Just Have a Think - Humans reach a new low. Literally 09072023

Our modern way of life is largely dependent on land-based mining to extract minerals & other raw materials required for construction & for components in many technologies. Some suggest we may not have enough of these materials to see us through the transition away from fossil fuels & that we now need to go down to the deep ocean to extract even more. Others argue that as we have only discovered < 0.001% of the biodiversity at those depths, mining down there might not be such a smart idea

Just Have a Think - Energy storage in oxygen 18062023

Energy storage is a key element of grid decarbonisation. Developers all over the world are looking for ways to supplement the hard work currently being shouldered predominantly by lithium-ion technology. Now a team of researchers in Vienna has shown us how we can reliably move electrons using oxygen as the main source

Just Have a Think - Have we got enough minerals? 02072023

Will batteries for hundreds of millions of future electric vehicles rob the planet of all its precious minerals? And what about all the minerals and materials for billions of wind turbines and solar panels? Can our planet really cope with the transition away from fossil fuels and will that transition really be 'sustainable'?

Just Have a Think - Revolutionising power transmission 28052023

The energy transition solutions of the 21st Century will take many forms, with a complex mix of different power producers. Moving energy across ever greater distances will overcome much of the intermittency of renewables like wind and solar. The way we will achieve that is via truly mind boggling high voltage direct current transmission systems. The question is, can we manufacture them quickly enough?

Just Have a Think - Solid state energy storage for your home. Really? 21052023

Solid state batteries? When will they ever actually arrive? Well, according to a Florida based start up called Amptricity, they have arrived already and they are available right now for delivery to your home in 2023. So has this news caused Elon Musk to quake in his entrepreneurial boots, or is the marketing hype getting a little ahead of its skis? This video takes a look