen common approach for COP26. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| Description | Supergen Net Zero Conference on 1-3 September 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Given the significance of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) taking place in Glasgow this year, the Supergen programmes identified this as a crucial opportunity to connect UK energy research community to the wider climate change, net zero and renewable agendas. The six Supergen Hubs/networks collaborated, and delivered the Net Zero Conference on 1-3 September 2021, demonstrating the impact of UK energy research in achieving net zero, setting out a vision for a net zero energy future and exploring cross-cutting themes such as internationalisation, industrial partnerships and equality, diversity and inclusion. Continued on-going co-ordination of activities pre-, during, and post-COP26 aims to amplify the unified vision of the Supergen programme. Dr Haris Patsios from Newcastle University, a co-director of the Supergen Network+, chaired "The role, value and needs of Energy Storage for Net-Zero by 2050" session. Haris also introduced the Supergen Network+'s main objectives and activities and its role in supporting early career researchers, academic/industry engagement, and UK research and innovation. Over 100 attendees joined the session. Our first speaker was Prof. Andrew Cruden, University of Southampton and Supergen Network+ Co-I. He explained how energy storage can support the transition of transport to net-zero. Key messages that he conveyed include: technology race remains in battery materials; government support and subsidy delivers changes; recycle and re-use of end of life batteries are crucial; vehicle to grid (V2G) is key to enable linkage between transport energy storage and grid sectors. Prof. Zhibin Yu, University of Glasgow, discussed the importance of thermal storage in heating and cooling decarbonisation. He highlighted the challenges in meeting the winter peak for heating and the important role of both inter-seasonal and short term thermal energy storage. Prof. Jihong Wang, University of Warwick and Deputy Director of the Supergen Network+, focused on the need for large scale energy storage in the power sector. She summarised the needs and market proposition for large scale long duration energy storage. A panel discussion followed including the speakers and Dr. Bart de Leeuw, Head of Smart Energy Innovation from BEIS, who gave a policy perspective, and Dr Yongliang Li, University of Birmingham, who discussed heating and cooling aspects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/cp/collections/news/entries/4255e475-1d81-46ec-9db5-4d99de181725 |
| Description | Supergen early career researchers delivering net zero energy research - report |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Two months ahead of COP26, we held our own Supergen Net Zero Conference prior to which we convened a cross-Hub multidisciplinary group of Supergen ECRs to design, develop and deliver a three-hour programme for the ECR Forum, which took place at the beginning of the conference. The most popular session at the conference, the ECR Forum was split into hour-long sessions focusing on the UKRI COP26 priorities of: greening the economy and society the future of sustainable transport securing a global transition to clean energy. A mix of 'flash talks' and panel discussions from a variety of ECRs from different technological backgrounds explored the role of research in delivering net zero and highlighted the willingness of ECRs to go beyond their technological niches. It also demonstrated the desire among ECRs for collaborative, whole-systems research activities that take multidisciplinary approaches to net zero energy research. Supporting ECRs to continue to deliver net zero energy research As an output of the discussions from the ECR forum of the Supergen conference, Supergen ECRs have published a paper which explores strategic priorities for net zero energy research and for developing more sustainable research methodologies. It offers the thoughts and opinions of ECRs as to where research and innovation is needed if we are to reach net zero by 2050. The paper outlines the perspectives of ECRs on the challenge that lies ahead of them, and amplifies their voices in calling for additional support to help them continue to deliver groundbreaking energy research, and to take on a bigger role in the journey to net zero. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/news/supergen-early-career-researchers-delivering-net-zero-energy-resear... |
| Description | Supergen meeting for joint EDI activities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The EDI leads from the Supergen Energy Networks, Bioenergy, Super Solar, and Offshore Renewables Hubs, as well as, the Supergen Network+ discussed common approaches for EDI within the Supergen network. The main outcome of this activity was the developed of a joint survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on EDI, and research across the EPSRC Supergen programme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://supergenstorage.org/latest-news/survey-on-impact-of-covid-19-on-edi-and-research-across-the-... |
| Description | Talk at Supergen Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at a workshop |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Talk for U3A Macclesfield |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | About 35 attendees to a online talk on energy storage for Macclesfield U3A |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Talk to university student Energy Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk to student members of the Energy Society on decarbonisation in the West Midlands, with discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | UK Energy Storage Observatory UKESTO |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The migration of the UK Energy Storage Observatory (linked to the MANIFEST project - EP/N0328881) to the Supergen Network+ was completed. A subcontractor was appointed, who made significant enhancement to the UKESTO. For example, an interactive map was added, providing the location of capital-funded energy storage facilities, which will be expanded continuously over the lifetime of the Supergen Network+. As the complementary MANIFEST project moves into its final year, more experimental datasets will be made available via the new searchable and filterable database. This allows users to search for data on operational runs of energy storage facilities, using parameters such as 'technology type', 'university' and year etc. The UKESTO database helps raise the profile and visibility of UK energy storage capabilities, facilitating collaborations between academia and industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://ukesto.supergenstorage.org/ |
| Description | UK Energy Storage Roadmap Launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The Supergen Energy Storage Network+ launched on the 2nd December 2020 in a dedicated event a Research and Innovation Roadmap for Energy Storage that assesses the potential role of energy storage in the UK's future energy system and identifies the contribution of research and innovation to meeting the challenges. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://ukesr.supergenstorage.org/ |
| Description | UK- Vietnamese collaboration - workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Initial introductions within the participating organisations to identify synergies and future funding activities |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | UK-India collaboration workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Initial introductions within the participating organisations to identify synergies and future funding activities |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | UKES conference 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The 2019 UK Energy Storage Conference (UKES2019) is a national conference aiming to bring together academics, industry partners and policy makers across the whole field of energy storage, focussing on the Digitalisation of Storage. UKES provided an inclusive platform for stakeholders in all aspects of Energy Storage to share their findings through oral and poster presentations. The Supergen Energy Storage Network+ announced the start of the project and informed storage stakeholders about the opportunities within our network for collaboration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://conferences.ncl.ac.uk/ukes2019/about/ |
| Description | University of Cambridge-The University of Tokyo: Workshop on Advanced Materials for Energy: Workshop on Advanced Materials for Energy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on complex oxides for energy storage |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://sp.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/UTokyo_Cam/events/coming-up-advanced-materials-in-energy/ |
| Description | Webinar presentation - Thin Film Solid State Batteries |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at a webinar |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | YouTube channel |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Supergen Network+ created a YouTube channel to host both recordings and recordings from future events. This will allow Supergen Network+ members and beyond to access and be involved in our activities even if they are unable to participate in the live or physical events due to personal circumstances e.g. childcare responsibilities. This aligns with our EDI strategy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BvHvr6RX-Y&t=153s |