The Engineering of why British Railways can’t cope with the heatwaves?
The UK’s rail service has been hit with widespread train delays and high levels of cancellations during the heatwave. The whole of the east coast line between Edinburgh and London was closed for hours on July 20 because of the heat. So why is the heatwave causing so...
Finnish ‘Sand battery’ offers solution to green-energy limitations
A Finnish startup - Polar Night Energy - has revealed technology which can use renewable energy to make sand really hot, so the heat can be used in homes when it’s not sunny or windy. The new heat storage system is a 23-foot steel silo filled with over...
The future of UK Tidal energy
Here’s why UK tides are soon going to play a much bigger part in powering your home Tidal energy has long lurked at the back of the UK’s renewable energy arsenal, outshone by its wind and solar counterparts due in part to early issues with technology readiness and high...
How a deluge of lockdown volunteers rescued UK’s hidden weather history
When it rains, it pours. Make hay while the sun shines. Save for a rainy day. Come rain or shine. The English language is overflowing with phrases about the weather, especially rain, or the lack of it. Fascination with the weather seems embedded in the UK’s national identity,...
Shetland spaceport gets planning approval
Construction of a spaceport has cleared its last planning hurdle after Shetland Islands Council granted permission for it to be built. Work on the Saxavord Spaceport could start as early as next month if Scottish ministers opt not to review the planning application. The Planning approval for the...
Heat pumps – How can the UK install 600,000 a year by 2028?
In its bid to massively reduce household use of greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050, the UK government aims to encourage the installation of 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028. Heat pumps are a relatively new technology that take heat from the air outside, or the...