In February of 2025, the Climate Change Committee released the 7th Carbon Budget, advising Government on new pathways to decarbonizing the UK by 2050.

Topics Discussed;

In this episode we dive into the budget as outlined and discuss topics;

• The key strategies in the budget and how likely we are to achieve them.
• Carbon removal and carbon capture technologies
• The jobs and skills needed to achieve a large-scale transition, and
• Challenges for government, industry and public

Host

• Dr. Nadine Moustafa - Research Associate at Imperial, specialising in carbon management and decarbonisation technologies.

Guest 

• Dr Aidan Rhodes – Research Fellow at Imperial and Energy Policy Briefing Paper Fellow at Energy Futures Lab.

Timecode & Chapters;

00:00 - Introduction to the Energy Futures Podcast

00:41 - What is the Carbon Budget?

03:20 - The Seventh Carbon Budget: Scope and Significance

04:11 - Decarbonizing the Power Sector and Beyond

05:51 - Heating and Households: The Heat Pump Challenge

10:52 - From Technology to Implementation: Public Engagement and Policy

14:28 - Industry and Investment: Long-Term Business Models

18:00 - Carbon Markets and Carbon Removal Technologies

21:20 - No Silver Bullet: A Multi-Technology Approach

23:47 - Adaptation and Climate Resilience

28:22 - Challenges to Reaching Net Zero

32:03 - Supply Chains, Skills, and Workforce Transition

36:00 - Granular Planning and Regional Considerations

39:03 - Financing the Transition: Public and Private Roles

43:01 - Conclusion: A Call to Action and Optimism

Nadine's links: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadine-moustafa-ph-d-5831a1a7/

Imperial profile - https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/n.mou...

Aidan’s Links  - Aidan Rhodes Profile | Imperial College London

Aidan Rhodes | LinkedIn

Produced by Annemarie van Basten

Annemarie Van Basten | LinkedIn

Additional Links 

• Seventh Carbon Budget link - https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/the-seventh-carbon-budget/#:~:text=Our%20recommended%20level%20for%20the,the%20importance%20of%20the%20task
• Climate Change Committee link - https://www.theccc.org.uk
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) link -

In 2025, the UK generated over 14 billion kilowatt-hours of solar electricity, enough to power more than 5 million homes. With solar technology evolving faster than ever, could the next leap in solar power come from labs pushing the boundaries of energy science?

Host - Prof. Christos Markides - Clean energy technologies in the department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial

Guest  - Dr Flurin Eisner - Lecturer and researcher in Green Energy and Sustainable Engineering at Queen Mary University

Topics Discussed 

• Technology improvements in solar cells
• Generation capacity for manufacturing solar technologies
• Growth rate of PV industry
• Technical dive into converting solar power to energy
• Solar heat converted to cooling technologies
• UK’s Solar PV generation vs that of Europe.

Timecode & Chapters;

00:00 - Introduction to the Energy Futures Podcast

00:45 - Meet the Hosts: Christos Markides and Flurin Eisner

02:00 - Overview of Solar Energy Potential and Global Usage

04:30 - Growth of Photovoltaics (PV) and Silicon Dominance

07:00 - Monocrystalline vs Polycrystalline Silicon

08:30 - Emerging Solar Technologies: Perovskites and Organics

11:00 - Advantages and Challenges of Perovskite Solar Cells

13:30 - Tandem Solar Cells and Efficiency Gains

15:00 - Organic PV: Flexibility, Colour Tuning, and Indoor Use

17:30 - Energy Payback Time and Sustainability of New Technologies

19:30 - Hybrid PV-Thermal Systems and Heat Recovery

22:00 - Thermal Storage and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

24:30 - Grid Integration and the Role of Storage

26:30 - Desert Tech and International Solar Projects

28:00 - Challenges in Grid Infrastructure and Distribution

30:00 - Capacity Factors and Renewable Energy Intermittency

32:00 - Solar for Cooling and Building Integration

34:00 - Light Management and Spectral Tuning in PV

36:00 - Material Design and AI in Solar Research

38:00 - Policy, Funding, and the UK’s Role in PV Innovation

40:00 - Solar Panel Adoption in UK Homes and Feed-in Tariffs

42:00 - Final Thoughts: The Solar Revolution is Here

43:00 - Outro and Energy Futures Lab Mission

Christo's links: LinkedIn - Christos Markides | LinkedIn

Imperial profile - Christos Markides Profile | Imperial College London

Flurin’s links: LinkedIn - Flurin Eisner | LinkedIn

Produced by Annemarie van Basten

Annemarie Van Basten | LinkedIn

Additional Links 

Joint Article Publication by Prof. Christos Markides and Dr. Maria Herrando

Hybrid PV and solar-thermal systems for domestic heat and power provision in the UK: Techno-economic considerations

In this episode, we invited the co-authors of our latest briefing paper to come discuss the lessons learned and opportunities gained from the world’s largest off-shore wind farm.

Host

Dr. Aidan Rhodes, Research Fellow at imperial and policy briefing paper fellow at Energy Futures Lab

Guest 

Dr. Kaylen Camacho-McCluskey, an MSc Environmental Technology graduate from Imperial

Topics covered;

- Challenges: Technical & logistical, macroeconomics and global events like Covid and the war in Ukraine.

- Lessons Learned - Standardised approach and collaboration between developers

- Recommendations for Government and for developers.

Timecode & Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to the Energy Futures Podcast

00:45 - Meet the Guests: Dr. Aidan Rhodes & Dr. Kaitlyn Camacho McCluskey

02:00 - Kaitlyn’s Journey into Environmental Policy

04:00 - Background on Dogger Bank Wind Farm

05:30 - What is HVDC and Why It Matters

07:30 - Innovations at Dogger Bank: Unmanned Converter Stations

09:30 - Challenges in HVDC Deployment

11:00 - Impact of COVID-19 on Construction

12:30 - Supply Chain Disruptions and Global Events

14:00 - Successes: Collaboration and Standardised Phasing

16:00 - Lessons from the Phased Approach (A, B, C)

17:30 - Planning and Permitting Challenges

19:00 - Government Recommendations for Offshore Wind

20:30 - Grid Upgrades and Transmission Planning

21:30 - Developer Recommendations: Standardisation and Skills

23:00 - Final Thoughts and Where to Find the Report

24:00 - Outro and Call to Action

Aiden's links

Imperial profile

LinkedIn

Kaylen's links

LinkedIn

Produced by Annemarie van Basten

Annemarie Van Basten | LinkedIn

Additional Links 

Briefing Paper

Press Release