Energy - Delivering a Secure & Sustainable Supply for the Future

The UK faces some major challenges in meeting its climate change targets. Securing sustainable supplies of renewable energy is a grand challenge for the world. We must also supply the next generation of skilled scientists and engineers to deliver new and emerging technologies. The Siemens Wind Power Research Centre is an example of how we collaborate with our partners to bridge the gap between research and the real world deployment of new technologies. Centres such as the Sheffield Solar Farm and the Low Carbon Combustion Centre provide industry with access to unique pilot scale facilities and world class expertise.

Professor Chris Wilson explains how the Low Carbon Combustion Centre provides industry with expert research in power, fuel, energy efficiency and the reduction of carbon emissions. A unique feature of the Centre is the provision of a wide variety of pilot scale facilities which help to reduce risk for industry partners and bridge the gap between University and commercial research.

The Sheffield Solar Farm is a state-of-the-art photovoltaic installation designed to measure the use of ‘real-world’ devices in northerly locations. It also enables the field-testing of a range of new and alternative photovoltaic technologies. Dr Alastair Buckley and Dr Lisa Hall explain the work of the Sheffield Solar Farm across the PV supply chain – from manufacturers and installers to users.

Professor Zhu discusses the activities in the Siemens Wind Power Centre and the University’s Electric Machines and Drives Research Group. The Group works with partners across a number of different sectors developing prototypes for real world application in this challenging sector.

Fusion IP is focused on turning The University of Sheffield’s world-class research into business. Peter Grant (Fusion IP) and Dr Carl Griffith (Seren Photonics) talk about the commercialisation process and how opportunities can move from University-based research through to commercial exploitation.

Dr Tao Wang and Dr Carl Griffith discuss new manufacturing methods for the production of high brightness LEDs, which have been realised via the National III-V Semiconductor Research Centre – a key facility for fabrication of new semiconductor devices.