The power and the glory

摘要

A British company that has developed a novel technology combining hydraulics with electronics said to be capable of reducing the cost of offshore wind energy has won the MacRobert Award, the Royal Academy of Engineering's most prestigious prize. Artemis Intelligent Power received the award on 16 July from HRH Prince Philip. The technology can also be used to reduce the fuel consumption of trains and make hybrid buses more affordable. But it is offshore wind power where the Edinburgh company could make the most impact. Although the UK could generate eight to 10 per cent of its energy from this source by 2020, and already provides 15 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity each year, the cost of the technology makes its deployment challenging.