Scenarios for the Development of Smart Grids in the UK: Synthesis Report

Building on extensive expert feedback and input, this Research Report describes four smart grid scenarios which consider how the UK' electricity system might develop to 2050. The scenarios outline how political decisions, as well as those made in regulation, finance, technology, consumer and social behaviour, market design or response, might affect the decisions of other actors and limit or allow the availability of future options

Scenarios for the Development of Smart Grids in the UK: Literature Review

This Working Paper reviews the existing literature on the socio-technical aspects of smart grid development. This work was undertaken as part of the Scenarios for the Development of Smart Grids in the UK project

Dynamic Phase Transitions in Cell Spreading

We monitored isotropic spreading of mouse embryonic fibroblasts on fibronectin-coated substrates. Cell adhesion area versus time was measured via total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Spreading proceeds in well-defined phases. We found a power-law area growth with distinct exponents a_i in three sequential phases, which we denote basal (a_1=0.4+-0.2), continous (a_2=1.6+-0.9) and contractile (a_3=0.3+-0.2) spreading. High resolution differential interference contrast microscopy was used to characterize local membrane dynamics at the spreading front. Fourier power spectra of membrane velocity reveal the sudden development of periodic membrane retractions at the transition from continous to contractile spreading. We propose that the classification of cell spreading into phases with distinct functional characteristics and protein activity patterns serves as a paradigm for a general program of a phase classification of cellular phenotype. Biological variability is drastically reduced when only the corresponding phases are used for comparison across species/different cell lines.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Sources of Risk and Uncertainty in UK Smart Grid Deployment: An Expert Stakeholder Analysis

The shift to increasingly smarter grids will require preparation and planning on the part of a diverse selection of current and future stakeholders. There are substantive sources of uncertainty that will impact on the adoption of smarter grid solutions. Risks and uncertainties are placed in one of seven categories: markets, users, data and information, 28 supply mix, policy, investment conditions, and networks. Each of these has the potential to add risk to the planning profiles of the stakeholders involved. Here, UK stakeholders drawn from industry, government, regulators, and academia are canvassed about potential sources of uncertainty within the UK’s electricity sector and the attendant risks that might be engendered by them.UK Research Council

Scenarios for the Development of Smart Grids in the UK: Literature Review

This Working Paper reviews the existing literature on the socio-technical aspects of smart grid development. This work was undertaken as part of the Scenarios for the Development of Smart Grids in the UK project

Scenarios for the Development Smart Grids in the UK — Synthesis Report

Research report | https://ukerc.ac.uk/publications/scenarios-for-the-development-of-smart-grids-in-the-uk‘Smart grid’ is a catch-all term for the smart options that could transform the ways society produces, delivers and consumes energy, and potentially the way we conceive of these services. Delivering energy more intelligently will be fundamental to decarbonising the UK electricity system at least possible cost, while maintaining security and reliability of supply. Smarter energy delivery is expected to allow the integration of more low carbon technologies and to be much more cost effective than traditional methods, as well as contributing to economic growth by opening up new business and innovation opportunities. Innovating new options for energy system management could lead to cost savings of up to £10bn, even if low carbon technologies do not emerge. This saving will be much higher if UK renewable energy targets are achieved. Building on extensive expert feedback and input, this report describes four smart grid scenarios which consider how the UK’s electricity system might develop to 2050. The scenarios outline how political decisions, as well as those made in regulation, finance, technology, consumer and social behaviour, market design or response, might affect the decisions of other actors and limit or allow the availability of future options. The project aims to explore the degree of uncertainty around the current direction of the electricity system and the complex interactions of a whole host of factors that may lead to any one of a wide range of outcomes. Our addition to this discussion will help decision makers to understand the implications of possible actions and better plan for the future, whilst recognising that it may take any one of a number of forms.UKR

CONTAIN D11 : integrated final results and conclusions

Carbon capture and storage is a technology capable of reducing CO2 outputs on a large scale; the concept usually requires CO2 to be removed from post-combustion flue gases and sequestered in geological formations. Depleted gas fields constitute “the most important storage type for the UK” and will provide a large and important potential future offshore storage capacity (DECC, 2012). Over the last 4 years, the CONTAIN research project has focussed on the geomechanical behaviour of depleted hydrocarbon fields in response to injection with CO2, combining a modelling and experimental approach with the public perceptions of CCS into three work packages. The project has provided a better understanding of the hydromechanical impacts of depletion on caprocks and the effect of subsequent CO2 injection, in order to assist with the implementation of CCS in this type of reservoir. Work package 1 outlined a phenomenological approach to assessing possible deformation during operation. Focus was placed on rock mechanics and transport experiments on material from the geologies of target formations in the North Sea, providing information that could be incorporated into numerical simulations. Work package 2 expanded this understanding by considering fractured caprock. Numerical modelling was used to study the deformation of an initially intact caprock caused by the depletion of an underlying reservoir during oil extraction. Deformation and flow were geomechanically modelled in three dimensions using a fully coupled poroelastic model, incorporating discrete fractures and faults into the caprock. Work package 3 offered new and valuable insight on future public awareness campaigns aimed at gaining acceptance of CCS. Qualitative expert interviews have been used, a CCS expert survey and a public survey across four countries to gain an understanding of perceptions of CCS risks and benefits, and has allowed for comparison of views on CCS between experts and public. In addition, the work package has explored the impact of different message framings on CCS attitudes. The findings of each work package are summarised in this report, with each work package represented by a report chapter. A synthesis of the findings and discussion of the work as a whole follows

The 2016 Basal Ganglia Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

AbstractThe second bi-annual Basal Ganglia Gordon Research Conference (GRC) was held 28 February through 4 March 2016 in Ventura, California, USA. Two hundred attendees participated and 46 lectures and 127 posters were presented. The meeting also incorporated a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), held between February 27–28, organized exclusively by and for graduate and post-doctoral researchers. The GRC and GRS attracted scientists from across the globe with 4 continents and 18 countries represented. Research was presented in oral and poster formats during themed sessions. Lecturers ranged from graduate and post-doctoral trainees to junior and more established principal investigators. Both basic and clinician scientists were also well represented. The latest basal ganglia research discoveries on both normal function and diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), addiction and compulsive disorders, were communicated. In addition, government, industry, and clinical leaders delivered an optional Translational Café that focused on therapy development. In summary, the 2016 Basal Ganglia GRC and GRS showcased state-of-the-art research, promoted discussion, and interaction throughout the research community, and most likely inspired the next wave of fundamental and translational scientific discoveries in this brain region.</jats:p

Exploring public discourse about new cycle lanes and low-traffic neighbourhoods using Twitter/X data

While sustainable transport initiatives generally enjoy broad public support, new cycle lanes and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) often face strong opposition from local campaign groups, particularly on social media. This study examined public sentiment towards these measures and how it evolved in response to the UK Government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund, using social media data from Twitter (now "X"). A total of 36,696 UK-based tweets related to cycle lanes and LTNs were analysed over a four-year period, spanning two years before and two years after the fund’s announcement in May 2020 (1 March 2018 to 30 June 2022). Sentiment analysis revealed that while most tweets were positive, negative sentiment increased after the fund was announced. Structural Topic Modelling (STM) identified 13 key discussion topics, including cycle lane design, road user behaviour, and experiences using cycling infrastructure. Notably, discussions rarely addressed broader benefits of active travel, such as climate change mitigation or public health improvements. The findings indicate that new cycling infrastructure is generally well-received, but that public sentiment fluctuates over time. Criticism tends to focus on poorly designed or unsafe infrastructure and concerns around their implementation. This research demonstrates the value of social media analysis to understand the content and dynamics of public opinion on transport infrastructure changes, as well as the use of sentiment analysis and STM in analysing large text datasets

Future research priorities for climate friendly transport: agenda creation, consultation and results analysis

Research funding and innovation processes are key instruments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transport. On the basis of scientific breakthroughs in recent years, the explosion in knowledge on transport sector is set to deliver a continuous stream of new applications. REACT is one of the FP7 projects that contributes to the development of a European-wide strategy on climate-friendly transport research funding based on a review of research themes’ importance. A Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) was set up, in order to define research priorities, develop future roadmaps, and suggest targets that can be actually achieved in the field of climate friendly transport. The SRA future vision is inspired by the EU strategic objectives towards 2020, e.g. shares the same targets for carbon reduction. The SRA has been built taking into account the current EU research programs on transport and mobility, analyzing the research agendas of selected European Technologies Platforms, and considering the points of view of different key stakeholders (market players, academics, policy makers, publics) through a consultation process. The consultation process has been articulated into three phases, characterized by different consultation procedures: 1. Expert validation of structure and initial; 2. Expert consultation, involving high profile experts and key–players in climate friendly transport; 3. Open consultation, a less detailed consultation but open to the wider public. REACT SRA considers all research areas in transportation that tackle the GHG emission problem, considering not only research on technology related aspects but also on policy, economy and social issues. The methodology for data analysis synthesizes results; it also considers and evaluates the level of certainty bound to responses received. A set of evaluations provides a general picture of the research priorities to be considered. Different ranks have been allocated according to weighting criteria that have been defined in numerous consultations with the experts. The identification of the most promising research areas is anticipated to give an indication to the European Commission of the research topics recommended for strategic financial support in the next decades