Professor Nigel Brandon OBE FREng

Director Energy Futures Lab

RCUK Energy Senior Research Fellow

www.imperial.ac.uk/energyfutureslab

Engineering a Low Carbon Energy Future

Introduction to Imperial College London

Our Founding Charter in

1907…to give the highest

specialised instruction and to

provide the fullest equipment

for the most advanced training

and research in various

branches of science

especially in its application to

industry

– 3,300 academic and research staff

– 3,100 support staff

– 2,000 honorary staff

– 1,000 academic visitors and visiting

researchers

• 13,000 students: – 8,300 undergraduates

– 2,200 taught postgraduates

– 2,500 research postgraduates

• PG students (masters and doctoral): – 36% of total student population

– 46% UK

– 24% Europe (outside UK)

– 30% overseas (outside Europe)

Introduction

• Global Energy Drivers and Trends.

• Energy in the UK.

• Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College London

• Engineering Options

•Transport sector

• Domestic sector

• Conclusions.

Global Energy Drivers: 1 – Population Growth

2005

(million)

2030

(million)

Canada 32.268 38.880

France 60.496 66.269

Germany 82.689 79.090

Italy 58.093 57.385

Japan 128.085 117.794

Russia 143.202 124.121

United Kingdom 59.668 65.895

United States 298.313 364.427

Brazil 186.405 233.884

China 1,315.844 1,438.394

India 1,103.371 1,489.653

Mexico 107.029 269.211

South Africa 47.432 52.958

World Total 6,464.750 8,246.665

World Population prospects: the 2006 revision. UN Dept. Economics and Social Affairs

Global Energy Drivers: 2 – Energy Security

• Increasing reliance on imported oil and gas.

• Shift in power from energy consumers to energy

producers.

• Link between energy, water and food.

• 400 million people in India have no access to

electricity.

Source: UK Energy Sector Indicators. 2008. DECC.

UK Energy Trade and consumption

Global Energy Drivers: 3 – Urbanisation

Po

pu

lati

on

(b

illi

on

)

Source: ARUP

Energy consumption per capita

World Energy Outlook 2007: China and India Insights. International Energy Agency

toe

pe

r ca

pita

Global energy demand continues to rise

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

1971 2002 2010 2020 2030

mil

lio

n t

on

nes o

il e

qu

ivale

nt

Coal Oil Gas Nuclear Hydro Biomass and Waste Other renewables

IEA World Energy Outlook

World energy use is expected to grow 50% from 2005 to 2030

Major investment in new energy infrastructure

$22 Trillion of investment in energy infrastructure is needed out to 2030 to meet demand.

Cumulative Investment in Energy

Infrastructure 2006-2030

World Energy Outlook 2007: China and India Insights. International Energy Agency

The UK Energy Challenge

The UK faces two long term energy challenges:

• Tackling climate change by reducing carbon dioxide

emissions both within the UK and abroad.

• Ensuring secure, clean and affordable energy as the

UK becomes increasingly dependent on imported fuel.

The UK is seeking to develop a diverse low carbon

energy mix including renewables, nuclear power and

carbon capture and storage, and to promote energy

efficiency and demand reduction.

www.berr.gov.uk/energy

The UK Energy Challenge

• One third of UK electrical generating capacity needs

to be replaced in the next 20 years.

• The UK is seeking to reduce its CO2 emissions by

80% by 2050 – it is expected that this will require

complete decarbonisation of the electricity sector.

• In the April 2009 budget the UK Govt. committed to

legally binding targets to reduce CO2 emissions to 34%

below 1990 targets by 2020.

• In January 2008, energy companies were invited to

bring forward plans to build and operate new nuclear

power stations.

• The UK has committed to EU targets to deliver 15% of

its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

UK: Share of fuels contributing to primary energy supply

Source: UK Energy Sector Indicators. 2008. DECC.

2007 UK CO2 emissions were 544Mt

Heat: 39% UK CO2

Power: 33% UK CO2

Transport: 28% UK CO2

UK: Energy consumption by sector

Source: UK Energy Sector Indicators. 2008. DECC.

Energy Futures Lab: an institute of Imperial College London

•Established in 2005 to promote and stimulate multi-disciplinary research, education and

translation in energy at Imperial College London.

•Imperial has around 600 researchers undertaking energy research, plus dedicated energy

Masters programmes.

•A flagship „Global Challenge‟ institute of Imperial College London with the remit to:

• Build strategic energy research programmes with partners - £67M of industry funding has

been invested in energy research through EFL to date, £60M from industry.

• Support and widen participation in energy research across the College.

• Develop energy professionals of the future.

• Engage with business and policy makers.

• Offer an award-winning Outreach programme with the Outreach Lab.

Research networks

Carbon capture

& storage

Energy businessEnergy systemsElectric &

hybrid vehicles

Transport

Fuel cells

Future fuels

Smart networks

Nuclear fissionGreen aviationOil and gas

Energy policy

Nuclear fusion

Solar

Energy Futures

Lab

Bioenergy

18 research networks to enable internal cross-departmental communication and provide

external focal point

Marine

renewables

Energy efficiency

Energy storage

Smart Networks

Smart Networks

Integratedheat strategy

Communications TransportSystems &

policy

Smart grids

Appliances ManufacturingAnd servicesefficiency

GasUtilisation &networks

VehiclesConsumerbehaviour

Businessstrategy

Control and power electronics

Energy storage

Systems

Battery

control

Hydrogen &

fuel cells

New chemistry

& materials

Battery failure

analysis

IntegrationCharging

Redox flow

batteries

UK: Energy consumption by transport type

Source: UK Energy Sector Indicators. 2008. DECC.

Low Carbon Transport Options

• Reduce demand.

• Increase efficiency of current technology.

• Bio-derived fuels.

• Hydrogen fuel cell Electric Vehicles.

• Battery Electric Vehicles.

UK: Average new car CO2 emissions

and Car use per person

Source: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency; Department for Transport: and Carbon pathways

analysis July 2008.

57% of car journeys are < 5 miles and account for 20% of CO2 emissions

43% of CO2 emissions arise from trips of 5 to 25 miles

7% of journeys are > 25 miles and account for 38% of CO2 emissions

Non freight transport contributes MtCO2 pa (70%); freight transport 40 MtCO2 pa (30%)

Biofuels

• Biofuels from waste products, and second generation biofuels

from ligno-cellulose rich energy crops, do have the potential to

make a positive environmental impact.

• The UK is very unlikely to achieve high levels of fuel security by

growing bio-fuels on its own land, though we could make more

use of waste.

• Sustainability in this area needs to be addressed at a global

level as there is likely to be international trade in these

commodities.

• Biofuels need to be combined with other developments. such

as hybrid and fuel cell vehicles.

Sustainable biofuels: prospects and challenges. Royal Society. Jan 2008

Why do we need Fuel Cell EVs and Battery EVs?

23

EU passenger car tailpipe CO2 trajectories David Howey, Robin North, and Ricardo Martinez-Botas. Road transport technology and climate change mitigation. Technical report, Grantham

Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London, 2010.

Fuel cell - battery electric vehicles

Petrol Hydrogen Electricity (2008)

CO2 emissions / gCO2 MJ-1

77.6 76.9 150

Fuel consumption / MJ mile-1

2.93 1.46 0.73

Emissions / gCO2 mile-1

227 112 110

Emissions / gCO2 km-1

142 70 68

G J Offer, M Contestabile, D A Howey, R Clague, N P

Brandon, “Techno-economic and behavioural analysis of

battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles in a

future sustainable road transport system for the UK”,

Energy Policy, 39 (2011) 1939-1950.

Nuclear Energy Non-Fossil Energy (Solar. Water. Wind) Fossil Energy

Routes to Hydrogen Production

Heat

Mechanical Energy

Electricity

Electrolysis

Thermolysis

Biophotolysis

Fermentation

Biomass

Chemical Conversion

Carbon dioxide Hydrogen

adapted and modified from J.A.Turner. Science 285. 687(1999)

Photoelectrolysis

Solar Routes to Hydrogen – high cost

H2O 2e- + 2H+ + 1/2O2

Solar Routes to Hydrogen – low cost?

Green Alga capable of H2 production Photo-electrodes capable of

H2 production

Scale-up of Photo Reactors

• Design, construction and system integration of larger scale photoreactors for solar hydrogen production and

utilization.

• Roof design for distributed systems or large area facilities.

Carbon Intensity of Electricity Options

Low Carbon Transport Options

• Electric vehicles powered by low carbon electricity

attractive for urban travel.

• Gasoline (and in time biofuel/hydrogen) battery

hybrids are attractive for longer journeys.

• Precious hydrocarbons should be saved and used

only for very long journeys (e.g. long haul freight) or air

transport.

•Integration will be needed between electricity

generation, distribution and demand side management.

Source: Derived from BREHOMES. taken from the Domestic Energy Fact File.

Building Research Establishment

UK: Domestic energy consumption

UK: Ownership of central heating

Source: GfK Home Audit from the Domestic Energy Fact File. Building Research Establishment.

Fuel

Fuel

Cell Fuel

Heat

Electrical

50%

40%

Energy

100%

Power station

60% losses

Transmission

5% losses

Delivered

35%

Fuel Cell

10% losses Delivered

90%

Energy

100%

Conventional

Micro-CHP

Fuel Cell Boilers for the Home (micro-CHP)

Ceres Power SOFC micro-CHP unit • Spun out from Imperial in 2001 after 10 years basic materials research.

• Developed in collaboration with British Gas (with natural gas fuel) and Calor Gas (with LPG fuel). Prototype unit now on test in 5 UK homes.

• Reduces the energy bill of a customer by around 25% and saves around 1.5 tonnes of CO2 pa.

• In addition, under the new UK feed in tariff (FIT), a household installing a SOFC mCHP product will receive, for a period of ten years, a generation payment of 10p/kWh for all electricity generated plus an additional export payment of 3p/kWh for any electricity that is not consumed in the home and is fed back into the grid.

Current status of Ceres mCHP units

• Five units on trial in UK homes in collaboration with British Gas.

• Issues have been reported from the field trials associated with fuel cell stack

degradation, ingestion of debris from insulation into the air sub-system, boiler

ignition and stack interconnect corrosion. On July 28th Ceres issued a

statement that significant progress has been made in addressing these.

Conclusions

•Huge challenges face us in terms of both the impact and security of our

energy supplies.

•Innovative science and engineering lies at the heart of tackling these

challenges, along with an understanding of behaviours and attitudes,

supported by new business models and relationships.

•We need to carefully manage our resources, implementing technologies to

reduce demand and emissions, whilst we develop transformational

technologies that make us less dependent on current carbon based fuels

and/or allow us to use current fuels with minimum environmental impact.

•Partnerships between research institutions, industry and Government are

key to enabling the development and deployment of these transformational

technologies.

•Training and motivating the next generation of technicians, scientists and

engineers to tackle these challenges is essential.

Thank you

n.brandon@imperial.ac.uk

www.imperial.ac.uk/energyfutureslab