Launch of the Centre for Carbon Measurement
On 26 March 2012, NPL launched the Centre for Carbon Measurement to help ensure the UK leads the world in climate modelling, global carbon markets and green technology. Government and industry welcomed the launch of the centre, highlighting its potential to reduce emissions and stimulate the economy.
NPL is currently involved in £7.7 million of low carbon projects in 2012, which have a track record of delivering a 1:35 return to the UK economy. The Centre for Carbon Measurement aims to triple this volume over three years, and will also focus on up‑skilling the workforce and attracting business to the UK.
Recyclable electronics: just add hot water
Over 100 million electronic units are discarded annually in the UK at great economic and environmental cost. In a project funded by the Technology Strategy Board, NPL and partners In2tec Ltd and Gwent Electronic Materials Ltd developed a printed circuit board from a series of unzippable polymeric layers. These can withstand prolonged thermal cycling and damp heat stressing, but allow for the easy separation of the assemblies into their constituent parts by immersion in hot water. This enables 90% of the original structure to be re‑used at the end of its life; a massive improvement on the 2% of material from traditional printed circuit boards that can be re‑used.
Validating LED performance
We are extremely proud that our photometric data has been produced by NPL. Their independent data not only provides us with the credibility we need with potential customers, but reassures us that the data we have for our products is correct.””
Tom Harrison, Managing Director of MHA Lighting
The Carbon Trust estimates that the implementation of energy‑efficient lighting products such as LEDs could save UK businesses around £700 million each year in energy costs, but to succeed in the marketplace these products must meet, or preferably exceed, lighting performance expectations. MHA Lighting is a UK LED manufacturer whose products shine light sideways into an encapsulation to avoid direct contact with the eye, providing a safe and efficient light output. NPL provided the company with accurate and traceable measurements of the optical, electrical and thermal properties of a range of their lighting solutions, and independently validated claims of efficiency and quality.
Helping graphene live up to expectations
In October 2012, NPL hosted a conference to explore how the knowledge gained in science laboratories could be used more effectively to accelerate the use of graphene in electronic devices. NPL highlighted some of its own graphene research, for example the development of a possible quality assurance technique that uses microwave resonance to probe the conductivity of graphene and identify where water is trapped between individual layers. This type of innovation will be vital for the commercial success of graphene technology. The conference also featured a keynote speech from Nobel prize winning physicist Prof Dr Klaus von Klitzing and presentations from key players in academia and industry.
Shake, rattle and hum
NPL is lending its measurement expertise to a project that aims to design and build experimental energy harvesting devices for use in real world applications within the oil and gas, transport and power generation industries. By making use of new materials called ‘bistable composites’ that snap between two different shape configurations when a force is applied, the devices will be able to harvest energy from unwanted vibrations over a much wider range of frequencies than is currently possible. This means they will capture more energy, which can then be used to power small electronic systems, like wireless sensor networks, at no extra cost.
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For more stories from 2012, please download our Annual Review (1.17 MB - PDF)