It was a beautifully choreographed confluence of three distinct tracks: power systems, decarbonisation pathways, and innovation; each feeding into one another like well-oiled cogs in a grand net-zero machine. Truly a celebration of systems thinking, which, if you’ve read any of my previous ramblings, is rather close to my heart.

The keynote came courtesy of none other than Chris Stark, Head of Mission Control, whose calm, data-driven presence was both reassuring and slightly intimidating. He reminded us that progress isn’t measured in isolation; it’s about context. For instance, when we look at renewable electricity generation from 2000 to 2025, the UK made impressive strides between 2010 and 2020… only to plateau since then. Meanwhile, China’s growth has been nothing short of exponential across the same period. So, for the UK to catch up and truly join the global clean energy league table? We’ll need more than ambition—we’ll need cost trajectories that match the pace of change. (See attached figure—yes, it’s dramatic, but also very real.)

Chris also touched on the Clean Power Mission and how streamlining the connections process could unlock much-needed capacity. But what really caught my eye was the slide on consumer-led flexibility—a gap of around 8 GW. Now, back-of-the-envelope maths suggests that, if this relies solely on smart EV chargers, we’d need roughly 3 million households onboarded by 2027. That’s about 10% of all UK homes—or nearly every single EV in the country!

I’ll admit, I blinked twice. How on earth are we supposed to do that in under four years? Then I remembered: most new home chargers are already smart. So perhaps it’s not quite as daunting as it first seemed. A small victory for progress, perhaps?

🎤 On Stage: Why Hydrogen Isn’t Just a Technology Problem — It’s a Systems Challenge

In my session, titled “Why Hydrogen isn’t just a technology problem — It’s a systems challenge”, I shared PNDC’s whole-energy systems approach to hydrogen adoption. Let me be clear: it’s not enough to build better electrolysers or fuel cells. The real magic—and the real risk—lies in how these technologies integrate across production, storage, transport, and end-use.

Drawing from hands-on testing of a hydrogen fuel cell truck and analysis of green hydrogen injection into the UK gas grid, we explored how system-level thinking can uncover hidden interdependencies before they become costly failures. Spoiler: de-risking deployment isn’t just technical—it’s systemic.

The talk was warmly received, with several thoughtful follow-up questions (including one asking whether our model could scale to regional grids—yes, but only if we stop treating each sector like a silo!). Honestly, it felt like being part of a conversation rather than a lecture—a rare and lovely thing at conferences!

📸 Conference Snapshots

Other delightful nuggets from the day:

• 🏺 Archaeologists are now essential in nuclear development! Yes, before any site can be commissioned, there must be an archaeological survey. With a shortage of skilled archaeologists, these surveys risk becoming lengthy delays in an industry already known for its… let’s say, leisurely pace.
• 💻 The generational divide in AI perception is fascinating. Younger engineers seem to treat controllers like Xbox remotes—no second glance needed, just press play and trust the robot knows what’s up. It’s both charming and slightly terrifying.
• 🔋 And finally, CIGRE’s definition of resilience hit me right between the eyes: “The ability to limit the extent, severity, and duration of system degradation following an extreme event.”
  Quite poetic, really—like a power grid with emotional intelligence.

And because we’re all about balance here (and because no conference would be complete without a book or podcast recommendation), here are some gems I picked up:

• The Thinking Game (documentary) – described as “a masterclass in how decisions get made at scale” — very compelling indeed.
• The Rest Is Classified (podcast) – called “the hidden stories behind policy and security”, which sounds utterly gripping.
• Beyond the Wall by Katja Hoyer – recommended as “a vivid portrait of East Germany’s quiet revolutions” — already halfway through, and it’s brilliant.

I’ve added all three to my list, and honestly? They’re exactly the kind of content that makes you pause mid-cook, sip your tea slowly, and wonder how we got here—and where we go next.

So, dear reader — if any of these sound familiar, or better yet, if you’ve read them or listened to them already… I’d be absolutely delighted to hear your thoughts! What did you take away? Any others you’d recommend along similar lines?

After all, sharing ideas is half the fun — whether they’re about hydrogen systems or history told through the eyes of a former border guard. 😉

On my current reading list? Halfway through Thriving in a Male-Dominated Workplace (HBR Women at Work Series). It’s insightful, honest, and occasionally infuriating in the best way. Expect a proper blog post on it soon — unless something even more exciting comes along… like, say, a surprise garden gnome invasion. (We’ve had one before.)

So there you have it—a little science, a touch of whimsy, a sprinkle of reality check, and a whole lot of tea.

Thank you for being here. Whether you’re tuning in from a lab bench, your kitchen table, or somewhere between a crocheting session and an audiobook break—I’m so glad we’re sharing this journey together.

Until next time,
Warmest regards,
Priya

🎥 1. Electrolyser Horizons: Reshaping Hydrogen Strategy Across the UK

The week began with the closeout meeting for the Electrolyser Horizons project, hosted at the impressive Fife Renewables Innovation Centre. A great venue — but sunlit seas and the anglers outside made it clear that this wasn’t your average office environment! Thanks, Anna Morris and Cameron Mitchell, for hosting us at FRIC.

The project — a collaboration between SGN, University of Surrey, University of St Andrews, University of Strathclyde (PNDC, and the Centre for Energy Policy) — has been focused on creating a national techno-economic evaluation framework for electrolytic hydrogen production.

I’ll be sharing a full summary soon — but the key takeaway for now: proper infrastructure planning + local knowledge = a cleaner, scalable future.

🚨 2. H100 Fife: A Hydrogen Powerhouse in Plain Sight

Just hours later, we got a front-row seat to the H100 Fife site — a world-first hydrogen gas network delivering zero-carbon heat to 300 homes. The technology includes a hydrogen production facility, offshore wind power, and hydrogen-ready boilers and hobs.

James Carroll and Joshua Ayobami shared fascinating insights into the site’s evolution, from coal mining to an oil rig logistics base and now as a beacon of renewable transition. Their storytelling gave us more than just technical details—they gave context that made the hydrogen fire warm.

🍳 3. Pancakes, Hydrogen Showdown, and Colours of Flame

The highlight? Susan Day flipped a perfectly golden pancake using a hydrogen-powered hob. As she quipped: “No difference here!” — referring to how similar the cooking and heat was to natural gas. A simple but powerful moment.

And here’s a science note: Yes, the hydrogen flame was orange, not invisible. Turns out, imperfections in the fuel and surroundings can change the flame colour. It’s a lesson in both chemistry and communication — hydrogen doesn’t always behave as textbook diagrams say it does, and our expectations should evolve with each demo.

🤝 4. Reconnection at All-Energy — Timing Truly is Everything

And just like that, the week ended with a welcome reunion. I had the chance to reconnect with Johana Duran Santos, a key collaborator at all stages of the project.

We missed you in the closeout meeting, Johana — but better late than never!

🌞 Final Thoughts

The week was a vivid reminder that hydrogen is more than a fuel — it’s a bridge between past, present, and future. In Fife, you can almost feel the history in the air. And if we learned anything from Susan’s pancake demo, it’s that hydrogen is not only ready for real-world use — it’s ready for the kitchen too!

Stay tuned for more insights and stories on research, random books, gardening and others. Have a tale of your own where energy and community collide? Please share below.

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 mainstream. As part of the Park and Charge Oxfordshire research project, we undertook an S-curve analysis to understand the potential trajectories (see Enabling the Acceleration of Electric Vehicle Adoption (Policy Brief 1, February 2022)).

After a long hiatus from EV uptake analysis, we recently ventured to re-run the s-curve analysis (initially published in December 2021). Unsurprisingly, the data formats and granularity have changed since then. Although this meant an entire rejig of the code, the higher geographical granularity across the datasets meant more regional insights than before. The primary data file includes the cumulative number of electric vehicles and all vehicles by counties from 2010 through Quarter 4, 2023, from the UK Government’s Department for Transport (VEH0105.ods). It was processed using Python. 

The figure below shows the cumulative EV uptake forecasts for England, Scotland and Wales. As can be seen, EV growth forecasts for Scotland and England are quite similar and the vehicle fleet is on target to be nearly 100% electric by 2045. However, Wales is lagging by almost 8 years.

As our initial interest was in Oxfordshire, we plotted the forecasts for England and Oxfordshire, which are also incredibly similar. Then we took advantage of the higher geographic granularity now available to look further within Oxfordshire. We plotted the five district councils (Oxford City Council, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, and West Oxfordshire). Though initial uptake was slower, Cherwell has picked up the pace in the last 5 years and is leading the way in achieving all EV status sooner than the rest of the districts in the county.

On the other hand, this analysis tells us little about why uptake is faster or slower in different places. We know from other research that commercial fleets and company car schemes are dominating the new EV market in the UK. Cherwell has the highest economic activity rate and the second highest number of jobs in Oxfordshire after Oxford City, where major employers like the University tend to promote non-car commuting. Could this be why they also have higher EV adoption rates?

The S-curve analysis also does not account for external events or national policy changes – until any changes in adoption rates enter historic data.

As can be seen below, when we first started this research in 2019, the time until full adoption was much longer. Then the pandemic and energy crises hit, and the UK government set a 2030 target to end sales of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and vans.

There has also been substantial investment from the Government and industry in public and private EV charging. Has this pulled the S-curves forward in time, as well as making the exponential growth phase steeper? And what impact has the subsequent push-back of targets and mixed messages had since late 2023? We don’t yet have the data to be able to see any more recent changes in our S-curve analysis.

With the political landscape in the UK altering overnight and the 2030 phase-out date for ICE vehicles potentially back in the frame, the mixed messages may have little to no impact. However, with car dealers reporting that EV sales are still below the Zero Emissions Mandate target, we think our S-curve analysis could help the government in Westminster, local authorities, and industry see where there is still work to do to get adoption on track across the country. Have a look at our online tool for your area of interest and see if you agree!

What do you think? We would welcome questions and comments on the applications of S-curve analysis to EV adoption in the UK, on the influence of different geodemographics or policy changes, and thoughts about avenues for further research. Please respond to this post here or on the cross-post on LinkedIn.

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 instead provided by zero-carbon sources. An excellent example of what clear goals, well-designed policies and technological innovation can achieve.

The job to decarbonise energy is, however, far from finished. Not only will the power sector need to continue on its decarbonisation trajectory, but we urgently need to decarbonise how we heat our homes, invest in energy efficiency to reduce overall energy demand and increase the deployment of low carbon cars.

The good news is that, aside from avoiding the devastating impacts of climate change, cutting carbon brings a wealth of other benefits, including lower bills, better-insulated homes, cleaner air as well as jobs in low carbon industries. But how should those benefits be distributed?

A look at how benefits (and costs) of the low carbon transition are currently distributed

Policy and energy system design should ensure that the benefits and costs of decarbonisation are fairly distributed. Yet, this is not currently happening.

The way energy policy is currently funded, via consumers’ energy bills, is highly regressive. On average, the poorest households spend around 10 per of their income on energy while the richest households only pay 3 per cent. And this regardless of whether households are actively taking part in the transition themselves. For example, the uptake of solar PV installations is greater in more affluent households. Similarly, previous ECO schemes have not appropriately targeted those most in need of home insulation, with the IPPR estimating that only 30 per cent of funds are likely to be spent on fuel-poor consumers³.

The uneven distribution of benefits is also evident on a regional scale. A recent study from Imperial College has shown that only some parts of the country are seeing the benefits of low carbon technologies, largely as a result of different levels of national and local government investments, building efficiency and household incomes.

Finally, the way the UK energy market is designed is outdated. Innovation in low carbon technologies is resulting in a more distributed energy system, with (generally affluent) consumers increasingly opting for small-scale technologies to generate and store their own energy and use electric vehicles. However, given the current energy market design, as these new forms of energy generation and use grow they are likely to challenge the way in which we cover the costs for the grid, flexibility and back up, as highlighted by BEIS Secretary of State Greg Clark in his recent speech.

What could a fairer system look like?

Sharing the benefits and costs of the low carbon transition requires a rethink of the UK’s energy policy and market design.

Various options are on the table. Research by UKERC suggests alternative forms of funding could place policy costs on businesses or recover them through general taxation. Alternative market-based solutions are also being explored. One option would be to have more cost reflective tariffs, which would allow to more effectively recover fixed costs and encourage fuel switching and uptake of low carbon technologies if coupled to an appropriate carbon price applied across electricity and gas. Alternatively, with the emergence of smart home energy management systems, energy may be offered as a part of a bundle of services rather than as a product itself. Non-commercial solutions, such as community energy and energy cooperatives, may also play a role in ensuring a bigger share of consumers can benefit from cheap, low carbon energy.