The energy trilemma, which encompasses the balance between sustainability, security, and affordability, continues to present a formidable challenge within the UK's energy sector. As the cornerstone of future energy systems, the power grid is increasingly vulnerable to climate-related hazards such as storms, which pose a significant risk to the continuity of power supply and our communities. Additionally, the importance of addressing social equity and energy vulnerability cannot be overstated. The transition towards a sustainable energy system in the UK necessitates a comprehensive, equitable, and inclusive strategy that considers the environmental, economic, and social facets of future energy systems. SAT-Guard project is committed to addressing these multifaceted challenges through the development of innovative Satellite-aided "Forecast-Flex-Fortify" mechanisms. These mechanisms are designed to proactively manage power grids, thereby minimising power outages, enabling flexible and socially-conscious energy management, and ensuring swift and efficient power supply restoration following hazards. The specific objectives of SAT-Guard include: The development of Climate/weather-informed Digital Twins (CIDTs) to facilitate precise monitoring of renewable distributed energy resources (DERs). These CIDTs will incorporate predictive analytics of DER generation and the impact of hazards, thereby enabling proactive grid management and enhanced resilience to natural hazards. The development of flexible and socially-conscious energy management strategies to foster responsive and equitable energy communities. This will involve tailoring energy management methods to meet the unique needs of diverse communities. The formulation of hazard-resilient satellite-assisted strategies for post-hazard restoration and coordination, aimed at reducing recovery times following disruptions. The demonstration of the developed technologies within living labs to expedite their real-life impact. This will involve the integration of people, knowledge, resources, and systems to formulate effective responses to the climate change crisis. Through these objectives, SAT-Guard project seeks to pioneer a path towards a resilient, equitable, and sustainable energy future for the UK.

Over thirty six months, this project aims to demonstrate the potential of a highly disruptive zero emission, high efficiency electricity generator concept for use in transport and power generation applications. A Zero-Emission Closed-loop linear-Joule CYcle (ZECCY) engine generator which yields only liquid water as an emission (i.e. no particulates, or gas phase emissions). As such, it is analogous with hydrogen-fuel cell technology but more lightweight, potentially more efficient and based on a well-established UK manufacturing base. This project will demonstrate the true potential of this technology for vehicle applications by: a. Completing the manufacture, assembly and commissioning of a concept demonstrator through the development of an existing test platform b. Gather the evidence required to advance the project successfully by conducting a robust testing programme underpinned by rigorous simulation and performance improvement. c. Establish the future case of ZECCY generator technology through the development of a technical and commercial roadmap to deployment.

Over thirty six months, this project aims to demonstrate the potential of a highly disruptive zero emission, high efficiency electricity generator concept for use in transport and power generation applications. A Zero-Emission Closed-loop linear-Joule CYcle (ZECCY) engine generator which yields only liquid water as an emission (i.e. no particulates, or gas phase emissions). As such, it is analogous with hydrogen-fuel cell technology but more lightweight, potentially more efficient and based on a well-established UK manufacturing base. This project will demonstrate the true potential of this technology for vehicle applications by: a. Completing the manufacture, assembly and commissioning of a concept demonstrator through the development of an existing test platform b. Gather the evidence required to advance the project successfully by conducting a robust testing programme underpinned by rigorous simulation and performance improvement. c. Establish the future case of ZECCY generator technology through the development of a technical and commercial roadmap to deployment.

The NWaste2H2 project aims to demonstrate that reducing the energy requirements and the associated greenhouse gas (CO2, N2O) emissions of biogas production at anaerobic digestion at AD plants and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) whilst producing the clean energy vector hydrogen from reforming of the renewable biogas can be effected economically in the UK. This project brings together for 2 years a team of expert researchers in AD from wastes (Camargo-Valero), H2 production (Dupont) and energy systems (Cockerill) across three Engineering schools at Leeds, as well as industrial and external collaborators in the WWTP, AD research, H2 production industry, UK City and County Councils, with academic partners in India, China, Thailand and Malaysia who are members of the Scientific Advisory Board for the project. The combined efforts will deliver detailed process model, UK-wide technology deployment model considering the different uses of the H2 produced downstream of the process, economic evaluation and LCA of integrated H2 production from biogas and Nitrogen-rich waste streams from anaerobic digestion at Anaerobic Digestion and Wastewater Treatment plants. Funding for the project will provide for the costs of employment of a postdoctoral assistant for 18 months, as well as the laboratory expenses for a PhD student funded through the Centre for Doctoral Training on Bioenergy at The University of Leeds, and the dissemination and travel costs associated with presenting the work at world conferences on bioenergy and hydrogen. The premise behind the proposed technology is to exploit the ability of reforming nitrogen rich organic co-feeds to hydrogen and nitrogen gas, with carbon dioxide as co-product, which allows diverting a large waste stream from the denitrification stage at AD/wastewater treatment plants. Both catalytic processes of steam reforming and autothermal reforming will be investigated as potential H2 production routes. Denitrification of digestate liquor at WWT currently represents a very significant capital and energy burden which results in significant nitrous oxide (N2O) gas emissions, when N2O has a global warming potential roughly 300 times that of CO2 over a 100 years horizon. The NWaste2H2 process will have to show high conversions not just to hydrogen gas but also to nitrogen gas in order to significantly divert N-rich waste streams from the denitrification step.

Transforming the heat system is an urgent priority for the UK. The Committee on Climate Change, an independent advisor to the UK Government, has stated that immediate action is required if we are to radically reduce carbon emissions produced by the provision of heat and meet our national and international climate-change targets. In addition to the pressing need to mitigate climate change, fuel poverty affects 11% of households in England; we need to find ways to provide affordable heating in the face of rising energy prices. The demand for cooling is also likely to rise substantially in coming years in response to a warmer climate and growing thermal comfort requirements, which will increase energy use and add to carbon emissions. Cities could provide the key to transforming our heat systems. Around 80% of people in the UK live in urban areas. There are many decentralised technology options available for moving from fossil fuel-based heat provision to affordable low-carbon systems, including household technologies such as heat pumps and biomass stoves, networks that provide heat from renewable and waste heat sources, and the replacement of natural gas with hydrogen in the gas grid. Previous modelling of urban heat systems has focussed on understanding potential uptake of just one of these technology types, and has often assumed that there would be one 'system architect'. In reality, an integrated mix of technologies will be needed, and the system will contain multiple decision-makers. My research will help incorporate this complexity into models that can be used to explore various heat-system scenarios. What mix of technologies would most benefit the multiple stakeholders in cities? Where should we invest in a city if we want to reduce fuel poverty? And how do the many decision-makers involved - including local authorities, gas and electricity networks operators, and central government - make decisions now to ensure that our heating and cooling needs are met for the next 30 years? Through this fellowship I will produce the frameworks, tools and models to help answer these questions. The findings will inform the long-term energy planning that the radical transformation of our urban heat systems will require. By applying the methods of complexity science to the heat system (by considering interactions between different sub-systems, e.g housing and energy), considering the spatial diversity of the evolution of demand for heating and cooling over the next 30 years (in response to drivers such as climate change and population growth), and exploring the integration of different technology options within a city (some technologies may operate centrally, others at the household level; they may vary by different fuel types e.g. electricity, gas or direct provision of heat), this work will empower effective, informed, forward-looking decision-making among city stakeholders. The methods and tools developed in this research will be applied to two UK case-study cities in order to co-produce visions of future urban energy systems (for example, where in a city different technologies could be deployed, and what benefits this might bring) and identify pathways towards those systems (i.e. who would need to act, and by when). The tools themselves will be co-created with stakeholders (such as local authorities, energy network operators, communities and policy-makers) so that they reflect these stakeholders' objectives (across economic, social and environmental metrics) and the reality of their decision-making processes. A subsequent evaluation process will help to identify ways in which these innovative participatory complex-systems modelling approaches could be applied to other energy-system challenges, multiplying the capacity of this research not only to contribute to the academic study of energy systems, but to shape the future of urban heat systems in the UK and beyond.