Case Studies

The European Union aims to become fully climate-neutral by 2050. Key to this ambition will be phasing out internal combustion engines in both light and heavy-duty vehicles. Electric vehicles based on hydrogen fuel cells are viable alternatives and it has been estimated by the European Commission that these cells could represent...

To prevent electrical failures in the grid, such as short circuits and breakdowns and resulting blackouts, it is essential that components of the electricity grid, including cabling, insulators, switchgears, and transformers, are tested to ensure suitability for their operating environments. As well as the high voltage alterna...

Advanced industrial manufacturing is considered by the EU to be a Key Enabling Technology as this sector is an important driver for European employment and prosperity. One factor limiting the miniaturisation of electronics is battery size. An emerging area that could address this is piezoelectric nanowires. These are sub-micron...

Fossil fuel use is driving climate change and to address this Europe aims to increase energy production from renewable sources and become carbon neutral by 2050. However, many electronic items rely on batteries which have limited lifetimes and are often bulky which limits device miniaturisation. An attractive alternative is the...

Radioactive decay occurs in unstable nuclides with an excess of protons or neutrons in the nucleus. Accurate knowledge of the decay process is vital in the nuclear industry where it is used in waste processing, storage, powerplant decommissioning or adherence to Directives such as 2013/59/Euratom on basic safety standards for p...

Around 12% of electricity consumption in the world is used for lighting. More efficient systems have the potential of allowing Europe to save up to 34 TWh of electricity by 2030, reducing CO2 emissions by 7 million tonnes per year. Incandescent lights – where electricity flowing through a thin metal filament, such as tungsten, ...