Since 2010, successive UK governments have produced various strategies for industry to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (‘decarbonise’). This paper scrutinises the most recent version that was published in March 2021: the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy (IDS). It contrasts the policy content of the IDS with previous industrial roadmaps, action plans and strategies (including the Clean Growth Strategy of 2017). In addition, it compares the proposals in the IDS with the latest recommendations of the UK government's independent Climate Change Committee, as well as drawing on lessons learned from the techno-economic assessments published by the author and his collaborators for a number of key ‘foundation industries’. The latter emit significant shares of UK industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions: the iron and steel (∼25%), chemicals (∼19%), cement (∼8%), pulp and paper (∼6%) and glass (∼3%) sectors. They also produce about 28 Mt of materials per year, which are worth £52 billion to the UK economy, and account for ∼10% of UK total carbon dioxide emissions.

It is crucial to develop an efficient catalyst for catalytic co-pyrolysis. In this paper, the catalytic co-pyrolysis of cattle manure and rice husk over a catalyst loaded with Co using KOH-activated biochar as the support was conducted in a two-stage fixed-bed reactor. The results showed that the Co/KRHC catalyst displayed good performance in the catalytic pyrolysis process with a large specific surface area and a developed pore structure. Loading with Co not only improved the quality of syngas but also increased syngas yield. H2 content increased from 4.55% to 13.68%, and CO content increased from 19.78% to 32.25%, whereas CO2 content decreased from 7.32% to 5.3%, and CH4 content decreased from 8.01% to 6.07%. Syngas yield increased from 3.68 Nm3/kg to 4.58 Nm3/kg. The catalyst promoted the breaking of C–C and C–O bonds in tar, increased the content of phenols, ketones, and aldehydes, and reduced the content of oxygen in the syngas. The catalysts also maintained good performance after five catalytic cycles, with H2 and CO contents of approximately 10% and 27.5%, respectively.

The ‘Cyclops’ effect of the light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system means that the LiDAR system can only measure wind speed at one point in space at a certain moment. However, for the purposes of wind turbine control, considering the wind information at the rotor plane with time stamps can be more precise. The wind speed attenuates due to the induction zone; however, Taylor's frozen hypothesis is commonly used in the application of LiDAR for the rotor effective wind speed estimation. The wind turbine is controlled directly by LiDAR measured data with constant time delay, which weakens LiDAR's effectiveness. In this paper, a novel LiDAR data pre-processing method is demonstrated. The Medici induction zone model is further refined with initial wind speed and different measured distances for accurate estimation. Furthermore, it makes online variable time delay of LiDAR data computation possible with the solution of the separated differential equation. Finally, the novel method is fully verified through field test results. The results show that the initial wind speed affected the attenuation factor within 1.4 times rotor radius and the error between the experimental value and the theoretical value is within 0.1 m/s.

Modification of a pitched roof from a flat roof transforms the flat roofs of multi-storey buildings into pitched roofs to improve the building function and landscape effect, provided that the building structures and the foundation bearing capacity meet the requirements; it normally improves the thermal insulation performance of the top layer and solves problems such as leakage of the top layer. This study developed an optimal efficient design protocol for pitched roof modification from a flat roof through comparative analysis. The case study was conducted in an existing building in Hangzhou city, China. In the process of energy consumption simulation on pitched roof modification from a flat roof, control variables were used to keep the building materials, building environments and meteorological conditions consistent. The indoor environment of the building top floor with different gradient settings was simulated in groups, and the hourly temperature, monthly heat gains and losses, and energy consumption of each model were analysed. The results showed a consistent trend in building energy performance of the different models. With an increase in the slope gradient, the building energy performance is higher. This study provides an important reference for modification of pitched roofs from flat roofs in future in terms of building energy efficiency.

Financial viability and political will ultimately determine if tidal range power schemes are developed. This research aims to demonstrate a robust system to make initial estimates of capital costs for tidal range schemes that can be compared between systems and options. A levelised cost of energy (LCOE) is used to compare a tidal range barrage (Morecambe Bay) and a coastal tidal lagoon (North Wales); the schemes are set in context with other common energy sources. The results show the Morecambe Bay barrage generates marginally more electricity than the North Wales coastal lagoon and has a shorter impoundment at lower cost. However, the economic arguments for both schemes are similar; both are viable as the LCOE shows. Despite being shown to be financially viable, the sources of funding may remain a problem. Financial returns and two potential public funding mechanisms are discussed. The approach using two simple models makes a strong case for more detailed analysis and, in the current environmental, economic, and social climate serious decisions must be taken.

The state-of-charge (SOC) estimation of lithium-ion batteries is very important for the safe and reliable operation of the battery pack. In the industry, the ampere-hour integration plus open-circuit voltage (OCV) strategy is normally used to estimate the SOC. However, the use of OCV is very demanding, requiring several hours. In this paper, a new estimation strategy is proposed, which can calibrate SOC during battery operation to eliminate the accumulated error of ampere-hour integration. Specifically, when the current of the battery is constant for a given period, or the change is small while charging or discharging, the SOC can be corrected according to its voltage. The detailed theoretical analysis is given in this paper and an experimental platform is built for testing.

Pulsating heat pipes have shown great potential in the field of engineering applications, such as the cooling of microelectronic devices. The correlation between the flow characteristics and the thermal performance of the heat pipe still needs to be further explored. In this paper, the operation state and flow patterns inside pulsating heat pipes with two inner diameters of 1 and 2 mm are experimentally visualised and analysed. The effect of the inner diameter on the thermal performance of heat pipes is evaluated. The results indicate that the operating modes, including small pulsations, bulk pulsations and circulation are sequentially obtained in pulsating heat pipes with the increase of the heat input. The decrease of the inner diameter of pulsating heat pipes results in the capillary instability and the increase of the flow frictional resistance. When the filling ratio is 55%, the thermal performance of a pulsating heat pipe with an inner diameter of 2 mm is better than that of a pulsating heat pipe with an inner diameter of 1 mm.

There is a growing interest in the United States of America to have a more significant role in the development of offshore wind power. In recent years, the country has begun to shift and drive towards a green economy, investing in clean renewables and technology that will be able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It is expected that offshore wind has the potential to become a primary source to supply energy to millions of Americans. In the next 10 years, the Biden administration has set a target to achieve close to 30 GW of offshore wind potential. With the existing offshore wind projects in place, many developers are continuing to make progress, but there are many limiting factors that could decide whether that goal will be achieved. A detailed analysis in the U.S. Atlantic coast was deemed necessary and light was shed to the licensing process towards the goal of 30 GW by 2030.

Since the 1980s, the Brazilian government has implemented many policies and programmes addressing energy efficiency. The electricity consumption in residential and commercial, service and public buildings in Brazil is approximately 50% of the total electricity consumed in the country; 70% of electricity consumption in public buildings is due to the lighting and air-conditioning systems. This paper presents a case study in a Brazilian Navy building, using DIALux software to study energy efficiency and to make an energy diagnosis regarding lighting to propose improvements so as to obtain the Brazilian partial National Energy Conservation Label (partial ENCE). Three different scenarios were simulated, and the results showed that it is possible to obtain about 2475 kWh/(m2/year) in energy savings, by replacing the current lighting system of fluorescent lamps with light-emitting diode (LED) lighting. Thus, it was possible to observe, through the results of the simulation and the energy diagnosis, that the replacement of the lighting technology, associated with layout modification, provides satisfactory results and meets the minimum desirable requirements of the Brazilian technical standard ABNT NBR ISO/CIE 8995-1, 2013.

As applied renewable energy is rapidly progressing it is essential to seek low-cost and highly efficient large-scale energy storage systems and materials to resolve the sporadic nature of renewable energy resources. Vanadium-based systems such as vanadium redox flow batteries have recently gained much attention. This paper provides a concise overview of the subject of vanadium and its application in redox flow batteries (RFBs). Compared to other energy storage systems, it is certain that vanadium and its applications in RFBs are well-positioned to lead a significant part of the stationary energy storage market in the coming decades due to its many advantages.

In this paper a new transformed linear simulation method for the robust performance analysis of coastal wave energy converters (WECs) is proposed for the first time. The influences of the bottom effects on the performances of coastal WECs have also been considered during the calculations. The essence of the transformed linear simulation is to obtain the transformation G relating the non-Gaussian process and the original Gaussian process based on the equivalence of the level up-crossing rates of the two processes. The level up-crossing rates are calculated by using an asymptotic analysis approach. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed transformed linear simulation method have been convincingly verified by the calculation examples in this paper.

A life-cycle assessment (LCA) of waste management in Pyongyang, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was undertaken using a characterisation-based method to analyse cumulative energy demand and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. The study showed that characterising waste fractions by composition, proportion, water content and heating value rather than simply mass was more effective for energy-related analysis in LCAs. The results indicated that the energy demand and emissions indicators could be used as appropriate proxies of the environmental impacts in life-cycle phases, since they were closely related. The results also revealed that waste incineration could result in energy credit to the national electricity mix, while waste landfill needed to be replaced with sanitary landfill and/or switched to incineration with energy recovery to be more sustainable.

Oil and gas mixed transportation is an important technology in oil and gas production. Multiphase fluid is transported from the wellhead to the floating platform through a riser system. Based on computational fluid dynamics, a numerical model of multiphase flow in a deepwater riser by considering hydrate phase transformation and sand production was established, which was then solved by the finite-difference method. The results show that under constant inlet pressure, the pressure drop decreases with increasing gas–liquid two-phase flow rate, and increases with increasing sand production rate. Furthermore, the hydrate phase transition decreases the pressure. The effect of liquid on the temperature in the riser is apparent: the heat transfer between the fluid and seawater is mitigated by the insulation layer, thus raising the critical point of the hydrate phase transition. Finally, the velocity and volume fraction of the gas phase increase from the inlet to the outlet of the riser. At the same time, the velocity of the liquid–solid phase increases, whereas the volume fraction decreases.

Operation simulation models are developed for monthly and daily time steps for computing the hydroelectric energy and its financial benefits in an economic life by three different operation policies: steady-rate, three-shift and pumped-storage rules. The pump is operated during the night and consumes low-cost energy. The resulting computer programs, three on monthly and three on daily steps, are applied to the Yamula dam – which is a fairly large dam generating energy, located in the Inland Anatolia region of Turkey – over a period of 35 years using the gauged daily stream flows and daily pan evaporations. The results indicate that the pumped storage is more profitable than the other two rules aside from the intangible benefits of regulating the within-day fluctuations of demand for electrical energy. Another result is that both the average annual energy and the financial benefits given by the three rules computed by the monthly time steps are about 1−2% greater than those given by the daily time steps. This study is the first one comparing all these three operation schemes quantitatively in a realistic way both in monthly and daily time steps.

If, as suggested by proponents, fusion small modular reactors (SMRs) can be developed faster than envisaged by the multi-national ITER/DEMO programme, the question remains as to whether such reactors will be a viable commercial proposition. Such viability will depend on a range of factors, including capital costs, income from the sale of electricity and the cost of capital. To investigate these effects, net present values (NPVs) were calculated for a range of scenarios for both first of a kind and Nth of a kind plants supplying electricity to the UK grid beginning in 2040. Calculations have also been carried out to delineate the ‘space’ in which positive NPVs would be obtained. These calculations show that there are combinations of capital costs, electricity prices and costs of capital in which a fusion SMR plant would be financially viable. These calculations, being based on uncertain costs and incomes, are necessarily uncertain. The calculations show that minimisation of capital costs must be a key goal for those seeking to develop a fusion SMR as a commercial proposition.

There is a growing interest in the United States to have a more significant role in the development of offshore wind power. In the recent years, the country has begun to shift and drive towards a green economy, investing in clean renewables and technology that will be able to reduce carbon emissions. It is expected that offshore wind has the potential to become a primary source to supply energy to millions of Americans. In the next 10 years, the Biden administration has set a target to achieve close to 30 GW of offshore wind potential. With the existing offshore wind projects in place, many developers are continuing to make progress, but there are many limiting factors that could decide whether that goal will be achieved. A detailed analysis in the U.S. Atlantic Coast, was deemed necessary and light was shed to the licencing process towards the goal of 30 GW by 2030.

The demand for renewable energy sources is increasing rapidly due to the increase in energy demand, the possible decline of fossil fuels in the coming years, climate change and environmental pollution. Several studies have been carried out on the potential of wave energy and many wave-energy converters (WECs) have been developed. Although there is potential for wave energy in Turkey, wave energy is hardly exploited. The main purpose of this study was to determine the most appropriate site and converter type for a wave-energy power plant planned to be built in Turkey. For this purpose, a two-phased multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) structure is constructed. Analytic network process (ANP) and fuzzy technique for order preference by similar to ideal solution (Topsis) are selected as MCDM methods. Five cities located on the Black Sea coast that have high wave-energy potential are selected as alternatives for the installation site of the wave-energy power plant. In the first phase, Sinop is determined by ANP as the most suitable site for a wave-energy power plant. In the second phase, the most suitable of the five alternative WECs, to be installed at Sinop, is determined by fuzzy Topsis to be Oyster.

Biodiesel limitations such as poor cold-flow properties and oxidation stability limit its usage in diesel engines. Partial hydrogenation is reported to be one of the ways to improve these limitations. Partial hydrogenation of biodiesel made from cottonseed and soyabean oil was studied. Before and after hydrogenation, the fatty acid methyl ester contents of cottonseed and soyabean biodiesel were detected with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. It was revealed that methyl linolenic and methyl linoleic decreased while methyl stearic and methyl oleic increased after the partial hydrogenation for both soyabean and cottonseed biodiesel. Methyl oleic increased by 127 and 237% for soyabean and cottonseed biodiesel, respectively. A thermogravimetric test was also conducted on the fuel samples to observe the volatilisation of the fuels. There was an increase in fuel properties such as cetane number and kinematic viscosity, while iodine value decreased after partial hydrogenation. In addition, there was no significant change in oxygen content, low-heat value and density for both soyabean and cottonseed biodiesel. In summary, partial hydrogenation is a good method of upgrading biodiesel fuel properties such as cold-flow properties and oxidation stability.

Restricted water and energy resources of the planet, as well as an increasing demand for water and energy owing to population growth and an ever-increasing development of human societies, require an optimal utilisation of such resources. This study was conducted to investigate the consumption, dissipation and efficiency of energy in electric and diesel fuel pumping stations in the fields of Hamedan city, located in the west of Iran. The Nebraska pumping plant performance criteria were used to compare the performance of irrigation pumping stations. The input power, output power and total energy efficiency were calculated for the pumping stations. The results revealed that the total efficiency ranged between 3.2 and 24.4% in the diesel pumping stations and from 15.7 to 100% in the electric pumping stations. The mean of total efficiency and mean wasted energy in the diesel pumping stations were 14.1% and 51.8 kWh/h, respectively. The mean total efficiency and wasted energy in the electric pumping stations were 58.3% and 9.0 kWh/h, respectively. Factors such as pump and engine selection proportionate to the system's capacity and pressure, proper upkeep and maintenance of pumps and engines, and implementation of an optimum, rigid foundation could improve energy efficiency.

A study designed different parameter schemes for a weather research and forecasting model to simulate hourly winter and summer wind speed and direction at a wind-farm tower in China. The schemes were found to reproduce the local wind conditions accurately and simulate wind direction very well. The results showed that one scheme performed better for the wind speed and wind direction simulation at 10 and 90 m height in the winter, while another performed better for simulation at 10 m height in the summer. The results for these schemes showed that the correlation coefficients of wind speed and wind direction were 0.75 and 0.62 in winter and 0.55 and 0.44 in summer, respectively. Overall, the parameterised model exhibited better simulation of the wind speed than wind direction, and was better in winter than in summer.