Resilient Net Zero

This theme explores and addresses the safety challenges associated with achieving a sustainable industrial landscape and built environment.

The UK’s ambition to achieve clean power by 2030 and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 presents both opportunities and challenges. Our vision is to support this transition by addressing the health and safety risks associated with emerging net zero technologies. Through collaborative research, we aim to ensure that safety is embedded in the development, deployment, and regulation of clean energy systems—enabling a resilient and sustainable industrial and built environment.

Scope

This theme focuses on the safety dimensions of the energy transition, particularly in relation to:

• Hydrogen production, storage, and infrastructure safety
• Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS)
• Floating offshore wind energy systems
• Battery safety, including production, storage, and transport.

Other areas of interest include bioenergy, alternative fuels, energy from waste, electrification, low-carbon materials, building retrofitting, and the circular economy. Our research explores:

• Material performance and degradation in new energy systems
• Risk assessment and mitigation strategies
• Lessons from related industries to inform safe design and operation
• Integration of safety into early-stage technology development.

Objectives

1. Map the skills and expertise of UoM and HSE staff to the scope of the Resilient Net Zero theme
2. Establish networks between groups of experts at UoM and HSE
3. Develop plans within these networks for collaborative research
4. Identify routes to realising collaborative research, potentially involving other academic and industrial partners.

Research theme team

• UoM Lead: TBC 
• HSE Lead: Ian Chapman 
• HSE Strategic Science Adviser: Simon Gant 
• HSE Science Business Partner: Lorraine Gavin 
• HSE ERCL lead: Stuart Hawksworth