Welcome to the first in our monthly ‘Countdown to COP’ series, where we will be exploring climate change research, events and expertise across our University ahead of the next COP climate change summit in November.

A Durham Energy Institute project exploring whether water from abandoned mines could be used to heat the UK’s homes is among 11 new projects being announced today by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in a drive to decarbonise the heating and cooling of buildings.

Our Marlin Star project Frontier Technical is one of 8 case studies chosen for the Innovate UK EDGE G7 SERIES showcase.

The Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) has today, Monday, 24 May, received £20m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Research and Innovation Centre as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund programme to decarbonise the industrial sector. Durham Energy Institute researchers are involved in three of the projects funded for the first phase of IDRIC activity.

The Durham University led Geoptic has signed an R&D collaboration agreement with CGG to jointly research and assess a novel borehole solution for monitoring the spread of CO2 in subsurface storage sites for Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS).

Professor Jon Gluyas was invited by the UK Parliament House of Commons Science and Technology Committee to provide evidence on Hydrogen Storage for their inquiry into The role of Hydrogen in achieving Net Zero.

DEI Director Joanna Berry interviewed for Power Technology Magazine analysis article 'EU energy policy: world-leading, insufficient, or both?'

Abandoned coal mines in South Tyneside are set to create a ground-breaking renewable energy scheme which will cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by hundreds of tonnes.

DEI is delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Ritchey as Honorary Professor in the Department of Engineering in association with Durham Energy Institute. Ian was formerly Group Chief Engineer at Rolls-Royce, and has a distinguished track record and extensive network of contacts in the Aerospace, Defence, Marine and Energy sectors. He is currently a Non-Executive Director at Tekmar Group, and an advisor to several engineering and technology businesses.

DEI Director Dr Joanna Berry speaks with Durham MBA graduate, Andrew Price. Following his MBA Andrew worked for Nissan Europe on their Electric Vehicle deployment and now works at Clean Power Research.

The student presentations for DEI's 3 Minute Thesis competition 2021 are now available to view on our Youtube channel including the winning entry by Masters student Georgina Hatch for her presentation on 'Virtual Power Plants and their role in avoiding an energy crisis'.

The Church of England will be supported in their ambitious aim of achieving net-zero carbon by 2030 through a new partnership with Durham Energy Institute (DEI).