Energy materials Strategic research agenda

Energy materialsStrategic research agenda

Materials UK Energy Review 2007Report 1 - Energy Materials – Strategic Research Agenda

The Energy Materials Working Group

Co-chairs: Derek Allen (Alstom Power) Steve Garwood (Rolls-Royce plc)

Secretariat: Nick Morgan (BERR)

Advisory Committee:

D.J. Allen (EON-UK) C. Bagley (TWI)D. Bott (MatUK) M. Bowker (Rolls Royce plcL. Buchanan (Doosan Babcock Energy) B. Cane (TWI)D. Cebon (Granta Design P. Christie (BERR)R. Clegg (University of Manchester) I. Cook (UKAEA)J. Cooper (National Grid) V. Croce (EPSRC)P. Curtis (MoD/DSTL) S. Eager (BP Renewables)S. Ellis (Johnson Matthey) Xiao Guo (University College London)J. Hannigan (Doosan Babcock Energy) A. Hooper (TSB)A. Hyde (AREVA) D. Jollie (Johnson Matthey)R. Jones (DSTL) Jayanth Kadri (BP Renewables)J. Kilner (Imperial College) J. Lewis (Rolls Royce Fuel Cells)W. Marsden (Granta Design) J. McCarney (Johnson Matthey)G. McColvin (Siemens Industrial Turbines) Z. Melham (Oxford Instruments)G.W. Morris (QinetiQ) P. Morris (Corus)P. Neumann (British Energy) R. Newell (EMDA)J.E. Oakey (Cranfield University) A. Partridge (Namtec)L. Pinder (EON-UK) R. Quarshie ( Materials KTN)P. Ramsey (Pilkington) C. Sams (BP renewables)A. Sherry (University of Manchester) G. Sims (NPL)C. Small (Rolls Royce plc) G. Smith (University of Oxford)F. Smith (UKTI) R. Sullivan (BERR)S. Sutton (National Grid) A. Turnbull (NPLJ. Wand (EPSRC) J. Wells (RWE)G. Wright (Rolls Royce Fuel Cells)

Editorial Committee:

D.H.Allen (Alstom) C.Bagley (TWI)I. Cooke (UKAEA)A.Hyde (AREVA)J.E.Oakey (Cranfield University)G.McColvin (Siemens Industrial Turbines) Z. Melham (Oxford Instruments)P. Morris (Corus)C.J.Small (Rolls Royce)G.Smith (University of Oxford)

Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge the support and help of all the co-authors and contributors to the individual task groupreports, the advisory committee of the Energy Materials Working Group and the MatUK Board for their encouragement inproducing this Strategic Research Agenda.

Special acknowledgement is given to Dr David Driver for his assistance in editing and reviewing the reports and Dr StephenCourt for his preparation of the UK Supply Chain consultation document.

Materials UK Energy Review 2007Energy materials – a strategic research agenda

Materials UK Energy Review 2007Energy Materials - Strategic Research Agenda

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Task Group members:

Fossil Materials

D.J. Allen (EON-UK)M. Barrie (Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd)T. Fry (NPL)J. Hannis (Siemens Industrial Turbines)G. McColvin (Siemens Industrial Turbines)S. Osgerby (Alstom Power)J. Oakey (Cranfield University)C.J. Small (Rolls Royce plc)J. Wells (RWE power)

Nuclear Materials

I. Cook (UKAEA Culham)C. English (Nexia Solutions)P. Flewitt (Magnox Electric Limited and Bristol University)

G. Smith (University of Oxford)

Alternative Energy Materials

C. Bagley (TWI)A.R. Chapman (Ceramic Fuel Cells Europe) Ltd .P.P. Edwards (University of Oxford)S. Ellis (Johnson Matthey Plc)M. Gersch (University of Oxford)M. Gower (NPL)Z.X. Guo (University College London)S. Irvine (University of Bangor)M. Kelly (Scottish Ass. for Marine Sci.) J A. Kilner (Imperial College)V.L. Kuznetsov (University of Oxford) R. Martin (MERL Ltd.)J. McCarney (Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells)J.E. Oakey (Cranfield University)P. Thornley (Tyndall Centre, Manchester Univ) G J. Wright (Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems Ltd.)

Transmission, Distribution and Storage

R. Bassett (AREVA T&D)J. Cooper (National Grid)Z.X. Guo (University College London)P. Hall (University of Strathclyde)A. Hyde (AREVA T&D)

I. James (AREVA T&D) Z. Melhem (Oxford Instruments NanoScience)G. Morris (QinetiQ)P. Morris (Corus)S. Tennison (MAST Carbon Technology)

The Strategic Research Agenda


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The Strategic Research Agenda (SRA)for Energy Materials is defining thepathway by which Energy MaterialsR&D in the UK can help deliver:

1. Materials solutions to the EnergySector that will help meet theGovernments targets in theEnergy White Paper relating toclimate change, security ofsupply and cost of electricity

2. Wealth creation in the UKthrough new business, increasedinvestment and employment

As the first step to fulfilling theabove objectives, this SRA isdelivering a series of technologyreports and a set ofrecommendations that identify theMaterials R&D requirements andopportunities for the UK in the areas of;

a. Fossil-fuelled power plant

b. Nuclear power plant

c. Alternative Energy generation

d. Transmission, Distribution and Storage systems

At the same time, it is launching aconsultation document on the 'UKEnergy Materials supply chain' whichis mapping the UK capabilities,identifying gaps and opportunitiesand how they should be addressedand exploited in the future.

With the support of governmentdepartments, Research Councils,MatUK, the Materials KTN and thebroad Energy Materials community,it is intended that the SRA, will be aworking document which will act toadvise the public sector on the areasin which materials R&D fundsshould be invested and inform theprivate sector, particularly SMEs, ofthe potential opportunities materialstechnology can offer theirbusinesses.

In addition, it will advise and helpdefine the UK priorities for EnergyMaterials R&D in overseas fundedprogrammes where the UK has directinput and influence, such as theEuropean Framework 7 programme.

It is envisaged that, through MatUK,the SRA will eventually expand tocover other energy related areaswhere materials technologies canmake an impact such as energy usageand conservation*. The transportsector may also be considered afterdiscussion with the sector.

* Materials for Energy conservation inthe built environment is the subject of areview by the Construction MaterialsWorking Group of MatUK and will bepublished in 2008 and briefly coveredin Annex 1 of this report.


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Foreword

The 2007 Energy White Paper highlights the fact that Energy is essential inalmost every aspect of our lives and for the success of our economy and itidentifies 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 we become increasinglydependent on imported fuel

At the same time, the Materials Innovation and Growth report and subsequentlyMaterial UK were identifying ‘Energy Materials’ as their top priority in providingone of the key underpinning technology solutions that would help tackle ClimateChange and support our energy policy.

Materials play a role in all aspects of the Energy supply chain from electricitygeneration in power plants through to its conservation in our workplaces andhomes. The UK has a long and recognized history in the field of materialsengineering for the Energy Sector and, whilst markets have changed, we haveretained a high added value industry and academic skill-base. This can stillprovide a foundation on which we can build, develop new markets and tackle thekey technical challenges that we face.

The Strategy produced by the Energy Materials Working Group of Materials UKwill guide us along the path of helping to achieve these challenging goals. I wishthem well as they move into the implementation phase and look forward to themsupporting the UK in becoming a global leader in tackling climate change andproviding secure, clean and affordable energy.

Rt Honourable Malcolm Wicks,Minister of State for Energy


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Chairmen’s introduction

Energy Materials Working GroupOne of the key recommendations of the Materials Innovation and Growth Team(IGT) report published in 2006 (1) was to establish Materials UK (MatUK) as anauthoritative independent organisation owned by the UK materials community.Its vision is to establish the UK as one of the foremost advanced technologicalsocieties in which world-class materials expertise underpins sustainable growth.Much of this will be achieved through the implementation of therecommendations of the IGT report and further development of a nationalMaterials strategy. One key technology area identified by the IGT in whichmaterials can make a real global impact is in Energy and the Environment. As itsdelivery mechanism, MatUK established an Energy Materials Working Groupwhich it has been our privilege to Chair.

Key strategic energy challenges were identified in the 2006 Energy Review(2) andthe Energy White Paper (3) as:

• Tackling climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions both within theUK and abroad

• Ensuring secure, clean and affordable energy, as we become increasinglydependent on imported fuel.

In addition to identifying future energy challenges the report seeks solutions and,more importantly, looks for exploitation into the marketplace. The UK will needaround 30-35GW of new electricity generation capacity over the next twodecades. Two thirds of that capacity is required by 2020. This provides massiveopportunities for the sector and its materials supply chain. On a global scale,materials opportunities increase by orders of magnitude. UK business must bepositioned to take advantage of such opportunities.

The Energy Materials Working Group set itself the remit to:

“Develop a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) and Deployment Plan for the UK EnergyMaterials supply chain that would improve profitability and effectiveness in the sectorwhilst meeting the key energy-related challenges of sustainability, climate change andsecurity of supply”

The review, which is now being reported, began in the Spring of 2006. ThisStrategic Research Agenda (SRA) summarises our key findings and offersrecommendations on how to implement the agenda. It is supported by a series ofassociated Technical Reports and a consultation document relating to the UKmaterial supply chain.

During the preparation of these reports it has become clear that the UK energysector and its associated Materials community have emerged from the severecutbacks in research and manufacturing experienced over the last 30 years, with arenewed commitment to meet future environmental challenges. It has been apleasure to work with this reinvigorated and enthusiastic community over the lasteighteen months.

As Chairmen, we would like to thank our colleagues from MatUK, industry,academia, government bodies and numerous other stakeholders who haveprovided input into this work. We particularly thank members of the WorkingGroup, Advisory Committee and Task Groups for their efforts and look forward toworking with you all again as we implement the SRA.

Derek Allen Steve Garwood

Co-Chairmen Energy Materials Working Group

Steve Garwood

Derek Allen


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Contents

Foreword

Chairmen’s introduction

1.0 Executive summary

2.0 Agenda for action

3.0 The energy landscape

3.1 Facts and figures

4.0 The Materials supply chain – can the UK take advantage?

4.1 Fossil and nuclear 4.2 Alternative energy

5.0 Resources –are they adequate?

5.1 Human5.2 Natural – the sustainability debate

6.0 Key strengths and opportunities

7.0 Technology Priorities Overview

7.1 Drivers7.2 Priorities

8.0 Where is the funding?- the Emerging Innovation Chainand Funding Landscape

9.0 Underpinning the strategy

10.0 Key recommendations

11.0 Progress to date

12.0 The Way Forward

References

Appendix 1: The Technology Priorities - Devil in the Detail

1.1 Fossil

1.2 Nuclear

1.3 Alternative Energy

1.5 Transmission, distribution & storage

1.6 Conservation

Appendix 2: Working Group Structure


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Executive summary

Materials for EnergyApplications wereidentified by theMaterials Innovation& Growth Teamreport(1) as a priorityfor UK R&D as theyunderpin the entireenergy infrastructureand hence play avital role in meetingtargets onemissions, electricityavailability andreduced cost.

This Strategic Research Agenda (SRA)has been brought together by theEnergy Materials Working Group(EMWG) of MatUK. This bodyrepresents a broad cross section ofthe UK materials supply chainworking primarily, but notexclusively, in the field of Energy. It also is a group with expertise indesign, processing and manufacture,recognising the importance of theintegration of materials early in thedesign process. The SRA is based onrecommendations from a number ofreports(4-7) being publishedsimultaneously by Task Groups ofthe EMWG, covering energygeneration, transmission,distribution and storage and aconsultation document(8) on thestatus of the UK energy materialssupply chain.

This Strategic Research Agenda (SRA)is being published at an opportunetime. Rarely has ‘Energy and theEnvironment’ had a higher profile,nor posed more challenges for theUK & global energy sector. TheAgenda identifies, at the top level,the materials challenges that the UK

should address in order to supportthe Governments Energy Policyobjectives and create new long-termbusiness opportunities for the UK.This is against a background wherethe global market for electricitygeneration is projected to almostdouble in the next 20 years. The SRAaims to stimulate and focus expertMaterials resources (people andfacilities) within the UK, to tacklethe challenges ahead.

The UK Energy landscape ischanging rapidly particularly withthe plans for the building of up to35GW of new plant in the UK in thenext 20 years, with 20% of the totalsupply coming from renewablesources by 2020. To meet theserequirements it needs to adopt abalanced ‘portfolio’ approach. Thereis no single ‘quick fix’ technology.Several materials research areastherefore need to be addressedsimultaneously to support theproduct portfolios that are beingproposed, from large carbon captureplant, to solar panels.

1.0

[Courtesy of Alstom Power]

Executive summary1.0


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Incremental product improvementby materials R&D is needed toimprove the efficiency, safety andreliability of our existing fleet ofconventional fossil and nuclearplant, and, if necessary extend theirlives. At the same time, investmentneeds to be made in higherrisk/higher return projects forgenerating clean power andcapturing CO2 from existing plants.The materials challenges within thisdual track approach are summarisedin this document and detailed in thesupporting technology reports of thetask groups.

The SRA categorises, under three keytechnology related areas, wherematerials R&D can make asignificant impact within the energysector and where the UK has bothstrength and balance of industrialand academic expertise to addressthe issues. We have identified theareas where Energy materials R&D in the UK can make the biggestimpact as:

• Reducing Time to Market andLife cycle costs:Significant shortening of thematerials development andvalidation life cycle time forquicker entry to market (eg newalloy development anddeployment for fossil plant).Significant cost reduction,including material substitution, forincreased competitiveness to givethe UK a market lead (eg. solar pv,fuel cells)

• Higher Performance in HarsherEnvironments: Development of high integritymaterials systems for operation inthe increasingly aggressiveconditions (temperature, stress andenvironment) particularly seen bythe emerging energy technologiessuch as wind, wave, tidal, carboncapture, biomass, energytransmission, distribution &storage and also relevant toconventional fossil and nuclearmaterials

• Improved Life Management and Reliability: Improved predictability ofmaterials behaviour will producesignificant savings on unforeseenplant outages and maintenancecosts. This includes understandingthe degradation of materials inservice, their inspection and repair.It also includes the developmentof materials with improvedreliability and properties andincreased service lifetimes that willultimately reduce cost ofelectricity. (eg offshore wind)

In all of the above, the considerationof the integration of materials withdesign and manufacturability mustbe considered.

In addition, seven over-ridingrequirements must be addressed forthe successful delivery of this SRA:

1 Communication

Wide communication of thefindings of the SRA to theacademic and industrial materialscommunity, stakeholders and therelevant funding agencies isessential.

2 Establishment of acoordination and delivery body

This will comprise keystakeholders from industry,academia and funding agenciesfrom both public and privatesector. Operating throughMatUK, it will have a clear remitto promote and implement theSRA and ensure initiation of theR&D programmes and advisefunding agencies. It will own theSRA and be responsible for itsupdating to take account of suchthings as changes in EnergyPolicy and legislation.

3 Stable and sustainable longterm funding mechanisms:

There is a need to establish long-term sustainable fundingmechanism(s) for cradle-to-gravematerials R&D. This mechanismshould involve materialsdevelopment from laboratory-scale through to full-scaledemonstration and deployment.The above body(2) will work withboth public and private sectorfunding agencies to develop andsecure this.

4 An Energy Materials KnowledgeManagement System:

Establish a coordinatedknowledge management system,through an existing MaterialsKnowledge Transfer Network(KTN) node, that will be givenresponsibility for EnergyMaterials. This is to ensure thatmaximum benefit is obtainedfrom both existing knowledgeand from that generated in futureR&D.


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5 Innovative Technology Transfer& Coordination:

The materials challenges beingposed by the drive for lowemissions, high reliability andlow cost are not unique to theenergy sector. The Materialscommunity must look forinnovative ways to work acrossboth disciplines and sectors tofind novel ways of findingsolutions and transferringtechnologies. Recommendationsare made to address this.

6 International Engagement:

The resources in the UK cannotsolve all of the Energy Materialschallenges by itself. Whereappropriate, it should developinternational relationships toimprove UK prosperity. Aninternational node of theMaterials KTN should be formed,looking across all materials torepresent, influence and align thecontent of internationalprogrammes where the UK has avested interest.

7 Development of Skills andResources:

The buoyant Energy sector needsto attract high-class individualsback into the business to add tothe existing skills base. Theproposed R&D should be linkedto skill-base refreshment todevelop and retain expertise andknowledge. The MatUKEducation & Skills Group willaddress this.

The task group reports highlight thelarge number of Energy technologiesbeing developed in the UK, not all ofwhich will be ‘winners’. Somechoices will be based on political,regulatory or financial interventionrather than technical criteria. Thematurity of the various technologiesand their deployment also coverdifferent timescales. Manytechnologies are already deployedand established, some are at thedemonstration stage, and others areat earlier stages of development.Materials R&D priorities can beassigned against their level of impacton;

• Energy policy

• Accelerating deployment

• Wealth creation


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Recommended Materials R&D

Prioritiesfor incremental development to support/enhance existing knowledge (life extension)

• Materials for nuclear and conventional fossil applications and electricity networks

Priorities for applied R&D(assist rapid large scale deployment)

• Materials for Clean Fossil (including carbon capture), offshore wind,wave/tidal, fuel cells and electricity networks

Prioritieswhere more basic research is still needed(remove barriers to market)

• Solar photovoltaics, hydrogen storage, superconductors

In addition to the technical challenges, significant changes in the UK EnergyInnovation chain and funding landscape are emerging following the:

• Formation of the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI)

• Restructuring of the Technology Strategy Board

• Announcement of initiatives such as the Environmental Transformation Fund

The time is right to analyse the UK Energy Materials R&D portfolio and supply chainin order to become better coordinated and take advantage of significantnational/global business and technology funding opportunities.

The materials community must provide technology solutions that help UK businesscreate wealth through the short-medium term market buoyancy in the Energy Sector.Longer term challenges of Climate Change, security of supply and provision ofaffordable energy will provide further opportunities.

To take forward the above issues the SRA sets out a series of recommendations and an ‘agenda for action’.


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ACTION WHAT? WHY? WHO? WHEN/HOW?

1.

Dissemination of the SRA

Broad dissemination of the launch of findings and recommendations of the SRA to coordinate its implementation and funding arrangements.

Get the community to take ownership of the SRA

SRA is a document assembled by the UK expert community in Energy Materials and has endeavoured to represent the whole supply chain. It should be used as an advisory and guidance document by the community for setting R&D priorities.

Energy Materials Working Group (EMWG) & MatUK.

Press and journals (e.g. IoM3, Energy Materials journal)

Immediate action required.

Promotion of reports, further discussion with stakeholders and workshops (planned Spring 2008)

2.

Create delivery body, advisory group

A formal body to ensure delivery of the SRA and advise stakeholders

To ensure delivery of SRA and implementation of R&D portfolio.

Subset of EMWG + new members + funding agencies

By spring 2008 through discussion with stakeholders and MatUK

3.

Create long term sustainable funding for Energy \materials

A proposal regarding the optimum way of funding Energy Materials R&D both within the existing funding landscape and outside it.

Materials R&D is a cradle to grave process, which takes many years. Sustainable funding is needed to take R&D from the laboratories into products

MatUK to work with key stakeholders. Eg Energy Research Partnership, Technology Strategy Board, Energy Technology Institute, Carbon trust, Research Councils, RDA’s,

Immediate action in progress - Ensure the identified key Materials R&D requirements of the SRA are fed into fund holders strategies and programmes to develop sustainable long term funding.

Agreement reached with TSB and EPSRC regarding Energy Materials R&D call (Nov 2007).

4.

Establish Knowledge Management system

Form new KTN node to capture existing knowledge and transferring it to our existing skills base .• Transfer of existing technologies to other applications

• Ensuring all future knowledge and R&D is captured

•Reduce cost and effort and avoid duplication.

•Improve efficiency & competitiveness

NB. There is an immediate need for knowledge capture. An example of which is information in the nuclear & fossil materials field.

MatUK with Materials KTN to establish new energy node.

Implementation through KTN node (funding needed) by July 08

5.

Technology Transfer and Coordination

Stimulating innovation through optimal formation of consortia to get better integration of Materials science community with those of Chemistry, Physics, design, engineering etc and across sectors eg aerospace, oil& gas, chemical

Pooling of knowledge/skills to provide innovative solutions to challenges.• Improve UK competitiveness

MatUK with fund holders

Short to medium term action plan to be developed. MatUK to work with funding agencies to consider novel mechanisms for forming multidisciplinary consortia. (e.g. sandpitting). (July 08)

6.

International engagement

• A new KTN node

• Influencing and aligning EU and other Countries programmes with those of UK priorities

Access to significantly more funding and wider skill base

• MatUK to interact with KYN, BERR, TSB and UKTI

• Interaction with EC and other international agencies

• KTN to establish international node

Immediate- EMWG through the European Technology Platforms (EuMaT) and the EC.

Already influenced content of FP 7 2nd call, which includes ‘Energy Materials’

7.

Improving Skills and Knowledge

Need to expand skills in Energy Materials area

Skills gap needs to be filled to ensure UK innovative future in Energy Materials

People & Skills Working Group of MatUK and Sector skills council

Short to medium term action plan to be developed by People & Skills working group (Sept 08)

Agenda for action: implementing the SRA

Agenda for action2.0


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Global values of the low carbon economy could be as high as £3trillion pa

worldwide by 2050. It could employ more than 25m people with over 1m in

the UK over the next 20 years.

Gordon Brown Nov 2007

“ “


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The energy landscape3.0

Both globally and within the UK, theenergy landscape is changing dramatically.Climate change is now widely recognisedand the drive to reduce CO2 emissions hasnever been more fierce or taken moreseriously. Materials play a major part bothin the problem, by way of the energyneeded to extract and process them, and inthe solution, by means of their innovativeuse in products to generate or conserveenergy in the most efficient manner.

The UK White Paper ‘Meeting theEnergy Challenge’ published in May2007, highlighted two long-termenergy challenges:

• Tackling climate change byreducing carbon dioxide emissionsboth within the UK and abroadand:

• Ensuring secure, clean andaffordable energy, as we becomeincreasingly dependent onimported fuel.

The White Paper highlights, “...ourincreasing reliance on imports of oil andgas in a world where energy demand isrising and energy is becoming morepoliticised”. A further issue is “...ourrequirement for substantial, and timely,private sector investment over the nexttwo decades in gas infrastructure, powerstations and electricity networks”.

Of further concern is the recentannouncement (10) that 7 of the UK’s19 nuclear reactors have been out ofaction due to reliability/maintenanceissues leaving the possibility ofwinter power cuts.

The OECD ‘World EnergyOutlook’ (9) shows similarconcerns that:

“The world is facing twin energy-relatedthreats: that of not having adequateand secure supplies of energy ataffordable prices and that ofenvironmental harm caused byconsuming too much of it. Soaringenergy prices and recent geopoliticalevents have reminded us of the essentialrole affordable energy plays in economicgrowth and human development, and ofthe vulnerability of the global energysystem to supply disruptions.”

The global recognition of theseissues means the drive for novel,clean energy technologies is real andit is here to stay. Materialstechnologists, designers andengineers around the world arelooking to address these challenges.


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3.1 Facts and Figures

Global demand andInvestment

On the basis ofpresent predictions,global energydemand will rise by55% and electricitydemand will almostdouble over thenext 25 years from15,000 TWh in2004 to around30,000 TWh in2030 (fig 1).

Energy relatedgreenhouse gasemissions will bearound 55% higherreaching 40 Gt in2030 (fig 2).

In addition developing countries willovertake the OECD countries asmajor emitters of CO2 around 2012(fig 3) and China is predicted toovertake the United States as theworld’s biggest emitter of CO2 before2010. These trends would accentuateconsuming countries’ vulnerabilityto a severe supply disruption andresulting price shock. They wouldalso amplify the magnitude of globalclimate change and its effect on theearths temperature. (fig 4).

Fig 1 Expected growth in electricity generation to 2030

Expected growth inelectricity generation in109 TWh - worldwide.[source: IEA]

Fig 2 World energy related CO2 emissions by fuel

Fig 3 Energy related CO2 emissions by region [source: IEA]


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The WEO 2006 identifies under-investment in new energy supply asa real risk. To quench the world’sthirst for energy, the projections callfor a cumulative investment inenergy-supply infrastructure of over$20 trillion in real terms over 2005-2030 (fig 5)– substantially more thanwas previously estimated. Roughlyhalf of all this projected energyinvestment needed worldwide is inthe developing countries. Using the results from formaleconomic models, the Stern Review(11) estimates that if we don’t act, theoverall costs and risks of climatechange will be equivalent to losingat least 5% of global GDP each year,now and forever. If a wider range ofrisks and impacts is taken intoaccount, the estimates of damagecould rise to 20% of GDP or more.

0.0

-0.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.4

1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000

Tem

pera

ture

dif

fere

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˚Cw

ith re

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1881

-190

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Global average near-surface temperatures 1850 - 2005

Fig 4 Global average near surface temperatures 1850 - 2005

...with 5-6˚C warming - a real possibility for the next century - models estimate an average 5-10% loss

in global GDP.Sir Nicholas Stern

“ “

Fig 5 Cumulative projected investment in energy infrastructure 2005 to 2030

(Reference 11)

[source: IEA]


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UK Demand

The global numbers inevitably reflecton the UK and its own investmentin energy technology. Theconsumption of electricity has grownsteadily over the last three decadesfrom around 240TWh in 1980 to350TWh in 2006. (fig 6) Howevermuch of the UK fossil and nuclearplant is now coming to the end of itsdesign life with one third due fordecommissioning or replacement by2020.

The White Paper states that;

“In electricity markets we will needinvestment in new generationcapacity of around 35 GW over thenext two decades to replace powerstation retirements and meet risingelectricity demand as the economygrows.” (figs 7,8) (12).

Fig 6 UK electricity consumption 1980 to 2006

Fig 7 Projected energy capacity and breakdown by technology with no new build

[Source RWE]


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Fig 8 Projected required new build of power plant in the UK

In terms of the CO2 and the energybalance the UK targets a reduction inCO2 emissions by 26-32% in 2020compared to 1990 levels and a 60%reduction by 2050 with at least 20%of its electricity coming fromrenewable sources by 2020. To putthis into perspective, the current UKenergy portfolio comprises around73.5% fossil fuel, 18% nuclear and4.5% renewables, 4% other (fig 9).

Fig 9 UK electricity generation mix 2006

[Source RWE]


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Unprecedented market growth...

The question facing the UK energy sector and its Materialscommunity is how can the UK take benefit from thisunprecedented market growth in low carbon technologieswhich is predicted to open up business opportunities worthbillions of pounds in the Energy sector?

Fig 10 Trends in employment in the energy industries 1980 to 2006

Fig 11 Investment in the energy industries 1995 to 2006

Summary

Between 2004 and 2030:

• global primary energy demandwill rise by 53%, leading to a55% increase in global carbondioxide emissions related toenergy;

• fossil fuels will remain thedominant source of energyworldwide, meeting 83% of theincrease in energy demand;

• emissions from powergeneration will account for44% of global energy-relatedemissions by 2030, as demandfor electricity rises;

• coal will provide the largestincremental source of powergeneration, with the majorityof this increase likely to be inChina (55%);

• over 70% of the increase inglobal primary energy demandwill come from developingcountries, reflecting rapideconomic and populationgrowth; and

• some $20 trillion of investmentwill be needed throughout theenergy supply chain.

Whilst generally employment in theEnergy Sectors in the UK hasdecreased dramatically over the last20 years (fig 10). Investment in theEnergy industries rose by more than20% in 2006 (fig 11) and the UKEnergy Industries still have around142,000 direct employees andcontribute around 5% of GDP. Thereare numerous references andstatistics regarding the World Energymarkets and scenarios (9,13,14) whichpresent a detailed overall pictureregarding the increase in electricitydemand for UK and global markets,energy balance and CO2 emissions.


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Energy companies are also going to be makinglarge investments in the coming years to update

and replace ageing power stations and otherinfrastructure. We need to create the right

conditions for this investment, so we get timelyand increasingly low carbon electricity supplies.

Alistair Darling EWP

“

“


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Can the UK take advantage?



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The materials supply chain4.0

Although few major power stations havebeen built over the last 20 years in the UK,the industry is once again becomingbuoyant and offers considerableopportunities for the supporting materialssector. Fortunately, the country hasretained a strong capability in design andmanufacture of power equipment frommain generating plant to transmission,distribution and storage as well as balanceof plant for nuclear, fossil fuel and mostforms of renewable generation.

A number of major EnergyCompanies and materials suppliershave either headquarters,manufacturing bases and/or R&Dfacilities within the UK. Theyinclude recognised names such asAlstom, Areva, Corus, BP, DoosanBabcock, EON, Johnson Matthey,Rolls-Royce, RWE, Scottish andSouthern, Sharp, SheffieldForgemasters, Siemens and Vestas.The power equipment sector aloneproduces an estimated turnover ofaround £30bn and employ some300,000 people in the UK. Exports ofequipment averaged about £1.9bnper annum in recent years. Inclusionof power related services woulddouble that figure (14). In addition,there are hundreds of smallercompanies active in the sector,particularly in emerging energytechnologies such as offshore wind,wave/tidal, fuel cells and solarphotovoltaics that are wellpositioned to take advantage of thisgrowing market.

The need to replace existing plant,and to build new facilities based onlow-carbon sources, means that therewill be significant pressure on energyplant construction and its associatedsupply chain. This, combined withthe need for new and advancedtechnologies, will have significantimplications for the supply ofmaterials. It will not simply be a caseof rapidly rising consumption ofexisting materials, but demands formore advanced materials andtechnologies. An inevitableconsequence is that the UK will needto place more emphasis andinvestment in materials R&D in thisarea if it is to see benefit in thisgrowing market. In order to better understand thecurrent status of the UK energymaterials supply chain, the EMWGhas commissioned a review (8) whichis to be issued as a consultationdocument to the sector for feedback.


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4.1 The Fossil and NuclearMaterials chain

The UK hasretained significantexpertise in the‘high-added value’end of the supplychain and remainsa centre fortechnical expertisein fossil andnuclear energymaterials,particularly hightemperaturematerials andcoatings.

A high proportion of theoriginal equipmentmanufacturers (OEMs) andtheir suppliers havemaintained key activitieslocated within the UK andmost have retained MaterialsTechnology as a skill-base.Whilst the skill base needs tobe expanded, the UK has theexpertise needed to be at theforefront of future materialsdriven technical developmentin large scale conventionalpower generation.

The lack of investment in new powerstations over the last 20 years, hasled to the UK losing a largeproportion of its supply chain forfossil and nuclear power generationcomponents as suppliers soughtalternative markets. Therefore, notsurprisingly, the UK does not have acomplete materials supply chain.Both fossil-fuelled and nuclear plantare reliant upon a number of rawmaterials, castings, and forgingsfrom mainland Europe, and somebeing sourced from Japan, USA andthe Far East. Globalisation hasresulted in several UK energymaterials and component suppliersbecoming part of mainlandEuropean, Far Eastern and Americanconglomerates.

Within the UK, Alstom Power, aglobal leader in the supply andservice of power equipment,manufacture and supply retrofitequipment for large steam turbinesand Siemens provides spares, repairsin a similar arena. The UK is alsohome to world leadingmanufacturers such as DoosanBabcock, a major supplier of boilerplant and related equipment, andRolls-Royce and SiemensTurbomachinery who manufacture,assemble and service small-mediumindustrial gas turbines for a worldmarket. Interestingly enough despitethe reduced supply chain and arecognised shortage of key technicalskills, the UK civil nuclear powerindustry still has the capability toprovide up to 70% of a new nuclearpower station with current resources,however most of this would berelated to the building of theinfrastructure using mainlyconventional construction materials.One strength retained by the UK isthe ability for complete design,manufacture, construction andoperational support capability forfuel cycle facilities, decommissioningand waste management.


23

In the transmission and distributionarena, the UK hosts a number ofmajor players such as Areva and ABBwho provide engineering,procurement and constructionservices for new transmission anddistribution networks (overhead,underground and sub-sea). UKmanufacturers can supply a range ofequipment from large transformers,HVDC, protection relay equipmentto low voltage transformers, powerelectronics, switchgear and smartmeters. The UK is also home to apioneer in the development andcommercial supply ofsuperconducting wire and cable. Onthe asset management side, the UK isa leading player in plantmanagement, condition monitoringand in service performancemonitoring. Whilst many of thematerials and components in thissector are sourced from abroad, somehigh added value componentmanufacture and R&D is stillconducted in the UK.

Whilst the UK is a major importer ofraw materials, UK-based companiessuch as Sheffield Forgemasters,Wyman Gordon, Bodycote, Corus,Howmet, Special Metals, Praxair,Chromalloy and Sermatech, amongstothers, continue to make keycomponents and coatings for fossil-fired power generation such asrotors, blades, discs, rings andcasings even though for most ofthem, the Energy Sector is not theirmajor customer. Gaps do exist in thesupply chain for key components,for example for very large scaleforgings and castings for somenuclear (eg large pressure vessels)and fossil applications (if the nextgeneration of 700C steam powerplant requires large nickel forgingsand castings, decisions regardingsignificant investments will need tobe made if they are to bemanufactured in the UK).

The UK has world-class expertise inrepair, refurbishment and retrofitservices and life extension andfailure analysis for fossil and nuclearplant. It has therefore retainedstrong technical capabilities tosupport the after sales market inareas such as inspection, conditionmonitoring, coatings, welding/repairand life time prediction

Regarding R&D, major utilities,OEMs and materials suppliersincreasingly undertake collaborativeR&D on a global scale, underschemes such as the EuropeanCooperation on Science andTechnology (COST). COSTprogrammes develop new hightemperature materials, which aretested/validated as full-scaledemonstrators. Rights and costs areshared on material developmentswhilst their exploitation throughdesign and manufacture of thecomponents is left with theindividual organisations Thiscollaboration can reduce the overallcost of R&D and allowsdevelopments to be brought tomarket quicker. Collaboration is lessprevalent in gas turbine materialsR&D, where the UK retains a world-leading status, primarily driven bythe aero engine sector, particularly inhigh temperature materials andcoatings. There are strong synergieswith industrial gas turbinedevelopment and collaborativematerials programmes between aeroand industrial gas turbinemanufacturers are becoming morefrequent.

Regarding R&D, a National NuclearLaboratory and science centre hasbeen set up with funding fromgovernment and industry to providea centre of excellence for researchinto nuclear power generation.

Some work is funded by the ResearchCouncils in the area of fossil andnuclear, through programmes suchas Supergen looking at extending thelife of existing conventional fossilplant and the ‘Keeping the NuclearOption Open’ KNOO programme,concentrating on maintaining anddeveloping skills in the field ofnuclear fission.

In summary, the UK does not havea complete materials supply chainfor conventional fossil and nuclearpower plants. However, it hasadopted a policy of retainingsignificant R&D capability andacademic expertise accompaniedby the manufacture of high added-value components, whilst carefullymanaging its global supply chain.The emphasis should be on theneed to expand and refresh theskills base.


24

4.2 Materials Supply forSustainable Energy

The market for renewable energytechnologies is not yet matureenough to support a sizeable UK-based established supply chain.However, this may change given theglobal drive towards deployment ofrenewable energy generation and theUK having one of the worlds bestavailable resources of wind andmarine energy to call upon.The UK already are world-classdevelopers, installers operators andconsultants in wind power but lacksa full manufacturing capacity andsupply chain. There is a worldleading presence through Vestas, theworld’s biggest supplier of windturbines who have blade and towermanufacturing facilities in the UKthat also utilise UK expertise incomposite design and manufacture.

The UK has established itself as anearly market leader in tidal streamand wave power generation withabout half the world’s currenttechnology developers (~30)headquartered in the UK. Inaddition, the UK has pioneered theestablishment of world class facilitiesfor the testing of wave and tidaldevices (EMEC). To date, few devices/technologies have reached full-scaletesting. The front-runners foresee noimmediate materials supply chainissues, as construction largely usesUK’s existing offshoretechnology/know-how. However asthe technology evolves, the use oflighter weight composites, coatings,new processing and manufacturingmethods and advanced materialssystems will become prevalent,where the UK has expertise tosupport.

There are world-leadingmanufacturing, materialsdevelopment and research capacityin PEMFC, DMFC and SOFC fuel celltechnologies through companiessuch as Rolls Royce and JohnsonMatthey. In addition, more than ahundred and fifty UK-basedcompanies are active in fuel celltechnology - from materials R&Dthrough to systems integration. Fullsupply chains for such technologiesare however relatively immature,although through Johnson Mattheythe UK is a world leader in catalystsand catalysed components for fuelcells.

The current level of adoption of pvin the UK is growing but remainssmall compared with internationalcompetition. The UK industry doeshowever have the potential to takeadvantage of a strong expertise in pvmaterials R&D. Sharp, the worldslargest manufacturer of pv moduleshas its European production facilityin North Wales and the UK hosts athin film manufacturer, ICP Solar, inBridgend. Amongst other keymanufacturers are IQE, Romag, PVCrystalox and NaREC. Together theyform a strong presence withsignificant materials expertise thatshould be exploited.


Power generation from biomass willrequire R&D to develop materialsthat can survive hostileenvironments. The UK has a growingindustry in small scale bioenergysystems for heat and powerapplications. However, Europe issome way ahead in theirdeployment. The UK strengths in thematerials supply chain mirror thoseof fossil energy materials in materialsand components such as heatexchangers and gas turbines.

On the Research side, the UK has avery strong R&D base and is veryactive in sustainable energy projects,primarily through the ResearchCouncils Sustainable PowerGeneration (SUPERGEN) programmewhich is addressing;

• Sustainable Hydrogen Energy

• Marine Energy Research

• Future Network Technologies

• Photovoltaic Materials

• Fuel Cells

• Highly Distributed Power Systems

• Solar Cells

• Energy Storage

• Biological Fuel Cells

• Asset Management andPerformance of Energy Systems

• Wind Energy Technologies

• Conventional Power Plant Lifetime Extension


25

International collaboration is alsogrowing in the renewable energymarketplace, particularly acrossEurope with initiatives such as thehydrogen and fuel cell JointTechnology Initiative in FP7 There are clear opportunities forinvestments into the UK for theemerging energy technologies andthey will increase as the technologiesbecome commercially viable.

There are explicit strengths of theUK in terms of materials andproducts and Companies themselveswill decide on their future policy ofinvestment. This may revolvearound developing and retaining theIPR, high quality R&D, accompaniedby the manufacture of high addedvalue components and systemassemblies, rather than investing inhigh volume manufacturing. Theirdecisions will ultimately beinfluenced by policy and legislationand any level of governmentintervention that might acceleratethe deployment of thesetechnologies.

Despite the lack of investment over recent years in the Energy Sector, which has led to a reduction and gaps in thematerials supply chain, the UK has retained significant expertise in conventional power plant materials technologiesand has developed new expertise in the emerging low carbon energy technologies.

What is of general concern to the UK in the short term, is not the lack of supply chain, but the increasing lead times formajor power plant components (large forgings, castings, wind turbine components), which in some cases are runninginto years rather than months. If the UK is to hit its target programme of up to 35GW of new power plant in the next 20years, this will have to be addressed by innovative supply chain management.


26

There must be a continued drive to maintain thehigh profile and public awareness to Energy andEnvironmental issues, which will in themselves actas a catalyst for producing the next generation ofgraduates and engineers in this field. It is equally asimportant to implement best practice andinnovation in education and training as it is inmaterials processing, manufacture and R&D.

[Courtesy of Eon UK]


27

Resources - are they adequate?5.0

4.1 Human A consistent theme emerging fromthe tasks group reports has been theneed to improve the supply of skilledworkers. This concern runsthroughout the spectrum, fromadvanced research through designand manufacturing. In support ofthis, in its consultation document‘The Future of Nuclear Power’(19) ,the Government warns that:“As the demand grows globally for newpower stations of any technology, therecould be shortages in the capacity tosupply some of the components andshortages of the human skills needed todevelop and build them.”

The report points out that the timescale for the planning andconstruction of new nuclear facilitiesis such that there is time in which toidentify and remedy some shortages.This is does not however apply toenergy technologies with shortertimescales for deployment.

The number of undergraduatesstudying Engineering and applied

Sustainableresources, bothhuman andnatural, areessential if the UKis going to benefitfrom the increasingglobal energymarket andcontribute tomeeting itschallenges.

sciences has reduced significantlyover the last decade (Fig 12). Thismeans there are fewer skilledpersonnel coming through into theEnergy and materials sector. Whencombined with the loss ofexperience after privatisation of thesector and the fact that many of thepeople remaining in the sector areapproaching retirement, gives rise toa concern over a significantexperience gap typically in the agerange 30-50 .ie the next generationof senior experts and decisionmakers. There is no easy solution tobridge this gap and it cannot bedone by the introduction of newgraduates (whilst that is an ongoingneed). There is a need to provideinnovative knowledge capture fromexisting experts and transfer toyounger staff. In addition, more inhouse, on the job training andprofessional courses for those alreadyin employment, to bring ouryounger engineers to maturityquicker is required. This issue isunder consideration by the MatUKEducation & Skills Working Group.

Fig 12 Percentage change in number of undergraduates

[Source EPSRC]


28


4.2 Natural resources- the sustainability debate

Population growth and its associatedimpact on the environment throughhigher energy demands, continues tobe of concern regarding thesustainability of the planets naturalresources. Whilst the debate over thelong-term availability of naturalresources remains as polarised as itwas 30 years ago, how materials areused and re-used is now becoming apriority in many sectors and Energyis no exception. It is an area wherematerials R&D can play a major rolein reducing the impact, throughnovel processing, manufacture andrecycling technologies.

Meeting the Requirements ofDeveloping Nations:

The output of China and India roseby 10.5% and 8.5% respectively in2006 (15). Such growth can only besustained by a massive increase inenergy production. China aims tobring over 550 coal-fired plants(nearly half the world total numberof plants) online in the next eightyears, with a current build-rate oftwo coal-fired power stations perweek. India could add more than200 such plants in the sametimescale. Developed nations haveboth a responsibility and anopportunity to ensure that thesefossil-fuelled stations operate to thehighest efficiency and use the latest‘clean coal’ technologies, whilstpromoting the deployment of otherlow carbon energy sources. The UKshould be in a prime position to takeadvantage of this market.

Not surprisingly, developing nationssuch as China are having a profoundeffect on global material usage andcosts. For example, nickel usage inChina has grown from 50,000 tonspa to 250,000 tons pa in the lastdecade (Fig 13). Nickel is used in awide range of electrical generating,transmission and storage equipmenteither as nickel alloys or as analloying element in stainless steel. Asa consequence, nickel prices haveincreased by an order of magnitude(Fig 14) - from around $8,000/tonnethroughout the 1980’s & 90’s to wellover $50,000/tonne since the start ofthe new millennium.

Similar trends are seen across otherprimary metal resources as reflectedin the quadrupling of commoditymetal prices on the London MetalExchange (Fig 14). These increasesin metal prices are not sustainableand significant R&D is ongoing todevelop cheaper, high performancesubstitute materials.

Fig 13 Chinese Stainless Steel Production and Nickel demands

62,000

48,000

44,000

40,000

38,00032,00028,000

24,00020,000

18,000

12,000

8,000

4,000

0

24

22

20

18

16

1412

10

8

6

4

2

0

19

79

19

80

19

82

19

84

19

86

19

88

19

90

19

92

19

94

19

96

19

98

20

00

20

06

20

02

20

04

20

07

$/to

n

$/lb

Fig 14 LME cash nickel price since start of trading

Fig 13 Chinese Stainless Steel Production and Nickel demands(source ANSG, CRU,CSSC, Macquarie research, May 2007

Fig 14 Nickel prices on London Metal exchange since start of trading (Source LME)

Research into end-of-lifemanagement will be critical inthe next 20 years. In particular,research is required into cost-effective recovery and recyclingof materials and into avoidingsubsequent disposal throughlandfill.


29

Tables 1 and 2 (17) present the likelylife expectancies of major worldmineral resources in 2000 based interms of reserves (known andexploitable amount in subsurfaceresources) and resources (includesreserves and calculated contents ofall mineral commodity in the earthscrust-mineable or not) on a numberof assumptions related to averageannual growth in production.

Commodity MineralReservesMetric tons

1997-2000averageannualproduction

Life expectancy at 3 growth rates Average %annual growthin production1975-2000

0% 2% 5%

Aluminium 25x109 123x107 202 81 48 2.9

Copper 340x109 12x106 28 22 18 3.4

Iron 74x1012 560x10 132 65 41 0.5

Lead 74x1012 31x105 21 17 14 -0.5

Nickel 46x106 11x105 41 30 22 1.6

Silver 280x103 16x103 17 15 13 3.0

Tin 8x106 21x104 37 28 21 -0.5

Zinc 190x105 78x105 25 20 16 1.9

Table 1 Mineral reserves forecast

Commodity Resource baseb

(metric tons)1997-1999averageannualproduction

Life expectancy in years Average %annual growthin production1975-2000

0% 2% 5%

Aluminium 2.0x1018 22.4x106 89.3x109 1065 444 2.9

Copper 1.5x1015 12.1x106 124.3x106 736 313 3.4

Iron 1.4x1018 559.5x106 2.5x109 886 373 0.5

Lead 290.0x1012 3070x103 9.4x106 607 261 -0.5

Nickel 2.1x1012 1133.3x103 1.8x106 526 229 1.6

Silver 1.8x1012 16.1x103 111.8x106 731 311 3.0

Tin 40.8x1012 207.7x103 196.5x106 759 322 -0.5

Zinc 2.2x1015 7753.3x103 283.7x106 778 329 1.9

Table 2 Mineral resources forecast

One reason that the availableestimates of natural resources varygreatly and there is no perceivedshort-term threat is because newresources are being found on aregular basis and new efficientextraction technologies are beingdeveloped to optimize yield.Substitute materials are also beingdeployed to replace the rarerelements. What is clear is that therecycling of materials is nowbecoming prerequisite and theprocesses for recycling need to beoptimized to maximize recoveryrates.

Materials supply depends on ‘rawmaterials’ other than those neededfor primary manufacture and thegrowing demand for composites hasled to relatively limited supplies ofmaterials such as carbon fibre.

Whilst extreme scenarios could beenvisaged, over the next 50 years,mineral depletion is unlikely tocause major problems to the energysector. However, it is clear that therate of consumption of naturalresources cannot be sustained. Witha high dependence on imported rawmaterials, the UK should monitorthe implications for the materialscommunity particularly on sourceswith finite supplies and focus anyR&D in that area on developing‘substitute’ materials.


30

There must be a commitment to a sustainablematerials supply chain from cradle to grave.Thefull life cycles of materials must be understoodand accounted for at the design stage.Innovative R&D in Energy materials can have adouble impact by processing andmanufacturing materials using less energy andalso developing them for components thatfacilitate high efficiency energy generation,transmission, storage or conservation.


31


If the use of Copper by the USA (170kg/capita) (18),were to be mirrored by the emerging nations, a

total demand of 1,700Tg of copper would berequired, more than the total world copperresource and hence supplies would not be

sustainable.

Uranium 2005: Resources, Production and Demand (19). estimates that the totalamount of conventional uranium stock that can be mined for less than USD 130

per kg is about 4.7 million tonnes. Based on the 2004 nuclear electricitygeneration rate of demand, this amount of uranium is sufficient for the next 85

years. Fast reactor technology would lengthen this period to over 2500 years.

As an extreme example, it has been estimated that if the500 million vehicles estimated to be in use worldwide in

2000 were converted to fuel cell operation, even with90% recycling rate that achieved 50% recovery; the

platinum resource would only keep such a fleetoperating for 15 years before supplies were depleted.This would also exclude its use for other low emissiontechnologies such as stationary power fuel cells that

form an essential component of a ‘clean power’‘hydrogen economy’.

From one extreme...

...to the other?


32



33

Key strengths and opportunities6.0

The UK has a long and recognisedhistory in the Energy Materialssector particularly in large scalepower generation, transmission anddistribution. It equally has asignificant opportunity to takeadvantage of the growth in emergingenergy technologies where the UKhas the opportunity to be worldleading.

Strengths• Government commitment to Energy policy and

tackling Climate Change

• Recognition of Materials as a key technology tounderpin energy policy targets

• World class reputation and experience in Energy andMaterials Sectors - High T materials & coatings,modelling, composites, nano and functional materials

• Long established academic reputation for excellence inMaterials research particularly in areas relevant to theenergy sector

• Retained significant degree of ‘high added value’ skillsin research, manufacturing and industrial application

• Most energy related businesses in the UK have retaineda materials expertise in the UK

• Financial Centre facilitating capital raising to attractinward investment

• High level of expert consultancy available

• Formation of Energy Technologies Institute andNational Nuclear Laboratory

• Strong UK partnerships and consortiums developing

Weaknesses

• Lack of national coordination and focus leading toduplication of effort and wasted resources

• Ability to take R&D through the innovation chainto deployment

• Lack of ‘long’ term (+10 years) funding strategy inthe sector and historic low investment levels inenergy materials research

• Incomplete materials supply chain

• Uncertainty relating to ‘winning technologies’leading to unfocussed R&D

• Historically a risk averse, conservative industry

• Little engagement with RDA’s in Energy MaterialsR&D

• In light of ever-shorter product cycles,development times are too long.

Opportunities• Develop, coordinate and implement a National Energy

Materials Strategy

• Restructure processes to bring the best consortiatogether to optimise output and benefit to UK

• Emerging energy technologies leading to innovativeopportunities for materials development

• Diverse energy mix requiring different & innovativematerial solutions

• New Government initiatives (Energy TechnologiesInstitute, Environmental development fund, NationalNuclear Laboratory)

• Large number of SME’s starting up particularly inrenewables energy area, with little materials knowledge

• Cross-sectoral collaboration with common materialssolutions (automobile industry, chemical industry,aerospace, oil and gas)

• Large and growing UK & Global market

• Commitment to tackling Climate Change

• International collaboration (including influencingInternational funding) to benefit UK

Threats

• National materials strategies, facilities andproactive lobbyists in other countries

• Danger of missing current opportunities toexploitation

• High dependence on imported materials andcomponents

• Skills shortage & problems recruiting youngpeople for the engineering sciences, plus ageingpopulation

• Technology priorities might be decided byinfluences outside technologist’s control

• Maintaining competitive strength will requireincreasing the productivity of industrialprocesses while reducing energy and materialconsumption.

There is an absence of a completesupply chain, however the strategyto specialise in the high added valuetechnologies and innovative R&Dexpertise seems appropriate. The big challenge for the UK is toconvert its research excellence intocommercial opportunities.


34

The Governments commitments inthe Prime Ministers speech onClimate Change in November 2007,with the proposed rapid andexpanded deployment of cleantechnologies such as offshore wind,the Severn barrage and otherwave/tidal technologies and theannouncement of a CarbonCapture and Storage (CCS)Demonstrator competition and thepotential for new nuclear meansthat much of the immediatematerials R&D should be focussedon these technologies that areexpected to have the most rapidimpact in the reduction of CO2emissions.

Large scale stationary fuel celldeployment, microgeneration andsolar pv are further down the line interms of having the same majorimpact on CO2 than the abovetechnologies, but they will be stillrequire ongoing support asmaterials R&D seeks to overcomesome of their barriers to market.

Interior of a remote handling cave. [Courtesy of Nexia Solutions]


35

Materials technology priorities7.0

The key to many ofthe requiredtechnologicaladvances in theenergy sector,which will impacton theGovernments’energy policy, isthe availability anddeployment ofappropriatematerials solutions.

Many of the materials issuesrestricting energy supplyadvances are common acrossa number of other technologyareas; hence there is also theopportunity for co-operationand synergy that will allowintegration of projects toserve many opportunities.

The issues covered spanacross a whole range ofmaterial types from nano,bio, functional,multifunctional through to structural.

The individual reports of the EnergyMaterials Working Group (EMWG)Task Groups (4-7) on fossil powerplants, nuclear power, renewableenergy technologies andtransmission, distribution & storagedetail the analyses of the differingenergy technologies and theirimplications for materials researchand supply in the UK. The SRAidentifies common themes for R&Dand brings together areas wheresynergies and added value have beenidentified. The top level themes areidentified in this section. Annex 1identifies in more detail, thefundamental and applied R&Drequirements for the varioustechnologies that have beenaddressed. It also highlights areaswhere international collaborationwill be needed.

7.1 The Drivers for R&D

The key drivers for Energy MaterialsR&D aligning to government policyare how materials technology cancontribute to;

• reducing environmental impact

• improving security of supply

• reducing cost of electricity

In addition, there is the opportunityof wealth creation for the UK , notonly in terms of the home market,but the potential for exporting ourtechnologies. This is particularlypertinent when we consider that theUK contributes around 2% of globalCO2 emissions. This creates amassive potential export market forUK low carbon energy materialstechnologies to exploit.

Technology solutions must be costeffective; if they are too expensive,they are unlikely to get to marketunless they receive some form ofdirect or indirect subsidy. However,should the technology be successfuland implemented on a large scale,costs reduce accordingly. A numberof technologies in use today haveexperienced cost reductions througheconomies of scale(11) (fig16), whichare often brought about by thedevelopment of low cost materials,processing and manufacturing.

Deciding where materials make thebiggest impact is often dependent onthe technology it is addressing.Considering a number of electricitygenerating technologies,(11) fig 17illustrates how they compare interms of estimated costs of electricityas a percentage of a fossil fuel optionas a baseline and how they areprojected to decrease as a function oftime (deployment). Such costs ofelectricity can generally be brokendown into three categories; cost ofcapital, fuel and operation/maintenance. Studying suchbreakdowns can help define theMaterials R&D priorities.


36

Fig 18, as an example, presents thecost breakdown for natural gasCombined Cycle (NGCC), Coal-fired,and nuclear plant. For NGCC thebiggest cost is fuel, thereforematerials technologies to improveefficiency should be a priority. Forcoal fired plant, fuel and capital arethe largest costs, hence efficiencyimprovements and lower costmanufacturing and materials prevail.For nuclear plant the largest cost iscapital and whilst it is important tolook at reducing these costs, safety ofnuclear plants is paramount andtherefore Materials R&D tends tofocus on the operation andmaintenance aspects of nuclearplants, regarding technologies suchas inspection, condition monitoringand lifetime prediction as essential.

For emerging energy technologiesthe drivers are different. In mostcases fuel costs do not come into theequation as the energy is free (solar,wind, wave/tidal) and the majorcosts depend on whether thetechnology is land based or offshore.There are huge incentives to reducethe cost of operation andmaintenance of offshore wind andwave/tidal technologies andminimise the need for humanintervention in hazardousconditions. Therefore the materialstechnology drivers revolve aroundincreased reliability in hostileenvironments, ease of installation,inspection and remote conditionmonitoring.

Land based low carbon technologiessuch as solar pv, fuel cells andbiomass technologies tend to bedriven by reduced capital cost,which is acting as a barrier tomarket, whilst also ensuringefficiency and reliability of the endproduct. Materials R&D to solvethese challenges are therefore apriority.

The following priority themes can beused in conjunction with the specificrecommendations of the task groupsto develop a coherent portfolio ofR&D projects for the UK.

7.2 Deciding the Top LevelPriorities for R&D

Following consultation with keystakeholders and accounting forother work (20-23) where the keydrivers, barriers and priorities havebeen studied, combined with thereview of the four separate reports inthis SRA, three generic themesemerge where UK skills could makemost impact. The specific detail ofthe required R&D is given in theindividual reports and summarisedin Annex 1. These themes can bemapped against the energy policyobjectives of; security of supply,reliability and cost. (Table 3).

R&D should focus materialssolutions which contribute to:

Reducing Time to Market and Life cycle costs Significant shortening of thematerials development andvalidation life cycle time for quickerentry to market (eg new alloydevelopment and deployment forfossil plant). Significant costreduction, including materialsubstitution, for increasedcompetitiveness to give the UK amarket lead (eg. solar pv, fuel cells).

UK key skills: materials design,modelling, advanced processing andmanufacture.

Higher Performance inHarsher EnvironmentsDevelopment of high integritymaterials systems for operation inthe increasingly aggressiveconditions (temperature, stress andenvironment) particularly seen bythe emerging energy technologiessuch as wind, wave, tidal, carboncapture, biomass, energytransmission, distribution & storageand also relevant to conventionalfossil and nuclear materials

UK key skills:- materials development(high temperature through to cryogenic)corrosion, oxidation, coatings,lightweighting, surface engineering,joining

Improved Life Managementand ReliabilityImproved predictability of materialsbehaviour will produce significantsavings on unforeseen plant outagesand maintenance costs. This includesunderstanding the degradation ofmaterials in service, their inspection(NDE) and repair. It also includes thedevelopment of materials withimproved reliability and propertiesand increased service lifetimes thatwill ultimately reduce cost ofelectricity.

UK key skills: condition monitoring,NDE, materials development andcharacterisation, modelling

Materials technology priorities7.0

Cumulative electricity production (TWh)

1.001001010.10.010.01

0.1

1

10

Co

st o

f e

lect

rici

ty (

EC

U (

19

90

)/k

Wh

)

Electricity fromBiomass

Photovoltaics

Windpower - average

Windpower - bestperformance

Supercritical coal

NGCC

1995

1985

1980

1995

Fig 16 Cost reduction of existing technologies [source IEA 2000]


37

Cost in 2015

Cost as percentage of fossil fuel option

Cost in 2025

Cost in 2050

Electricity from gas CCSElectricity from coal CCS

Nuclear powerElectricity from energy crops

Electricity from organic wastesOnshore windOffshore wind

Solar thermal (v sunny regions)PV (sunny regions)

dCHP using H from NG or coal with CCSHydrogen from NG or coal (CCS) - industry

Hydrogen from NG or coal (CCS) - distributedElectrolytic hydrogen - industry

Electrolytic hydrogen - distributedBiomass for heat - distributed

BioethanolBiodiesel

Hydrogen ICE vehicle - fossil H (+CCS)FC hydrogen vehicle - fossil H (+CCS)

FC hydrogen vehicle - electrolyte H

-100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Fig 17 Costs of low carbon as alternative to fossil technologies

Unit costs of energy technologies expressedas a percentage of the fossil fuel alternative

(in 2015,2025,2050) (ref11)

Fig 18 Breakdown of cost of electricity

[source VGB]

Table 3 Priority areas for materials R&D

Table 3 summarises areas ofpriority for materials R&D,aligned against both the energypolicy objectives and theindividual power generationtechnologies.


38

Materials technology priorities

Cutting across the sector...

Materials & Process Modelling

‘Fundamental Materials research must look at the visionary goal of designingmaterials, the technologies used to process them and their individual components,measuring their properties entirely by computer. This method will to speed updevelopment and produce step change reductions in the time to market.

Functional Materials

Materials are increasingly fulfilling several functions at the same time, something which in the pastrequired a combination of different materials and components. The production and processing of

highly-complex, light-weight components with special structural and functional properties arepossible for the Energy sector

Nanomaterials

There are thermal, mechanical, chemical and electrical limits to what a material canwithstand. Extending these limits is crucial to achieving efficiency gains. For this reason, the

limits restricting a material's performance must be pushed back.The promise of nanotechnologies is that more control of the nanoscale structure of

materials will lead to the optimisation of their properties This will permit both incrementalimprovements of existing energy technologies and the introduction of new ones. New

nanocomposites could yield stronger and lighter blades for wind turbines, while improvedcoatings should improve high temperature performance and corrosion resistance in steamand gas turbines. The wider adoption of fuel cells and gas separation will be made possible

by improved nanostructured membranes. A new generation of photovoltaics is on thehorizon, relying on dye-sensitised nanoparticles or semiconducting polymers, and with the

promise of manufacturability on very large scales.

7.0

Energy materials cut across the whole spectrum of material types and associatedtechnologies, all of which the UK has significant expertise in.


39

Sensors

There is an increased need to monitor the condition of energy generation plant which is:• operating in remote and hazardous environments such as offshore marine and wind

• running in harsher operating environments such as biomass, advanced fossil and nuclearThis creates the need for materials to be developed for sensors, on-line monitoring and

non-destructive evaluation. This is an area where the UK has extensive capabilities, particularlythrough the use of functional and multi-functional materials.

Structural materials

The UK has one on the strongest industrial and academic bases in the development of structuralmaterials from steels through to composites for large-scale applications. It must concentrate on thehigh added value technologies it has developed over the years to support future developments and

look for cross-sector applications and spill-over benefits.

Powders

Powder materials technology will play a vital role the development of EnergyTechnologies. This could be in isolation such as refractory components for gasifiers, or aspart of a fully integrated materials systems such as protective coatings. By their naturethey can be blended and designed to have ‘engineered’ properties such as in the case of SMART coatings for gas turbines combining both tailored corrosion and oxidation resistance. Powder technology may offer superior performance through improved novel material compositions and more cost effective routes to direct manufacture, through near net shaping. They will play a part in the renewableenergy scene where large rare earth permanent magnets manufactured from powder areincreasingly used in wind turbines and some forms of wave and tidal generation. Furtherdevelopment will enhance their magnetic stability and environmental corrosionresistance. Solid oxide fuel cells present challenges, particularly for ceramic materials inorder to achieve cost reduction, reproducibility and system scale-up.

Funding sources8.0

The energytechnologieslandscape in the UKis constantlyevolving and with it are comingopportunities tocoordinate activitiesand funding ofmaterials R&D.

Materials technologies, like mostothers, broadly follow the same threestages of development which makeup the innovation chain: researchand development, demonstration,and deployment. Each stagerepresents different TechnologyReadiness Levels(TRL)(24). Each ofthese requires public sector supportto share the costs and risks ofinnovation. The landscape underwhich funding of this chain isavailable for Energy and itsassociated technologies is rapidlyevolving and is summarised in fig 19which also indicates theapproximate TRL at each stage of theinnovation process.

Energy materials R&D activitiesshould map onto this landscape asan underpinning technology toensure a sustainable fundingmechanism is available from theearly stages of innovation through tofull scale deployment.

Different funding bodies and supportmechanisms exist at each stage ofthe innovation process.

• Within the Research Councils’(RC’s) there are two relevantprogrammes. One coveringEnergy and the other coveringMaterials. Both programmes areled by EPSRC (funded via theDepartment of Innovation,Universities and Skills(DIUS). TheEnergy programme supports afull spectrum of energy researchworking to develop UK researchcapacity in energy-related areas,including the SUPERGENinitiative. Research Councilspend on energy is planned torise to over £70M pa by 2007 –2009. The Materials programmevalued at around £50M pa coversthe whole spectrum of materialsresearch, however , more recentlyhas had targeted calls related toEnergy Materials (£2M in 2006and £2M in Nov 2007 –in a jointcall with TSB). The ResearchCouncil primarily targets basicR&D typically at TRL 1 possiblymoving into level 2.

• the Technology Strategy Board(TSB) provides one of the majorsources of funding for bothmaterials and energy R&D. TheTSB primarily supportsinnovative industry-led R&D, forUK wealth creation. Both Energyand Materials are Key TechnologyAreas (KTA) within the TSB. Inthe energy field it is hashistorically had a budget ofaround £20M pa. It is expectedthat the TSB will continue tofund energy-related innovationas part of its portfolio, includingareas such as energyconservation, low carbontechnologies, complementary tothe Energy Technologies Institute(ETI) and underpinningtechnologies. In materials thebudget has also typically beenaround £20M pa. The recentlyannounced, November 2007 call,is specifically focussed on EnergyMaterials. TSB funding primarilytargets applied R&D in the TRL2-6 arena.


40

The direct link between tackling Climate Change and long term

wealth creation is now beyond doubt. The business opportunities will be vast.

“ “John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business,

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. 19th November 2007



41

• the Energy TechnologiesInstitute (ETI) is the bodyannounced in 2006 focussingspecifically on low carbonenergy. Targeting reduced CO2security of supply and reducedcost of electricity. It is a public-private partnership with fundingof up to £1 bN over 10 years. Itwill primarily cover the TRL 3-6regime of the innovation chaintargeting rapid demonstration. Itis also expected to fund a bigincrease in internationalcollaboration, to support theUK’s global climate change aims.Whilst it is unlikely that the ETIwill directly fund materials R&D,it will support programmescontaining materials R&Delements as a route to improvingcomponent efficiencies,reliability and reduced costs.

• the EnvironmentalTransformation Fund (ETF) is agovernment initiative aimed atbringing together cross-Government activity to developlow carbon economies. Led bythe Department of Environment,Food and Rural Affairs (Defra),the Department of Business,Enterprise and RegulatoryReform(BERR) and theDepartment for InternationalDevelopment(DfID), this will beprimarily aimed at gettingtechnologies to market (eggovernment capital grants fordemonstration and pre-commercial deployment) whichare the next stages of TRL (6+)after TSB and ETI activities. Inaddition, Defra want to use ETFto engage with householders,business and the public sector oncarbon reduction, and DfID forenvironmental developmentinternationally. At this stagematerials developments would bein full component form ready fordeployment

Other organisations operating in theEnergy funding landscape include:

• The Carbon Trust, anindependent organisation fundedby Government which supportsactivities across the full spectrumof the innovation chainincluding grants for R & D;strategic and businessdevelopment advice to start upcompanies; funding to overcomebarriers to commercialisation andtechnical expertise and venturecapital investment for low carbonbusinesses.

• The Regional DevelopmentAgencies (RDA) prioritise theirsupport for Energy RD, D&D onthe basis of regional strengths,capacities and economicpriorities. In the recentComprehensive Spending Reviewthey will allocate a level of theirbudgets to co-fund TSBprogrammes as appropriate

• In the DevolvedAdministrations (DA), forEnergy, by far the most proactiveis the DA in Scotland. ITI Energysupported, by Scottish Enterprise,identifies technologies requiredto address future global energymarket opportunities and thenfunds and manages R & Dprogrammes and the subsequentcommercial exploitation of newIP.

• the UK Energy Research Centre(UKERC) was established in 2004following the 2002 EnergyReview. With funding of £13.8million over 2004–09, itsobjective is to provide a focus forenergy research in the UK and forinternational collaboration.

It is important that the Energymaterials community through theformation of their implementationgroup engages with all of the ofabove bodies to secure asustainable and long term fundingmechanism.

1 3 6 9

Technology readiness ...

New ideas Proof of concept

TSB ETF

ETI

CT

Funding source

Technologypush

Marketpull

RC's

System/subsystemdemonstration

"Commercially proven" and economies of scaleachieved

RC Research CouncilsCT Carbon TrustTSB Technology Strategy BoardETI Energy Technologies InstituteETF Environmental Transformation Fund

Research andDevelopment

Demonstration Deployment

Fig 19 UK energy innovation chain

Fig 19 Schematic of UK Energy Innovation Chainand funding agencies


42



43

Underpinning the strategy9.0

To ensure theTechnologyPriorities of theSRA are recognisedand adopted by thestakeholders andthat supportingfundingmechanisms areavailable, sevenover-ridingrequirements mustbe addressed forthe successfuldelivery of thisSRA. These werequantified in the‘agenda for action’

1. Communication; It is importantthat the Energy materialscommunity works together andagrees the way forward. Whilstthere has been detailedconsultation throughout theprocess of developing this SRAthere is a need to widelycommunicate its findings to theacademic and industrial materialscommunity, stakeholders and therelevant funding agencies. TheSRA is a working document thatwill be reviewed at regularintervals.

2. Establishment of a multi-disciplined coordinating anddelivery body comprising keystakeholders from industry,academia and funding agenciesrepresenting the full supply chain.Operating through MatUK, it willhave a clear remit to promote andimplement the SRA and develop asustainable and long-termfunding mechanism. For thisreason, the Body should includebusiness strategists and venturecapitalists. It should also act as anadvisory body to the EnergyMaterials Supply Chain and otherkey agencies.

3. Stable and sustainable longterm funding mechanisms:There is need to establish long-term sustainable fundingmechanism(s) for cradle-to-gravematerials R&D. This mechanismshould involve materialsdevelopment from laboratory-scale through to full-scaledemonstration and deployment.This needs to be integrated withexisting funding mechanisms (e.g.EPSRC, TSB, ETI, )and newschemes developed whereappropriate.

4. An Energy Materials KnowledgeManagement System: Put in place a coordinatedknowledge management system,through an existing MaterialsKnowledge Transfer Network(KTN) node, that will be givenresponsibility for EnergyMaterials. This is to ensure thatmaximum benefit is obtainedfrom both existing knowledge andfrom that generated in futureR&D thereby saving duplicatedeffort. Clear terms of referenceneed to be drawn up andinteraction developed withexisting bodies, such as UKERC.

5. Innovative Technology Transfer& Coordination:The Materials community mustwork across disciplines andsectors. Energy materials sharemany common materials issuesacross transport, aerospace,chemical, offshore andconstruction. It must find novelways of transferring technologies.‘Brokering’ and funding of ‘cross-sector’ partnerships in order tooptimise consortia as used in theEPSRC SUPERGEN programmeand by the TSB InnovationPlatforms should be trialled.

6. International EngagementThe UK cannot solve all theEnergy Materials challenges byitself. Where appropriate, itshould develop internationalrelationships to improve UKprosperity, whilst supportingnational and globalenvironmental policies. Weshould look to build on existingmechanisms such as the EuropeanFramework programmes, COSTand ERANETS and work toinfluence their content to alignwith our national strategy. Aninternational node in theMaterials KTN should be formed,which would look beyond EnergyMaterials and would haveresponsibility for representing theUK materials sector.

7. Development of Skills andResourcesThe buoyant Energy sector needsto attract high-class individualsback into the business to add tothe existing skills base. Theproposed R&D should be linkedto skill-base refreshment todevelop and retain expertise andknowledge. R&D that uses theUK’s inventory of pertinent skillsis one of the most effective waysto maintain/refresh its assets. TheMatUK Education & Skills Groupwill address this.


44



45

Key recommendations10.0

1. Widely communicate thefindings of the SRA to theacademic and industrial materialscommunity, stakeholders and therelevant funding agencies

2. UK R&D for Energy Materialsmust focus on programmeswhich:

• Reduce Time to Market and Lifecycle costs

• Produce Higher Performance inHarsher Environments

• Improve Life Management andReliability

In addition, existing programmesshould be analysed and aportfolio of projects developedagainst these criteria based onthe specific recommendations ofthe task group reports.

3. Establish a coordinating multi-disciplined body to implementthe SRA and advise the EnergyMaterials supply chain, fundingagencies and stakeholders. Thebody will:

(a)Establish sustainable funding byimplanting materials firmlywithin the Energy R&D landscapeto help initiate the priority R&Dprogrammes.

(b)Work with key stakeholders e.g.Technology Strategy Board,Energy Technology Institute,Carbon Trust, Research Councils,RDA’s. etc. in developing wellintegrated energy programmes

(c) Facilitate the development of acoherent, stable and long-termplatform for UK materialsdevelopment that will support allstages of the materialdevelopment cycle through todeployment.

4. Establish a KTN node that willprovide Knowledge Managementsystems to capture existing andfuture knowledge and speedytransfer to the skills base.

5. Initiate more innovative methodsfor developing optimisedpartnerships and consortia thatcan lead to cross-sector and crossdiscipline interactions and moreinnovative solutions to problems.

6. Establish a KTN node that will beresponsible for formingInternational alliances withbodies such as FP7 and relevantTechnology Platforms in order toprovide better alignment ofprogrammes and access to fundsand facilities via internationalcollaboration.

7. MatUK Education & Skills Groupto consider the state andimplications of the skills shortagein the Energy Materials Sectorand deal with it in line with theircurrent strategy across theMaterials sector.

We must not stifle innovation, as the UK has recognised world class

materials research expertise which can take advantage of theexciting opportunities presented,

particularly some of the longer term‘visionary’ challenges.

“

“

Lord Sainsbury of Turville Oct 2007


46

Progress to date11.0

The EMWG hasbeen promoting itsactivities prior tothe publication ofthis SRA in order to‘hit the groundrunning’ after theformal launch.There are alreadysome successes toreport:

1. Engagement ofstakeholders

Delivery of the SRA can only beachieved by working withstakeholders, the Energy supplychain and the materials community.Many have already been involved inthe EMWG and are aware of theobjectives.

The EMWG has engaged with theTechnology Strategy Board andEPSRC to provide significant inputinto the 2007 TechnologyProgramme Autumn call on EnergyMaterials, valued at £12M. A significant number of projectsshould be generated to help meetthe SRA goals.

The Carbon Trust announced aChallenge to reduce the cost ofphotovoltaic (pv) materials inOctober 2007. This Challenge isaligned with one of the priorities ofthe SRA.

2. International Engagement

The SRA has recognised the need tobuild on existing mechanisms suchas the European Frameworkprogramme. UK has chairmanship ofEuMaT (European AdvancedMaterials Technology Platform)which has adopted the model andpriorities of the EMWG in itsrecommendation that a jointlyfunded programme between theEnergy and Materials Directorates ofthe Commission should beannounced in the FP7 2nd Call inDecember 2007. This would createexcellent funding opportunities forthe UK help build strong consortiaacross Europe.

Opportunities have already beentaken to collaborate with industryand research organisations in theUnited States under the terms aMemorandum Of Understandingbetween UK BERR and the USDepartment of Energy on FossilEnergy Materials. In the future,similar collaborations with the hightechnology Countries, such as Japanand Singapore and developingnations such as China and India,will be sought where they can offervalue to UK industry and researchgroups.


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The way forward12.0

Whilst it is recognised that the UKdoes not have a complete supplychain in Energy Materials, it retainsan enormous amount of worldleading expertise particularly inR&D and in the design andmanufacture of high added-valuecomponents.

Progress has already been madeagainst the Agenda for Action andthis will continue through thedelivery and implementation body,which we hope to form by lateSpring 2008. With the support ofthe Materials KTN we intend todeliver a knowledge capture andtransfer node within the next 6months and an International Nodewithin similar timeframes.Discussions will start immediately

We intend to continue to work withthe funding agencies and look todevelop further programmesparticularly with the TechnologyStrategy Board and EPSRC tomaintain the momentum providedin the Autumn 2007 Call on EnergyMaterials. With future calls lookingto focus more on specific priorities asthey are identified.

Equally we hope to work with andadvise the Energy TechnologiesInstitute in indicating how materialscan help meet many of theirobjectives in bringing low carbonenergy technologies to market.

Looking further ahead, it is theintention for MatUK to examinesome of the other key materialsissues affecting Energy and theEnvironment, such as energyconservation and useage. This hasalready been initiated through theConstruction Materials workingGroup, looking specifically athousing materials. This will bereported in 2008. Consideration willbe given to the value of evaluatingthe Materials issues for the transportsector. There has already beenconsiderable work carried out in thisarea and an analysis of this work anddiscussion with the sector would benecessary before any work wasinitiated.

With the support of the community,by working with our keystakeholders and the formation of animplementation and delivery team,we can take the recommendations ofthis SRA forward to ensure that theUK can take full advantage of theunprecedented growth in the sectorand the business opportunity thiscreates both nationally and globally.

The UK is well positioned to developmany of the materials technologiesrequired for the emerging lowcarbon technologies, such asrenewables and Carbon Capture andStorage, in which the government isinvesting heavily. However, tooptimise this, the community mustbe better focussed on its strengthsand be integrated and coordinated inits approach going forward.

'There is an enormous amount ofexcellent Materials R&D is beingcarried out within the UK inEnergy Materials, however, thereis an urgent need for it to becoordinated in order to maximiseits benefit. '

The way forward isclearly laid out inthe 'Agenda forAction' of this SRAand its seven keyrecommendations.

This SRA is seen as the firststep in activating andcoordinating the EnergyMaterials Community at atime when Energy and theEnvironment has rarely hadsuch a high profile, nor havethe materials challenges beenmore exciting.



48

[Courtesy of Eon UK]


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References13.0

1. Materials Innovation and Growth Report, A Strategy for Materials 2006;http://www.matuk.co.uk/docs/DTI_mat_bro.pdf

2. Energy Review, ‘The Energy Challenge’, July 2006

3. Energy White Paper, Meeting the Energy Challenge, May 2007

4. MatUK, Energy Materials Working Group report on Materials R&Drequirements for fossil-fuelled power plant. December 2007

5. MatUK, Energy Materials Working Group report on Materials R&Drequirements for Nuclear power plant. December 2007

6. MatUK, Energy Materials Working Group report on Materials R&Drequirements for Alternative Energy. December 2007

7. MatUK, Energy Materials Working Group report on Materials R&Drequirements for Transmission, Distribution and Energy Storage. December2007

8. MatUK report ‘Mapping the UK Energy Materials Supply Chain. Namtec,December 2007

9. World Energy Outlook, 2006 http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/

10. BBC news, 23 October 2007; http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/uk/7058185.stm

11. Stern Review; The Economics of Climate Change, Sir Nicholas Stern 2006

12. RWE Facts and figures report, 2007

13. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy Statistics from theUS Government. www.eia.doe.gov/

14. UK Energy in Brief, 2007, Office of National Statistics publication

15. Mott MacDonald ‘the UK Power Outlook’ report (To be issued)

16. World Factbook; https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

17. J.E.Tilton; Soc.Econ.Geologists, SEG publication 12. Wealth Creation in theMinerals Industry, editors M.Duggett and J.Parry

18. Metal Stocks and Sustainability; R.B.Gordon, M.Bertram, T.E. Graedel;Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, published on lineJan 23, 2006

19. Uranium 2005, Resources, production and demand.

20. The Future for Nuclear Power; the role of nuclear power in a low carboneconomy; BERR 2007

21. MatUK Energy Materials Town meeting, BERR Conference Centre, London,December 2006

22. Chemical Science Priorities for Sustainable Energy Solutions; Royal Society ofChemistry Report 2004

23. Materials Powering Europe, Energy Workshop, Institute of Materials, Mineralsand Mining , April 2007

24. Technology Readiness Levels: A White Paper. April 6, 1995John C. Mankins, Advanced Concepts OfficeOffice of Space Access and Technology, NASA


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51

Technology prioritiesAnnex 1

The devil in the detail...

This section summarises thekey findings of the TaskGroups and highlights therecommended areas formaterials R&D. Forcompleteness an additionalsection (1.5) summarising thepriorities for materials R&Din the construction sector isincluded. This has beenprovided by the MatUKConstruction MaterialsWorking Group who areevaluating energyconservation in the builtenvironment. This is thesubject of a more detailedreview to be published byMatUK in 2008.

1.1 Fossil Fuel Power Plants

StatusBy far the most mature technologies,with fossil fuel power plants provideover 70% of the UK’s currentelectricity generating capacity andwill remain a major source of energyfor the foreseeable future. The ageingfleet will be replaced and plans arealready in place for new buildtogether with large-scale carboncapture and storage demonstrationplant, bringing with it new materialschallenges.

UK StrengthsThe UK remains a centre fortechnical expertise in fossil energymaterials, particularly hightemperature materials and coatings.A high proportion of the originalequipment manufacturers (OEMs)have key activities located within theUK and most have retained MaterialsTechnology as a UK activity. The UKthus has the expertise needed to beat the forefront of future materialsdriven technical development infossil-fuelled power generation.

Key TechnologiesThe key driver for fossil-fuelledpower generation is to minimise theimpact on the environment throughreduction of CO2 emissions. There isthe opportunity to reduce CO2emissions from fossil fuel powergeneration by around 90% usingnew carbon capture technologies (4).However such technologies can leadto reduced plant efficiencies of>10%, therefore the adoption of atwin track approach of improvedefficiency and use of carbon capturetechnologies is essential. Co-firingwith renewable fuels will also beused to reduce emissions. All of thesetechnologies involve operating insevere, aggressive environments withsignificant implications on thematerials.

Challenges for Materials Improved efficiency and lower CO2emissions are achieved throughhigher operating temperatures.However, the materials used forhigh-temperature componentsboilers, steam and gas turbines arealready their limits. While there arestill opportunities to incrementallyimprove the performance of existingsystems both by design and materialsdevelopment, to achieve significantfuture increases, disruptivetechnologies need to be developed tointroduce innovative new materialsengineering solutions with tailoredand optimised properties.

In the adoption of carbon capturetechnologies, the materials willoperate in novel high temperature,aggressive environments comparedto conventional plant. This meansmany components must withstandconditions and contaminants suchas those produced in advancedgasification, oxy-firing andbiomass/waste plant. This willimpose significant materialschallenges leading to thedevelopment of high temperaturematerials systems with excellentcorrosion and oxidation propertiesand will strongly rely on thedevelopment of coatings technologyas an integral part of the systemdesign. Opportunities will also existfor the development of gasseparation membrane technologieswhere UK currently has littleexpertise. The key challenges relateto the SRA theme of

higher performance in harsher environments

Another key issue for fossil fuelmaterials is related to the SRApriority of

reducing time to market and lifecycle cost

Typical materials developmentprogrammes for steam turbine orboiler applications can take morethan 10 years to achieve acompletely reliable, well validatedmaterial for commercial deployment.


52

Technologies that dramaticallyreduce time to market will have amajor impact. Multidisciplinarydevelopments will be required inalloy design, materials modelling,virtual testing, manufacturing andprocessing techniques. Currentlyvalidation methods rely on longterm testing of hundreds ofthousands of hours. Such methodsdevelopments, if successful, wouldhave major benefits across numerousbusiness sectors both within andoutside the Energy sector.The next generation of steam plant(>700ºC) will rely on Nickel basedalloys which are 10x the price offerritic steels. Therefore innovativedesign and manufacturing, joiningand modelling will all have to bedeveloped to ensure costs do notbecome prohibitive.

This has been ongoing since the1980’s in programmes such as COST(Cooperation On Science andTechnology) in Europe. Eachparticipating country is funded bytheir own agencies, but the work andresults are shared to the point ofdemonstration of full-scalecomponent manufacture. Theindividual organisations then usetheir own individual expertise andIPR to design with that material in away to produce the most thermallyefficient and cost effective product.

The current ageing fleet is placing ashort term requirement onextending the life of existing plantthrough

improved life management and reliability

Development of more accurate lifingtools, a fuller understanding ofdegradation mechanisms andimproved NDE /conditionmonitoring will also be arequirement for new plant.

Regarding internationalcollaboration, the fossil energymaterials community is an exemplarin the way it collaborates withEuropean competitors and suppliersin order to develop new materials.

Table A1 Top level SRA R&D priorities: Fossil Energy

Technologypriority areas

The need Key applied R&D needs(UK can solve)

Key fundamental R&D needs(UK can solve)

Key R&D for external (need for collaboration outside UK)

1.

Reducing time to market and life cycle costs

Current lead times for new materials typically run to 10years+ and are costly

• Reduced time to develop materials at reduced cost and with lower environmental footprint.

• Incremental advances in current technologies

• Advanced manufacturing development for cost reduction, through computer aided development and design of materials systems and process modelling

• Novel low cost materials & coatings development

• Advanced manufacturing and process simulation

• Materials, process and multiscale modelling

• Integrated materials systems development; upscaling and manufacture with full scale component validation and demonstration.

2.

Higher performance in harsher environments

Operating environments are becoming more severe leading to potential reduced lifetime

• High performance materials for harsh environments for improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact

• Better understanding of degradation and failure mechanisms

• Development of new materials classes to meet longer life/increased temperature and more aggressive environmental requirements

• Development & validation of models that define the interaction between Materials systems and their operating environment

• Functional materials for advanced cycles (filters, membranes)

• Integrated (material, coating, NDE etc) new materials systems development

• Identification of disruptive materials technologies (well beyond existing capability) eg high T, low cost, non-degrading

• Integrated materials systems development; upscaling and manufacture with full scale component validation and demonstration.

3.

Improved life management and reliability

Improved reliability significantly reduces cost

• High reliability materials for extended life in harsh environments

• Development and validation of integrated life assessment procedures including supporting NDE technology

• Advanced Life prediction tools accounting for harsher operating conditions (environmental , temp & stress)

• On-line NDE capability development, which can be integrated into lifetime prediction



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Key Applied R&D Priority Areas

The key recommendations are:

• Incremental development ofexisting materials and coatings tosupport increased performance inthe short-medium term

• Evaluation high temperaturebehaviour, degradation & lifeprediction of materials inadvanced cycle environments

• Advanced manufacturingdevelopment for cost reduction,through computer aideddevelopment and design ofmaterials systems, materials &process modelling

Underpinning ResearchRequirements

• Development of disruptivematerials technologies with lowcost and high performance. Thesewill need to go beyondconventional materials currentlybeing used.

• Process and multi-scale materialsmodelling for reduced lead timeand cost reduction

• Development of advanced NDEand materials conditionmonitoring in service to bedirectly linked into life predictiontools

A summary of the key R&D needs forfossil materials is summarised inTable A1

Twenty-five years ago it would not havebeen possible to imagine the UK as a global leader in science and

innovation in the world economy, buttoday it looks like an attainable goal.

We can be one of the winners in 'the race to the top'

but only if we run fast".Lord Sainsbury of Turville Oct 2007

“

“


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1.2 Nuclear Power Materials

StatusNuclear power makes by far thelargest ‘carbon neutral’ contributionto the UK’s energy needs, providingaround 18% of electricity output in2006. Much of the existing nuclearplant is ageing and due to bedecommissioned within the next 10– 15 years. Decisions on new buildplant are expected by the end of theyear. This decision will impact onthe level of R&D to be carried out.

UK StrengthsThe UK skills base in this area hasbeen severely reduced over the last30 years and now extensiveexperience and expertise is investedin a small number of people. Thegovernment is endeavouring toretain and expand this expertisethrough initiatives such as theformation of a national nuclearlaboratory.

Until a decision is made on thefuture of nuclear power in the UK, itis difficult to predict what totalresources will be needed. There is anminimum requirement for the UK tobe an ‘intelligent purchaser’ of thetechnology in order to satisfyregulatory requirements, and tosupply advice on installation, safety,operation, maintenance and in theextension of the life of existing plantand its subsequent decommissioningand waste disposal.

Key TechnologiesAny new build will involve the useof proven reactor technologies suchas those from France or USA.‘Generation IV’ designs are alsounder development which promisecleaner and more economicalnuclear power by the middle of thecentury. The international effort onfusion continues but even if fullysuccessful remains several decadesaway from commercialisation.

Materials ChallengesIn existing plant the primary driversfor materials research are;

• the need to predict reliably thethrough–life properties of the corecomponents such as the reactorpressure vessel, fuel cladding andcooling systems,

• the need for plant lifetimeextension, and for safe andeffective decommissioning andwaste storage strategies.

For nuclear fusion, although most ofthe systems are different, many ofthe materials issues, and the researchmethods, are very similar.The key scientific problems arerelated to two of the key technicalthemes of this SRA;

improved life managementand reliability

higher performance in harsherenvironments

Particular issues relate to corrosionand erosion; environmentallyassisted cracking; mechanisms ofembrittlement, crack initiation andcrack propagation; creep-fatigueinteractions; irradiation creep andswelling; thermal cycling; joiningand interface technologies; effects ofhelium; very long-term degradationof storage materials; anddevelopment of new and improvedmethods for non-destructiveexamination and continuousmonitoring and inspection of plantperformance.


Pioneering low carbon technologies,

including renewables,CCS, and subject to ourdecision, nuclear, will

help secure diversefuture energy supplieswhile tackling climate

change. In a globalmarket, the UK’s

expertise in developingthese technologies willalso open up business

worth billions of pounds

John Hutton,Secretary of State for Business,Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.November 2007

“

“


55

Key Applied R&D PriorityAreasFour immediate opportunities havebeen identified that play to UKstrengths and would yieldsubstantial progress on a number ofkey cross-cutting issues. Theseopportunities arise through synergiesin experimental and modellingtechniques.

Accordingly, the UK would benefitgreatly from new or enhanced R&Dprogrammes into:

• in service and in-repositorycorrosion and degradation ofmaterials

• high temperature behaviour andlife prediction of welded structuresunder complex loading

• irradiation damage in fission andfusion materials

• development of advanced remoterepair techniques, NDE andmaterials monitoring in service

Underpinning ResearchRequirementsThere are exciting new opportunitiesfor productive research in the area ofunderpinning R&D, building onrecent advances in experimentalmethods for materialscharacterisation and understanding-based multi-scale modelling ofmaterials behaviour. Materials whichneed to be studied are austenitic,ferritic and oxide-dispersionstrengthened steels; zirconium;graphite; fission fuel materials;refractory metals such as tungsten;and repository materials.

The key challenges are summarisedin Table A2.

Table A2 Top level SRA R&D priorities: Nuclear Energy





1.


• Improve resistance to radiation damage

• Improve resistance to environmental degradation

• Improve temperature capability of materials, especially for fusion reactor

• Studies of irradiation-assisted creep, and creep-fatigue interactions

• Autoclave studies of corrosion behaviour under realistic conditions

• Develop improved large-scale processing and coating technologies for ceramics

• Computer modelling and atomic scale experimentation

• Fundamental studies of mechanisms of environmentally assisted failure

• Fundamental studies of processing and properties of ceramics and ceramic matrix composites.

• Requires access to long-term irradiation and test facilities (Including IFMIF, for fusion materials research)

• Requires facilities where corrosion and irradiation occur simultaneously.

• International cooperation required to develop advanced ceramic-based materials

2.


• Accurately predict lifetimes of reactor systems and sub-systems

• Continuously monitor reactor conditions

• Improve quantitative analysis of behaviour of welded structures subject to high temperatures and complex loading

• Develop improved sensors and robust devices that can be installed within critical regions

• Development of remoterepair techniques, especially for irradiated material

• Multi-scale modelling of materials behaviour, improved mechanistic understanding of degradation behaviour

• Research on physical principles underpinning sensors, plus improved signal processing and image analysis procedures

• Analysis of complex structures, and atomic level modelling, require international effort

• Need to further develop internationally agreed standards and protocols for non-destructive evaluation of materials


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1.3 Alternative EnergyTechnologies Status

The government target of achieving20% energy generation fromrenewable sources by 2020 from acurrent level of around 4%, providesthe biggest opportunity to the UKmaterials community. There ispotential for the UK to becomeworld leaders, particularly inoffshore generation technologies andthe associated R&D.

UK StrengthsThe UK’s strengths in sustainableenergy vary from technology totechnology. However, the abundanceof natural resources places the UK ina world leading position fordevelopment and deployment ofoffshore renewable technologies. Foroffshore wind farms, the UK’sstrengths currently lie in thedeployment of technologies and inwave/tidal we lead the world indevelopment of devices, butdeployment remains slow. The UKhas leading edge manufacturers ofintermediate and high-temperaturefuel cells. UK solar photovoltaicdevelopment and manufacture facesbig challenges to reduce costs. TtheUK has a strong academic base thatcan support future needs across abroad spectrum of alternative energymaterials technologies.

Key TechnologiesThe UK can play a major role in thefuture development of wind,wave/tidal, solar pv, hydrogen, fuelcells and biomass. All of thesetechnologies provide ‘low carbon’alternatives to fossil fuels and helpreduce CO2 emissions. No singletechnology can meet the challenge –all have a part to play in meetingincreased demand for energy ordisplacing other options when theyreach the end of their commerciallife.

Materials challengesOne of the greatest challenges forthe emerging technologies is that of

reducing time to market andlifecycle cost

For photovoltaics and fuel cells, costis a barrier to market and R&D mustfocus on bringing these costs down. Where the technologies have beendeployed and demonstrated the issueis

improved life managementand reliability

This is particularly the case ofoffshore wind where highmaintenance costs and reliability area key issue due to the inaccessibilityof the plant.

Reducing costs and proving thereliability of the technologies areclear priority topics for materialsresearch to help to increase thedeployment of these technologies.With supported deployment,improved technologies andupscaling, come cost reductions andincreased confidence, helping tobroaden the market opportunities.The materials challenges facing thealternative energy technologies suchas biomass/waste to energy, fuel cellsand hydrogen have close synergieswith fossil-fuel heat and powertechnologies requiring

higher performance in harsherenvironments

In addition there are materialschallenges facing those which takeadvantage of naturally occurringprocesses from which energy can bederived, including wind, wave/tidaland solar, which provide differingoperating environments. Thesediverse technologies depend on awide range of structural andfunctional materials.


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Key Applied R&D PriorityAreas

• Development of lightweight/highstrength composites (epoxy-resinglass reinforced plastics, carbon-carbon composites, etc.) for windand tidal turbine blades, that canresist high fatigue loads and theharsh offshore environment forlarger designs

• Development of surfaceengineering technologiesincluding;

-Paints for antifouling ofwave/tidal components.

-Coatings – e.g. drag reducingcoatings for wind turbines,corrosion protection for biomassheat exchangers, antireflectivecoatings for PV cells

• Development of sub-systemcomponents in Solid Oxide FuelCells (SOFC)

• Improved electrolytes, electrodesand interconnect materials forSOFCs, membranes, materials forH2 storage, etc.

• Development of test andmodelling methods for materialscharacterisation for harshenvironments

Key Fundamental R&DPriority Areas

• Development of innovative anddisruptive material designs andprocessing techniques e.g.sandwich constructions, joints,FRP pre-forming and infusiontechniques for wind/wave/tidalturbines.

• Advanced processing of silicon andthin film GaInP/GaAs forphotovoltaic cells to reduce costs

Generic areas of R&DModelling provides a short cut toimproving component design and aninvaluable tool for the managementof the energy system in service. Formany of the alternative energytechnologies the issue of lifemanagement and reliability havebeen highlighted as key issues wheremodelling will give potential highpayback. eg

• Wind and tidal turbine blades(reliability and serviceability)

• Heat exchangers in biomasscombustion and gasificationsystems (reliability)

• Reliability improvement of Lowand high temperature fuel cellcomponents

• Improved reliability and reduceduncertainty through thedevelopment of test and modellingmethods for lifecycleanalysis/fatigue performance ofconstituent materials, sub-components and major structuresi.e. blades

Development of advanced Non-destructive Examination, Monitoringand Sensors can provide vitalinformation of plant condition andhence avoid unscheduled outagesand costs. The needs for remotemonitoring (either of theenvironment experienced or thecondition of the material-particularlyfor plant in remote locations wherereliability and regular maintenanceare key, e.g. offshore wind farms),there is a need for the collection ofdata for the development of modelsand their validation and theassessment of material condition inservice. R&D which will lead to;

• Reductions in operating andmaintenance (O&M) costs throughdevelopment of structural healthmonitoring technologies

• Development and application ofNDE techniques for more accurateand rapid defect detection, e.g. forwind turbines

• Development of sensors for in-situcondition assessment

• Development of standards andcertification procedures

The key challenges are summarisedin Tables A3-A8

We also want to mobilise the enthusiasm and potential of individuals

and communities to generate their own energylocally, through solar panels and

wind turbines for example. We are therefore bringing forward a range of

measures to support more distributed forms of energy.

Alistair Darling EWP

“

“


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Table A3 Top level SRA R&D priorities, Alternative Energy: Offshore Wind





1.


• Need to produce large composite structures quickly

• Development of rapid fabrication processes including short duration mould times and joining of sub-structures

• Development of advanced composite material systems suitable for high-speed, high volume processing

2.


• Requirement for innovative material solutions to overcome ‘up-scaling’/ light-weighting challenges. Materials for harsh environments

• Development of material and component/structural designs and processing techniques e.g. sandwich constructions, joints, FRP pre-forming and infusion techniques

• Coatings for erosion-corrosion resistance

• Development of test and modelling methods for materials characterisation for harsh environments

• ‘New’ materials-toughened GRP & CFRP or hybrids to enhance fatigue lives

• Nanoreinforcements• State-of-the laboratories for accelerated testing of large components under realistic climatological conditions

3.


• Improved operational reliability and reduced uncertainty of turbine performance Reductions in operating and maintenance (O&M) costs

Development and application of:

• Structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies

• NDI techniques for more accurate and rapid defect detection

• crack initiation and fatigue database for life prediction.

• Development of test and modelling methods for lifecycle analysis/fatigue performance of constituent materials, sub-components and major structures


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Table A4 Top level SRA R&D priorities, Alternative Energy: Wave and Tidal





1.


Reduce production costImproved understanding of material fatigue behaviour.

Develop volume production and manufacture techniques

Development of test and modelling methods for fatigue performance of constituent materials, sub-components and major structures

2.


Requirement for innovative material solutions to overcome ‘up-scaling’/ light-weighting challenges. Materials for harsh environments

Development of material and component/structural designs and processing techniques e.g. sandwich constructions, joints, FRP pre-forming and infusion techniques

Development of test and modelling methods for materials characterisation for harsh environments

Characterisation of material degradation and flaw development under environmental conditions

3.


Reductions in operating and maintenance (O&M) costs

Development and application of:

(i) Structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies

(ii) NDI techniques for more accurate and rapid defect detection

(iii) Long-term, low cost anti-corrosion coating systems

Characterisation of material degradation and flaw development under environmental conditions


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Table A5 Top level SRA R&D priorities, Alternative Energy: Fuel Cells





1.


• Characterisation and control of porous electrode microstructure and processes

• Fabrication processing and characterisation of multi-component porous architectures

• Multiscale modelling of electrodes.

• Rational design of electrode materials and structures.

• Fundamentals of Electrode kinetics

• Improved functional materials

• Improved processing of thin multilayer structures, e.g sintering.

• Accelerated discovery of high performance cell components (modelling and experiment)

• Design and development of high performance cell components

2.


• Corrosion resistant materials for interconnects and BoP.

• Oxidation and corrosion testing of materials including characterisation and prediction of lifetime.

• Identify fundamental corrosion mechanisms

• Fabrication of new alloy compositions at R&D and production volumes

3.


• Identification of failure and degradation processes

• Accelerated testing in FC environment

• Modelling and characterisation of in-situ processes

• In-situ characterisation techniques

Table A6 Top level SRA R&D priorities: Biomass





1.


Improved understanding of corrosion mechanisms and development of resistant alloys and protective coatings for boilers, gas turbines and combustion engines.

Improved materials selection and plant design approaches to minimise risk of damage, materials/fabrication costs and facilitate service/repair.

Generation of design-relevant materials data for alloys, coatings and joints. Definition of plant operating limits for different biomass types. Assessment of fuel additives and operational options to reduce fouling/corrosion.

i) Networking with other biomass plant operators –shared experience to reduce risks.

ii) Data generation for different biomass fuels/operating conditions for model development. iii) Collaboration on novel diagnostic techniques.

2.


Excessive corrosion limiting steam temperatures in boilers and hot corrosion in gas turbines and combustion engines.

Development of reliable alloy/coating materials systems. Improved understanding of the effects of operating conditions on corrosion rates leading to improved designs.

Development of advanced smart coatings to resist variable corrosion mechanisms. Determination of alloy/coating performance limits.

3.


Excessive corrosion limiting steam temperatures in boilers and hot corrosion in gas turbines and combustion engines.

Development and application of diagnostic techniques. Improved repair procedures.

Characterisation of alloy/coating degradation mechanisms and development of predictive models relating fuel properties and operating conditions to damage


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Table A7 Top level SRA R&D priorities: Solar PV





1.


Cost efficient materials processing for both crystalline silicon and thin film systems.

Development of high yield cutting techniques for very thin wafers. Improved in-line processing tools for thin film systems

Routes to high quality, low cost crystallization.Volume production and processing techniques for think film

2.

Environmental resilience

Long-term (>25 years) stability of module materials especially for building integrated systems

Development of suitable coatings and coating techniques.

Characterisation of materials degradation due to sunlight and thermal cycling. Characterisation of effects of concentrated sunlight.

3.


Better understanding of the role and functions of layers and junctions in thin film PV

Enhanced encapsulation methods for rigid and flexible systems

Improved characterisation techniques for the effects observed at layers and junctions

Table A8 Top level SRA SRA R&D priorities, Alternative Energy: Hydrogen





1.


• Production of H2 from renewable and sustainable means.

• Improved next-generation catalysts for high temperature processes. Develop material for improved separation processes

• Development of sensitive, selective sensor materials.

2.


• Need to develop efficient storage methods capable of withstanding both the hydrogen environment and the working environment in which the system will be deployed

• Mechanical testing of storage materials. Development of ‘hybrid approaches’.

• An atomic- and molecular-level understanding of the physical and chemical processes involved in hydrogen storage and release.

• Development of new transition metal hydrides

• Large-scale environmental testing

3.


• Need to develop efficient storage methods capable of withstanding both the hydrogen environment and the working environment in which the system will be deployed

• Development of sensitive, selective sensor materials.

• Research on material embrittlement, centred on the atomic-scale mechanisms responsible for materials failure.


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1.4 Transmission, Distributionand Energy Storage (TDES)

Status

Transmission and distributionnetworks are ageing and assetreplacement programmes currentlyaverage some £500M p/a. Thisregeneration provides anopportunity to introduce innovativematerials developments to improvenetwork efficiency and offer energy-saving benefits and increasedsecurity of supply to consumers viasuch new technologies such asSuperGrid & ‘smart energy’ systems

At present, there are about 8%energy losses from the 25,000km ofhigh voltage overhead cables andover 800,000km of local distributionnetworks that supply our electricity.This equates to around 3GW ofpower or 8 million tonnes of CO2entering the atmosphere each year.Incremental development of existingmaterials would significantly reducethis loss, while ‘stepchange’/disruptive materialstechnologies, such as HighTemperature Superconducting (HTS)cables and fault current limiterscould lead to ‘near zero loss’ powerdelivery.

By 2020 the government iscommitted to generating 20% of itsenergy from renewable resources,many of which [e.g. wind, wave andsolar power] are fromintermittent/fluctuating sources. Thesize of individual power generationfacilities will also vary greatly – fromthe large fossil- and nuclear-fuelledpower-stations that deliver severalgiga-watts of power, to themicrogeneration of small domesticwind turbines, photovoltaic cells etc.that require to deliver a fewkilowatts of excess power back intothe distribution network. Complexpower management, smart metering,and network interconnectivity willrequire a wide range of sophisticatedfunctional and structural materialdevelopments. Such ‘changing times’offer an opportunity to introducenew technology in a phased andcontrolled manner

Large-scale energy storage viasupercapacitors or [longer term]Superconducting Magnetic Energy

Storage (SMES) will allow largequantities of power to be readilyavailable ‘on demand’. At presentsuch power is stored by pumpedwater systems that take many hoursto convert the stored energy backinto electricity.

Portable power for environmentally-friendly transportation via fuel cells /hybrid power and battery power fora wide range of business anddomestic equipment are further areasin which there are marketopportunities for advanced materialstechnologies to support the strategicneeds for a reliable, secure energysupply.

UK’s dependence on oil and gas asmajor fuel sources will continue intothe foreseeable future and theirsecure and reliable transmission andstorage via tankers, pipework andpressure vessels must not beoverlooked - nor the materialschallenges they pose. The ‘hydrogeneconomy’ has been proposed as theenvironmentally friendly fuel of thefuture. High-pressure hydrogen gasreacts with common pipework steelscausing embrittlement, whiletransfer of liquid hydrogen requiresstructures capable of withstanding–(minus) 250˚C. These are just someof the issues facing well-establishedstructural materials.

Functional materials will be requiredto switch high voltage power,quickly, safely and reliably usingfabrication and microchip electronictechnology more commonlyassociated with laptop computersand small domestic equipment. Morerobust, high temperature devices,with high-throughput thermalmanagement methods, will beneeded. Such devices will move fromsilicon wafer technology to siliconcarbide and possible diamondsemiconductor materials

UK Strengths

The electricity transmission anddistribution infrastructure isstrategically important to the UKeconomy. In a bid to improveeconomic efficiency, the UKelectricity supply industry wasliberalised in 1990, though thetransmission and distributionsegments remained as regulated


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monopolies. Centralised electricityresearch laboratories were disbandedand much of that expertise has beenlost. However expertise has beenretained among the transmissionand distribution networks andwithin the associated UK supplyindustries. Energy materials andtechnological development is strongin both industry and academe forspecific high-value niche markets,whereas low cost high volumeproduction has migrated todeveloping nations. However, nichemarkets are global and products areexported to rapidly growing areassuch as China & India.

UK has key strengths in thetransmission of energy supplies suchas oil and gas, thanks to thedevelopment of North Sea reserves.Whist production from the UKContinental Shelf has reduced overthe years, much of the expertise stillexists within the offshore industryand pipeline manufacturers toaddress future materials issues.

The UK also has a strong academicreputation in emerging energymaterials, such as fuel cells andsuperconducting high temperaturematerials. Some of this expertise isbeing ‘spun off’ into newcommercial enterprises.

Key Technologies

Transmission, distribution & energystorage technologies are not limitedto electricity. They include:

• Electricity transmission anddistribution and associatedequipment

• Electricity storage (batteries, smallscale fuel cells, supercapacitors,superconducting magnetic energystorage)

• Hydrogen storage and transport

• Transportation of oil & gas(pipelines) and fuel storage

Basic and applied research in theenergy sector is well served in theUK. Disciplines include materialsscience, chemistry and mechanical/electrical/civil engineering.

Materials Challenges

One of the key technology priorityareas for transmission, distributionand storage is related to:

‘reducing time to market andlifecycle costs’

Time between ‘concept &component’ for innovative designsneeds to be drastically reduced in theelectrical transmission anddistribution sector. New modellingmethods - from alloy developmentthrough manufacture to componentvalidation – help reduce timescales.Similar reductions are needed inplanning approval timescales. Thisissue was addressed in the 2007Energy White Paper.

There are a wide range of issuesrelating to

‘higher performance inharsher environments’

These include the development andperformance of high voltage/hightemperature semi-conductormaterials through to high strengthstructural pipelines for onshore andoffshore applications that canoperate from nearly 100˚C to –250˚C(for liquid hydrogen transportation).

Reliability is a key issue for securityof supply both of electricity and oiland gas. Priorities relating to;

improving life managementand reliability

which cover how the lifetimes oftransmission, distribution andstorage plant can be extended if thecondition of the facilities can bemore effectively monitored. Such‘condition monitoring’ helps avoidunscheduled plant closures therebymaintaining reliable operation.Improvements in remotemonitoring, non-destructiveevaluation (NDE) and more accuratelife prediction methods helpsachieve this objective. The ultimatelong- term goal is for ‘intelligent’plant to monitor itself and introduceremedial action to pre-empt failure.This is the basis of ‘self-indicatingand self-healing structures’.

Key Applied Energy R&Dpriorities

• Dealing with aging infrastructures:Defining replacement strategiesbefore failure, based on scientificand engineering judgment andknowledge of materialsdegradation mechanismsfacilitating _risk management ofexisting transmission anddistribution infrastructure

• Development of high performanceelectrical insulation materials

• Development of fault currentlimiters using advanced materialstechnologies, e.g. HTS andsemiconductors

• Models and tools for conditionmonitoring. Applicationtechnologies for high-voltage,wide-band semiconductors forSmartGrids

• Advanced polymer composites forhigh and ultra high voltageequipment.

• Materials developments forsupercapacitors and batteries forefficient energy storage

• High strength low cost pipelines(Oil&Gas)

Key Fundamental EnergyR&D priorities

• Modelling and the design oftransmission and distributionmaterials/multi-materials for harshenvironments

• Development of simulationpackages to improve prediction oflong-term performance ofmaterials (e.g. + 40 years) to ensurereliability and power quality

• Step-change improvements inelectrical, as well as thermal andmechanical performance of energymaterials

• Advanced NDE and conditionmonitoring techniques

The main challenges in this area aresummarized in Table A9


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Table A9 Top level SRA SRA R&D priorities: Transmission, Distribution and Storage





1.


• Reducing development time for new and improved materials for transmission & distribution

• Development of new and more affordable materials for energy storage

• Development of lighter weight and smaller components for energy storage

• Development of electrical insulation , (including nanomaterials) and applications methodology for ultra high voltage and microgrid applications

• Development of fault current limiters using advanced materials technologies, e.g. HTS and semiconductor

• Development of affordable energy storage solutions (bulk and transportable-scale)

• Improvement in electrical as well as thermal and mechanical performance of energy materials

• Modelling and characterisation of superconducting components

• Understanding and characterisation of advanced composites and nanomaterials for TD&S

• Development of SMART Materials

• Development of advanced conductors

• materials technologies for energy switching and transformation (e.g. high voltage silicon and silicon carbide)

2.


• Development of transmission and distribution materials for use at extremes (e.g. electrical stress and pressure) and for extended lifetimes

• Development of lighter weight and smaller components for energy storage and distribution.

• Application technologies for high-voltage, wide-band semiconductors for SmartGrids

• Advanced polymer composites for high and ultra high voltage equipment.

• Materials for high strength pipelines.

• Lower-cost cryogenic materials and cooling methods

• Modelling and the design of transmission and distribution materials/multi-materials for harsh environments

• Development of simulation packages to improve prediction of long-term performance of materials (e.g. + 40 years)

• Self healing materials (including composites) and self indicating materials

• High temperature electrical conductors

3.


• Ability to handle aging infrastructure

• Life prediction methodologies development

• NDE and condition monitoring methods development

• Modelling and lifetime prediction of future transmission and distribution materials/multi-materials

• Advanced remote condition monitoring tools



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1.5 Energy Conservation-Construction Materials

The SRA has concentrated mainly onthe generation, transmission anddistribution of energy. Limited workhas been carried out by the EMWGin conjunction with theConstruction Materials WorkingGroup (CMWG). A summary ispresented here which will bedeveloped further by the CMWG inmore detail in 2008.

StatusAbout 40% of all emissions ofgreenhouse gases are associated withenergy use in buildings, typicallyabout 80% from the use of thebuilding and 20% from itsconstruction and demolition. In UKabout 60% of those emissions arefrom housing, largely from space andwater heating but also significantamounts from lighting andappliances.

The industry is extremely disparate,with only a very small number oflarge companies. In 2005 there were182,644 private contractors on theBERR’s register, of which more than90% of which had 13 of feweremployees, with no one firm havingmore than a 10% market share.

UK StrengthsThe UK construction industry is vast;its output is worth £100bn a year, itaccounts for 8% of GDP andemploys 2.1 million people.However, buildings are alsoresponsible for almost half the UKcarbon emissions, half the waterconsumption, about one third of thelandfill waste and 13% of allmaterials used in the UK economy.

ExpertiseThe construction industry influencesthe UK’s energy usage in three ways:

- The energy embodied inconstruction materials andproducts,

- The energy used during theconstruction process and

- The energy used by the users ofthe buildings

Significant improvements have beenmade in recent years; the energyconsumed by a house built to today’sstandards is about one-third that ofan equivalent house in 1965, butthere is still a long way to go.Materials for the constructionproducts industry is at the heart ofthe UK economy. The industryprovides essential materials for ourhomes, schools, hospitals, factories,offices, roads and railways. Itsproducts are vital to daily life and itmakes an essential contribution tothe UK economy.The diverse nature of theconstruction industry is reflected interms of the materials that theymanufacture and supply, includingsteel, concrete, tarmac, composites,timber, glass, ceramics andinsulation materials. Despite itsdisparate nature, the value ofconstructional materials to the UK isreflected in the fact that the UK isthe world leader in the applicationand use of metals in theconstruction industry.

Materials ChallengesIn late 2006 a Code for SustainableHomes was launched to drive a step-change in sustainable home buildingpractice. It is intended to becomethe single national standard forhome design and construction. Thecode will complement the system ofEnergy Performance Certificatesbeing introduced in 2007 under theEnergy Performance in BuildingsDirectorate (EPBD). This has led tomany of the materials challenges forthe construction sector to be drivenby environmental challenges toimprove efficiency through the fulllife cycle and reduce CO2 impact.The need for

‘reducing time to market andlifecycle costs’

is through, for example sustainablemanufacturing methods, novel off-site construction methods and use ofmore recycled materials. As withother sectors, there is a drive for

‘improving life managementand reliability’

in both new build and refurbishmentand ‘retrofit’ of old buildings toimprove their efficiency. There is a

need for the construction industry towork closely with electricitysuppliers and the grid, to facilitatethe intergration, management anddeployment of distributedmicrogeneration systems such assolar thermal, solar pv , micro windturbines and CHP.

Development of materials systemsfor enhanced performance isessential as the construction sectormoves forward and operation with

‘higher performance in harsherenvironments’

will become more of a requirement,Hence, coatings, novel joiningtechnologies and materials withincreased mechanical and thermalproperties are needed. Much of thismaybe through the adoption ofexisting technologies from othersectors.

As with most areas, the ability toachieve the above relies on theavailability of a suitably trainedworkforce to address the maindrivers of the sector. This in itself is amajor issue for the constructionmaterials sector.


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Applied R&D PrioritiesA list of common R&D themes withassociated materials challenges hasemerged:

• Reducing the embodied energy ofcommon construction materialsand the raw materials which inputinto them:

• Alternative fuels in manufacturingprocesses; lower cost and carbonalternatives to oil and gas.

• Heat recovery and re-useparticularly developing practicalways to use lower temperatureheat often wasted in commonmanufacturing processes.

• Increased use of recycled materials.The issue preventing more directre-use of recycled materials is oftenquality, so we require betterreclamation processes and/or morerobust manufacturing processeswhich can cope with an increasedlevel of contamination from othermaterials.

• Lower temperature manufacturingprocesses. Processes morechemical / biological in nature,rather than high temperaturemelting. The main issues are likelyto be the durability of materialsmanufactured by lowertemperature processes andrecycling may be more difficultafter permanent reactions.

• Processing of input raw materialsmay also reduce manufacturingenergy further down the chain, forexample reduced particle size mayspeed-up / reduce temperatures.

• An obvious point is that animprovement in the basicproperties of a material can resultin less of it being required whichwould have a direct effect onembodied energy. For example,stronger glass may allow thinnerglass to be used, with lowerembodied energy.

- Coatings or more generally SurfaceEngineering is an importantcommon theme across materialsectors and building elements.

- There is a lack of Low CarbonAlternatives for constructionmaterials and systems. These areneeded to investigate the relativebenefit of potential improvementsand to understand the sensitivityof energy/carbon and otherenvironmental aspects to variousfactors. They should include end-of-life issues and transport (notjust to the factory gate) which isimportant to assess the benefit ofoff-site construction methods andbe easy to use and allow differentscenarios to be compared. This isclosely linked to Full LifetimeCosting.

Key Fundamental EnergyR&D priorities

- Hybrid systems of variousmaterials will be needed and theinterfaces between the differentmaterials will be increasinglyimportant, directly in issues suchas air-tightness and thermalbridging, but more generally injoining new elements andmaterials together. Therefore,joining technologies and the moregeneral subject of interfacesbetween dissimilar materials is animportant theme. Recycling ofhybrid systems needs to beconsidered carefully.

- Thermal mass of materials andsystems is a common topic ofinterest when designingsustainable buildings, includingthe emergence of phase changematerials.

- Reliable and more user-friendlymodels of building performancewill be needed to help designersdecide between a multitude ofoptions and to help the materialsR&D community prioritiseimprovement projects. Models willneed to be validated which mayrequire new measurementmethods.

- Step-change pre-competitiveresearch into novel materials thatshould be undertaken with centralbecause the scale and technicalrisk are beyond the resources ofindividual companies or sectors orwho may have little incentive todevelop disruptive technologiesthat may nevertheless be vital tothe industry as a whole. If the UKdoes not develop these novelmaterials, others will.

The main challenges in this area aresummarized in Table A10


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Table A10 Top level SRA R&D priorities: Housing Construction





1.


• Reducing embodied energy of construction materials

• Development and use of recyclable materials without penalty to properties

• Lower temperature manufacturing process development

• Development of advanced reclamation processes

• Chemical/biological process development

2.


• Development of materials systems for enhanced performance

• Coatings development for improved performance and protection

• New joining technologies of materials to allow for lower consumption

• Phase change materials with designed thermal mass

• SMART coatings

• Hybrid systems and their recycling

3.


• Ability to handle aging infrastructure and predict performance of new-build

• Condition monitoring of buildings (inbuilt sensors), SMART structures

• Modelling and lifetime prediction of buildings and their performance

• Advanced remote condition monitoring tools


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Energy materials

Materials UK (MatUK) Energy materials working groupSTRUCTURE AND TERMS OF REFERENCE

Annex 2

1. Objective

Reporting into MatUK, the remit ofthe Energy Materials Working Groupis to develop a Strategic ResearchAgenda and Deployment Plan for theUK Materials supply chain whichwill improve profitability in thesector whilst meeting the keyenergy-related challenges ofsustainability, environment andsecurity of supply facing the UK.This should encompass the followingscope:

• Power generation (conventional,nuclear and alternative energysources)

• Transmission & distribution

• Energy Storage

• Efficiency (conservation-initiallyhousing)

This should be achieved by:

a)Accounting for the 2006 EnergyReview and 2007 Energy WhitePaper and looking ahead over a 5,10 & 20 year horizon, defining thekey materials research anddevelopment requirements for theEnergy Sector.

b)Identifying key strengths, gaps andopportunities for the UK materialssupply chain to generatesignificant new business over theaforementioned timescales

c) Accounting for likely policy,legislative, training and skillsimpact on the sector to feed intoother existing MatUK workingGroups

d)Accounting for, consulting withand informing existing National(and European) materials groupsinvolved in the sector; includingindustrial, governmental,academic, NGO’s, researchcouncils and funding agencies.

e) Promoting the formation of a UKInnovation Platform on Materials

2. Scope

Whilst recognising that the transportsector has a major impact on bothenergy usage and CO2 emissions, thescope of this Group will initiallyexclude this sector from its scope as,in particular, the aerospace andautomotive sectors are being, or havebeen covered within other Groups.However, it is intended to recognisethe output of these Groups and liaisewith them where necessary.

With the above exception, the scopeof the Energy Working Group willcover major sectors involved inenergy production, transmission,distribution, storage and usage.

3. Structure

The overall structure andresponsibilities are shown in figure 1.

a)The Group will comprise anAdvisory Committee consisting ofindustrial representatives of thefull materials supply chain fromproducers to end-users. It will alsoinclude RDA’s, RTO’s academicsand research councils andgovernment agencies

Additional organisations will beinvited to join as deemed necessaryby the Committee to form abalanced sector view.

b)Task Groups will be set up totackle specific issues or technologyareas as required. Task-groupmembership will be open to anystakeholder or individual expertswho can make a usefulcontribution. The initial proposedTask Groups are shown in Fig 1.These will comprise a chairman orco-chairmen (who ideally will be amember of the AdvisoryCommittee) and typically up to sixadditional experts in the relevantfield. Their remit and scope will beset by the Advisory Committee.(For the remit/scope of the initialTask Groups see Annex 1)

4. Organisation

d)The Energy Materials WorkingGroup Advisory Committee will beco-chaired by Derek Allen (AlstomPower) and Steve Garwood (Rolls-Royce plc).

e) The secretariat will be supplied by BERR

f) The Group will report into theExecutive Committee of MaterialsUK through the co-chairs, but willalso have the freedom to act uponits own initiatives where and whenappropriate, particularly in theimplementation phase.

g)It is anticipated that the Groupwill have an initial lifespan of 2years

5. Deliverables

1.A Strategic Research Agenda (SRA)for energy materials which definesthe drivers, barriers and roadmapfor R&D over the next 20 years

2.A Deployment Plan whichindicates how the SRA will beimplemented and impact on theUK materials industry.

This will be formally presentedthrough MatUK to key stakeholdersof Government officials, ResearchCouncils, RDA’s and the TechnologyStrategy Board to develop an agreed,long term, sustainable EnergyMaterials Research Programme forthe UK.


69

MatUKExecutive Committee

EnergyWorking GroupAdvisory Committee

Co-ordination and developmentof strategy and deployment plan

Development of R&D priorities

Fossil/Nuclear

Renewables

Regulatory/Policies/Social

T&D/storage

TaskGroupsConservation

Implementation

Structure of MatUKFig 1Structure of the EnergyMaterials Working Group

6. Dissemination

1. Dissemination to the widercommunity will be throughcommunication routes including:-

a. MatUK and the materials KTN’sand their associated websites

b.The newly announced EnergyTechnology Institute

c. The Institute IoM3 Journal and therecently launched ‘EnergyMaterials’ Journal

d.Town meetings

e. Appropriate conferences andmeetings


70

Energy materialsAnnex 2

REMIT AND SCOPE OF TASKGROUPS

1. Task Groups (TG)

Task Groups will be set up by theAdvisory Committee to take upspecific ‘time-limited’ activities withclear deliverables related to the workof the Group. Task-groupmembership will be open to anystakeholder or individual expertswho can make a useful contribution.The Task Groups will comprise achairman or co-chairmen (whoideally will be a member of theAdvisory Group) and a core team ofexperts in the relevant field.

Initially, four TGs will be establishedto develop an R&D roadmap forEnergy Materials in the UK covering

• Current status/value to the UK

• SWOT analysis

• Drivers

• R&D needs

• Barriers

• Recommendations

The initial four TG’s are:-

TG 1. Power Generation (Fossil & Nuclear):Co-chairs C. Small, Rolls Royce plc, G. Smith, Oxford University

This will include materials issues related to the following:

• Gas, oil and coal fired power plant

• Nuclear (fission and fusion)power plant

• CO2 capture technologies

TG 2. Power Generation (Alternative Energy Supplies):Co-Chairs J. Oakey, Cranfield University, C. Bagley, TWI

This will include materials issues related to the following:-

• Biomass, waste and co-firing

• Solar

• Wind

• Wave & tidal

• Fuel cells

• Hydrogen

TG 3. Energy Transmission, Distribution and Storage:Co-chairs Z. Melham, Oxford Instruments, A. Hyde, Areva

This will include materials issues related to the following:

• The transmission and distribution of energy and fuels including electricity, gasand oil including networking issues.

• Storage issues associated with oil, gas, CO2, hydrogen and electricity

• Issues associated with transportation of fuels

• Specific issues associated with distributed power

TG 4. Energy Conservation:Chairs P. Ramsey, Pilkington through chair of Construction Materials Working Group

In the first instance this will only include materials issues related to the following:

• The built environment

It is envisaged that generic topics such as :

• Regulatory, legislative and policy considerations which may affect the energymaterials supply chain including environmental legislation and raw materialssupply

• Socio-economic aspects relating to the usage of energy and how these impact onthe Sector and materials in particular.

• Regional strengths, opportunities and issues.

• Training & Skills (specific to Energy Materials only)

will be captured and then shared with other relevant Working Groups of MatUKthrough a common representation on both Groups.


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The views and judgements expressed in this report reflect the concensus reached by the authors and contributors and do not necessarily reflect thoseof the organisations to which they are affiliated. Whilst every care has been taken in compiling the information in this report, neither the authors orMatUK can be held responsible for any errors, omissions, or subsequent use of this information.

Printed on material produced at a mill certified to the environmental management standard ISO14001, from well managed, sustainable forestsDesign and production: wddesign.co.uk




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Energy materials Strategic research agenda