Element Energy welcomes new recruits

Element Energy this month welcomed two new consultants to its London office, Rony Erez and Emrah Durusut.

Rony joins Element Energy as a consultant having recently graduated from the University of Cambridge with an MPhil in Environment Society and Development. Her research interests include political ecology, environmental ethics, and the interplay of economic, political and social factors in resource management and sustainability. Rony has a solid understanding of environmental modelling and three years of professional experience as a client-facing analyst specialising in complex data collection and problem solving.

Emrah joins Element Energy as an Energy Consultant. Having recently graduated from the University of Cambridge with an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development, Emrah has two years’ experience in the energy sector. During his master’s programme, he focussed on the potential and viability of wind energy in Turkey, while considering the barriers and opportunities in the wind energy market. He has a good understanding of sustainable development, low-carbon power technologies and the technical and commercial challenges facing the low carbon energy sector.

Major new hydrogen transport project launched

Business Minister Mark Prisk this week announced the launch of UK H₂Mobility, a multi-participant project that will evaluate the potential for hydrogen transport in the UK and ensure that the UK is well positioned for the commercial rollout of fuel cell electric vehicles. Element Energy played a key role in bringing together the consortium (including thirteen industry participants and three Government departments) and defining the scope of the study over the past eight months. The full press release is available here. For further details please contact ben.madden@element-energy.co.uk or mike.dolman@element-energy.co.uk.

Plug-in Car Grant extended to vans

Transport Minister Norman Baker and Business Minister Mark Prisk announced on Tuesday January 12th that the Plug-in Car Grant will be extended to vans this year. The grant will cover 20% of the purchase price of an Ultra-Low Emission Van (ULEV) up to a cap of £8,000.

In the summer of 2011, the Department for Transport commissioned Element Energy to provide a robust evidence base on the current and future costs of new van powertrains using the latest technology cost trends, to support their policymaking in this area. The study included detailed interviews with van fleet managers to understand their willingness to pay for these vehicles and how plug-in vans could be accommodated into their existing fleets and operations. The final report and supporting evidence will be published in the near future.

Element Energy wins Outstanding Low Carbon Publication of the Year award

Element Energy has been presented with the 2011 Outstanding Low Carbon Publication award at the LowCVP’s Low Carbon Champions Awards 2011. The award was presented at a reception held on Monday, November 14^th at One Birdcage Walk, Westminster, in recognition of Element Energy’s report on the total cost of ownership of low carbon cars from 2020–2030.

According to the LowCVP: “In the inaugural year of this category, the report was judged ahead of the curve in terms of influencing thinking in this area, and was congratulated for the way it had encouraged partnership working across industry sectors.”

Shane Slater, director of Element Energy, said “We are delighted that the LowCVP has recognised the strategic insights which our team brought to the work, and our widespread consultation which brought together diverse views in the automotive industry.”

New hydrogen transport project launched

October 2011 saw the launch of the Hydrogen Transport in European Cities (HyTEC) project, which will deliver city wide hydrogen networks in London and Copenhagen. Element Energy played a major role in initiating the project, including:

• Bringing all partners together and defining the project scope and budget.
• Preparing the funding application.
• Supporting negotiations between the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (which is part funding the project) and the project partners.

Element Energy continues to support this multi-partner initiative, with responsibility for:

• Project managing the UK side of the project, with hands-on day-to-day involvement in every aspect of producing the UK deliverables on time and to specification.
• Supporting Air Products in the identification of a technically suitable, high-profile site for the new refuelling station in central London, as well as supporting the planning application.
• Undertaking detailed life cycle cost analyses to compare the current and future costs of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with incumbent technologies and determining break-even points for future commercialisation of the technology.
• Producing a report into the attitudes of the general public, vehicle drivers and fleet managers before and after the project, to identify the key non-cost barriers to deployment of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
• Bringing together expertise from across Europe to share lessons learned in producing a plan for commercialising hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the UK.
• Producing an infrastructure expansion study for London, and recommending next steps in building on the existing hydrogen infrastructure in London.

The full press release is available here. For further details please contact nick.asselin-miller@element-energy.co.uk.

Element Energy analysis informs CCS strategy

Research and analysis by Element Energy is highlighted in a recent publication by the Carbon Capture & Storage Association.  The report, A strategy for CCS in the UK and beyond, is available here.

Element Energy addresses international audience on European battery sales forecast

Element Energy’s Celine Cluzel recently delivered an address on the prospects for hybrid and plug-in vehicle uptake in Europe during the BATTERIES 2011 conference held in Cannes (France). The sales forecast were based on a model taking into consideration each country market size (combining stock turnover, population projections and car density saturation) and consumer purchase behaviour. Vehicle sales were translated into battery sales volumes for the audience composed mainly of battery manufacturers and suppliers.  Please contact Celine.Cluzel@element-energy.co.uk for further details.

Element Energy presents at Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive event

Element Energy’s Mike Dolman recently presented at the consultation launch event for the proposed RHI in Northern Ireland. Mike’s presentation covered economic considerations around the RHI and barriers to renewable heat uptake. The event, held in Belfast, was attended by 140 stakeholders from Northern Ireland’s renewable heat industry. For further details please contact mike.dolman@element-energy.co.uk.

Element Energy report on low carbon cars published by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership

A new Element Energy report on total costs of ownership of low carbon cars was published by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership and covered by the Guardian newspaper today. The study examines how the costs of new powertrains will decrease between 2010 and 2030 and when low carbon vehicles are likely to be competitive with their fossil-fuelled equivalents.

The full report is available here and the Guardian article is available here.

Element Energy to present at the B4E Climate Summit 2011

The B4E Climate Summit 2011 will be held in London on September 12^th and 13^th.

The event will gather international leaders from business, NGOs, agencies and governments to share innovations and strategies for zero-based targets and transformative business solutions. Discussions will explore new technologies and business models, and the support and infrastructure needed to accelerate solutions towards the vision of a zero footprint future. The outcome of the Summit discussions will provide valuable input to COP 17, Rio+ and other global processes.

Element Energy directors Dr Shane Slater and Dr Ian Walker will be panellists in the Transport and Mobility and Buildings and Construction working groups respectively. Senior Consultant Tana Angelini will participate in the Renewable Energy working group.