Topic description and stories

Research is tackling the need to reduce energy demand, maintain energy supply, increase the efficiency of energy-requiring processes, and develop policy and pricing strategies. To find out more about our research in energy, visit the Energy Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) website

Aerial shot of wind farm

Developing solutions for the energy transition

14 Jun 2023

Solutions are being developed at Cambridge that can be implemented, grown to scale, and used to accelerate the rapid transition to a net zero and...

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A photoreactor with an artificial leaf working under solar irradiation

Driving on sunshine: clean, usable liquid fuels made from solar power

18 May 2023

Researchers have developed a solar-powered technology that converts carbon dioxide and water into liquid fuels that can be added directly to a car’s...

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Bismuth oxyiodide crystals

Sustainable solar cell material shown to be highly promising for medical imaging

10 May 2023

Using X-rays to see inside the human body has revolutionised non-invasive medical diagnostics. However, the dose of X-rays required for imaging is...

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King Charles III at the groundbreaking for the New Whittle Laboratory

The King breaks ground on Cambridge’s New Whittle Laboratory

09 May 2023

His Majesty The King visited the University of Cambridge today, in his first public engagement following the Coronation.

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Artist's illustration of photosynthesis

Photosynthesis ‘hack’ could lead to new ways of generating renewable energy

22 Mar 2023

Researchers have ‘hacked’ the earliest stages of photosynthesis, the natural machine that powers the vast majority of life on Earth, and discovered...

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Green Leaf inside a Computer Circuit Board

Big data's hidden cost

16 Jan 2023

As the climate emergency and cost-of-living crisis focus our minds on how to reduce energy, a group of scientists have highlighted the hidden...

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Solar-powered reactor for converting plastic and greenhouse gases into sustainable fuels

Solar-powered system converts plastic and greenhouse gases into sustainable fuels

09 Jan 2023

Researchers have developed a system that can transform plastic waste and greenhouse gases into sustainable fuels and other valuable products – using...

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Man installing loft insulation

Insulation only provides short-term reduction in household gas consumption

01 Jan 2023

First study to look at long-term effect of home insulation in England and Wales finds fall in gas consumption per household was small and only lasts...

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Silvia Vignolini (left), Rachel Oliver (right)

Two Cambridge researchers awarded Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies

01 Dec 2022

Professor Rachel Oliver and Professor Silvia Vignolini from the University of Cambridge have been awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in...

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Can aviation be sustainable?

Can aviation be sustainable?

23 Nov 2022

Air travel is one of the major contributors to global warming. Cambridge scientists are working with leading energy companies to help develop...

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Aeroplane flying

The future of aviation: how will we fly to COP in 2035?

18 Nov 2022

In the week of COP27 people across the world have flown to Sharm El Sheikh to discuss action on climate change. Aviation is a crucial way to bring us...

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Tetrataenite found in Nuevo Mercurio, Zacatecas, Mexico

New approach to ‘cosmic magnet’ manufacturing could reduce reliance on rare earths in low-carbon technologies

25 Oct 2022

Researchers have discovered a potential new method for making the high-performance magnets used in wind turbines and electric cars without the need...

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