My weekly blogs are inspired by real-life events in that week, like listening to books, gardening, and my research. But not every week is filled with memorable events worth writing about. This week, I listened to “Originals” by Adam Grant, and while it wasn’t a standout read for me, it did offer a few valuable insights. My Take on “Originals” I have to admit...
This week’s post is a day delayed because I was participating in the IMechE event, Decarbonise, Power, Store. The event brought together three key themes—decarbonization, power generation, and energy storage—under one roof, fostering a rich exchange of ideas. It was a highly informative day, and I was honoured to be a panellist in the session on the challenges of operations versus maintenance in...
Gardening is all about learning, and my recent foray into growing asparagus has been a valuable lesson in planning and research. Here’s my story and the key takeaways from this short stint. The Initial Plan As a novice gardener in Scotland, I was on the hunt for vegetables that thrive in our cool, damp climate. Given our limited variety of veggies at home, I was looking for something we enjoy and...
Last weekend, the weather was lovely with sun and a slight breeze, making it a perfect time to get on with Spring gardening tasks. I spent several hours outdoors weeding, mulching, and planting spring bulbs. It was a great opportunity for some quality “me time,” and to keep my brain occupied, I listened to “Scatterbrain: How I Finally Got Off the ADHD Rollercoaster” by...
Last year, I took my first stab at gardening, and I chose strawberries as my inaugural crop. It was a thrilling experience, but I quickly learned a valuable lesson: Never underestimate the power of slugs! The particularly wet summer and winter didn’t do my young plants any favors, and most of my strawberries ended up as a feast for slugs and other insects. My first harvest was a modest couple of...
By Priya Bhagavathy and Hannah Budnitz Online Interactive Tool The UK has a net zero target by 2050, as enshrined in law, and with transport being the largest emitting sector, accelerating electric vehicle (EV) uptake is fundamental to reaching that target. Luckily, the adoption of new technologies is rarely linear; instead, has been shown to follow an S-curve as uptake moves from tech-savvy to...
This is a cross post of the original write up in the Oxford Martin School site. Ten years since the Climate Change Act, the UK has made significant progress in reducing emissions from the power sector. Overall emissions have dropped by nearly 60 per cent on 2008 levels and, while five years ago fossil fuels contributed nearly two-thirds of the UK’s power, by August 2018 over 60 per cent was...
This is a cross post of the original write up in the Oxford Martin School site. After a minor hiccup, I reached the Goldsmiths’ centre in central London just in time to join the first interactive session of the day, launched by Nina Skorupksa and Catherine Mitchell drawing on their experiences of being women in the energy sector. The speakers shared their experience of being at the receiving end...
Proud Mom. Lead R&D Engineer at PNDC, University of Strathclyde. Oxford Martin Fellow and Oxford policy engagement network KE fellow. Interests in energy technology, policy and sustainable system. Current research areas include the decarbonisation of heat, transport and electricity and the role of hydrogen in decarbonisation.