On the 28th November 2023, a plane flew from London to New York. For the first time in history, this transatlantic flight was 100% powered by sustainable alternative fuels. This rounds off a promising year for sustainable fuels in aviation. Earlier in 2023, ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation was adopted by the European Union, mandating a 70% sustainable aviation fuel blending obligation by 2050.

Flytrex is one of the leading companies in autonomous drone delivery. In 2022, the company reported a 765% increase in deliveries after achieving regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Agency to begin its automated drone delivery services in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Founded in 2013, Flytrex has made significant efforts in developing their autonomous drones for delivery services. However, as a common barrier for the drone industry, it takes Flytrex a long time before they get the green light from regulatory bodies.

In an era marked by a global shift towards sustainable energy solutions, the hydrogen industry is at the forefront of this transformative wave. Green hydrogen, produced through water electrolysis-powered renewable energy, stands out as a key solution for decarbonizing sectors where direct electrification remains a challenge.

2023 has proven another momentous year for the electric vehicle (EV) market. 2022 saw electric car sales rise by 62% compared with 2021, and IDTechEx estimates that 2023 will see global sales rise by another 16%. But what can we expect for the future of EVs? In this article, Dr James Edmondson and Shazan Siddiqi from IDTechEx discuss what can be learned about the future of electrification, not only for vehicles on land, but also for marine sectors and aerial vehicles.

Tuesday 21 November 2023 - Emerging Sustainable Materials to Watch in 2024" - White Biotechnology; Sustainable Plastic Packaging; CO2 Utilization for Chemicals and Materials; Emerging Alternative Leathers

Creating a circular economy is an essential sustainability target for governments, brands, materials suppliers, and the public. Key to pushing these sustainability efforts, which range from sustainability roadmaps developed by chemical and material companies to sustainable material usage targets adopted by brands, is the danger that growing global plastic consumption poses to the environment.

Wednesday 22 November 2023 - The current Li-ion battery landscape and recent developments in recycling and end-of-life management; Alternative battery technologies, such as solid-state (SSB), sodium-ion (Na-ion), and redox flow batteries (RFBs), amongst others; Hydrogen's evolving role as a feedstock, fuel and energy carrier and its latest technological and market developments

Ensuring that sensitive electronic components are not adversely affected by radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI) is an essential part of circuit design. Where compactness and close component proximity are a priority, such as in smartphones and smartwatches, conventional board-level shielding with metallic enclosures is increasingly being replaced with conformal package-level shielding.

A new high-power charging solution is required to meet the market need of the truck and bus industry to charge electric heavy-duty vehicles in an acceptable amount of time. As a result, the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), a charging system for large battery electric vehicles, is now being developed.

Tuesday 7 November 2023 - Electrification in Cars and Beyond: What's Happened and What to Expect - The automotive market - key technology trends and technology companies becoming involved in electric cars; Electric and fuel cell trucks; Air taxis (eVTOL); An overview of electrification across vans, trucks, buses, 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, microcars, construction vehicles, trains, boats, and ships

As the energy and industrial landscapes experience transformative shifts, the hydrogen economy stands at the threshold of sustainable growth. The envisioned hydrogen value chain will integrate production, storage, and distribution systems, supporting a wide array of applications that span industrial processes to various transportation sectors.

Wednesday 4 October 2023 - Discuss the key components of a PEM fuel cell including their form and function within the fuel cell system; Provide information on emerging technological innovation for each of the major components, both in terms of materials and manufacturing; Outline key technology trends driven by external factors such as sustainability; Overview the PEM fuel cell market within the context of the broader fuel cell electric vehicle market

The world is witnessing an electrifying revolution in the automotive industry. Electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as a compelling solution to combat climate change and reduce our carbon footprint. As more and more individuals and businesses shift towards electric mobility, the demand for efficient and accessible EV charging infrastructure has skyrocketed.

CCUS is a central part of every industrial decarbonization roadmap. At its heart, this is a separation challenge, which therefore brings about the question of whether membranes can be used.

In recent years, interest and activity in the hydrogen sector have accelerated, driven by governments recognizing hydrogen's role in the energy transition and companies worldwide capitalizing on emerging market opportunities through the supply of services, products, technologies, and projects.

Over 1GWh of batteries are now sailing on waters globally, reflecting 72% industry growth in 2022. Despite this, there have been several challenges that shipbuilders and maritime battery suppliers have had to navigate in recent years.

Wednesday 2 August 2023 - EV Charging for the Decade Ahead; State of public charging deployment in key regions; 800V platforms and wallbox DC chargers; Fleet charging solutions including megawatt charging; Battery swapping and wireless charging developments; Impact of government policies - AFIR (EU) and NEVI (USA)

Thursday 10 August - Introduction to the hydrogen economy and hydrogen's market drivers; Overview of low-carbon hydrogen production; Hydrogen storage & distribution pathways, players and applications; Overview and comparison of hydrogen end-use sectors and fuel cells; Outlook on the hydrogen economy

The hydrogen economy envisions a future energy infrastructure where low-carbon hydrogen is utilized to decarbonize critical industrial sectors and long-haul transportation while satisfying the increasing demand for low-carbon energy.

For many decades there has been an extensive amount of materials science R&D focussed on developing next-generation gas separation membranes. However, to date, the market is still dominated by those polymeric materials that initially gained commercial adoption in the late 20th century.