Electrochemical capacitors, also known as supercapacitors, are becoming increasingly important components in energy storage, although their widespread use has not been attained due to a high cost/performance ratio. Fundamental research is contributing to lowered costs through the engineering of new materials. Currently the most viable materials used in electrochemical capacitors are biomass-derived and polymer-derived activated carbons, although other carbon materials are useful research tools. Metal oxides could result in a step change for electrochemical capacitor technology and is an exciting area of research. The selection of an appropriate electrolyte and electrode structure is fundamental in determining device performance. Although there are still many uncertainties in understanding the underlying mechanisms involved in electrochemical capacitors, genuine progress continues to be made. It is argued that a large, collaborative international research programme is necessary to fully develop the potential of electrochemical capacitors.

Great Britain’s overall carbon emissions fell by 6% in 2016, due to cleaner electricity production. This was not due to a surge in low-carbon nuclear or renewable sources; instead it was the much-overlooked impact of fuel switching from coal to natural gas generation. This Perspective considers the enabling conditions in Great Britain and the potential for rapid fuel switching in other coal-reliant countries. We find that spare generation and fuel supply-chain capacity must already exist for fuel switching to deliver rapid carbon savings, and to avoid further high-carbon infrastructure lock-in. More important is the political will to alter the marketplace and incentivize this switch, for example, through a stable and strong carbon price. With the right incentives, fuel switching in the power sector could rapidly achieve on the order of 1 GtCO₂ saving per year worldwide (3% of global emissions), buying precious time to slow the growth in cumulative carbon emissions.

Publically available data is presented comparing recent historical daily energy flows through Great Britain's electrical and gas transmission networks with a focus on domestic heat and hot water. When this data is expressed graphically it illustrates important differences in the characteristics of the gas and electricity demand; these include the quantity of energy delivered through the networks on a daily basis, the scale of variability in the gas demand over multiple timescales (seasonal, weekly and daily) and the relative stability and predictability of the electrical demand. As the United Kingdom proceeds to migrate heating demands to the electrical network in its drive to cut carbon emissions, electrical demand will increase, but equally importantly the variability and uncertainty shown in the gas demand will also migrate to the electrical demand, which suggests both technical challenges and opportunities for management of future energy networks

A novel method to determine the upper-boundary figure of revenue available from the time-shifting of electrical energy. Includes a time-dependent variable to represent self-discharge.

This paper aims to clarify the difference between stores of energy in the form of non-rechargeable stores of energy such as fossil-fuels, and the storage of electricity by devices that are rechargeable. The existing scale of these two distinct types of storage is considered in the UK context, followed by a review of rechargeable technology options. The storage is found to be overwhelmingly contained within the fossil-fuel stores of conventional generators, but their scale is thought to be determined by the risks associated with long supply chains and price variability. The paper also aims to add to the debate regarding the need to have more flexible supply and demand available within the UK electrical network in order to balance the expected increase of wind derived generation. We conclude that the decarbonisation challenge facing the UK electricity sector should be seen not only as a supply and demand challenge but also as a storage challenge. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved