In this issue

Welcome to the latest issue of Future Power Technology.

This month, we go from one extreme environment to the other, beginning with the Arctic. Remote, vast and frozen, the continent is something of a proving ground for technology; if it can survive there, it can survive anywhere. Through their Snowflake project, Russian researchers are putting renewable power projects to the test in the Arctic, to see if they can bring clean energy to one of the world’s toughest environments.

Meanwhile, the plains and deserts of the US provide ample opportunity for solar power, but what kind of solar power? We speak to Hyperlight Energy about concentrated solar power, which promises to be more efficient and effective than traditional solar projects, but has been dogged by practical challenges and an unfavourable reputation, which threaten to perpetuate imbalance in the solar sector.

We also consider the role of infrastructure and administration in two of the world’s most energy-intensive countries, the US and the UK. With both grids and energy administrations under pressure as fuel prices rise and consumers are left out in the cold, we ask if either so-called “developed” country can find a way to keep the heating on, and keep the energy flowing.

For all this and more, read on.

JP Casey, editor