Predictive Tech Part 2: Chemical Engineering and the Energy Sector

Duncan Barker, CTO of Ignitis Renewables, explores how chemical engineers can drive innovation across energy systems – from hydrogen and nuclear to unconventional renewables

ONE OF the biggest attractions for me when I was considering whether to study chemical engineering at university was the sheer diversity of sectors that used elements of chemical engineering. It meant that as well as the traditional career options in the oil, gas and chemicals industries, it was possible to apply your knowledge and seek careers in a variety of other areas such as environmental technology, energy, food or the medical sectors. In my opinion, this has not fundamentally changed and career options for chemical engineers remain very diverse.

I also believe that, provided you have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of chemical and process engineering, it is possible to move between sectors. This means you should be able to flex your career as markets and opportunities rise and fall. Given the huge uncertainty in the world and the fast rate of change, this inbuilt “resilience” of chemical engineers is a huge plus and shouldn’t be underestimated.

Taking my own career as an example, my university research project was on trying to characterise the fluid properties of blood to help with medical equipment design, but I then moved on to wastewater treatment engineering and then the defence sector before finally settling in the energy sector which has been my home for the last 20 years.

In my current role, as CTO of a developer, owner and operator of flexible and renewable energy power plants, I am seeing firsthand how increased renewable energy penetration is impacting how we operate and manage our electrical grid infrastructure and balance supply and demand. It’s a tough challenge to meet variable energy demand from intermittent production and I believe chemical engineers have a role to play in providing the solution. Here are four key areas where graduating chemical engineers could apply their skills in the
energy sector:

Energy storage solutions

Efficient storage of energy is a prerequisite for managing supply and demand where there is a high penetration of renewables. Lithium batteries are currently the most commercially available, but sodium chemistry batteries are being developed and offer potentially lower cost, improved safety, greater availability of raw materials and lower environmental impact. Alternative storage solutions like Vanadium redox-based technologies, thermal storage or compressed air/CO2 energy storage also have their supporters and it is likely that a range of technologies will be needed in the future. Chemical engineers will be critical in terms of helping to scale up these technologies and to use their skills to optimise performance and costs to make them commercially viable.

Power-to-X (P2X) technologies

“Hard-to-abate sectors” such as cement, steel, aviation and shipping will either need to move towards electrification solutions or utilise green hydrogen (for example, hydrogen produced from electrolysis using electricity generated from renewable sources) to achieve their carbon reductions. The safe and efficient production, storage, transportation and usage of hydrogen is challenging and requires strong chemical engineering skills. I believe that P2X – the conversion of surplus renewable electricity into other energy forms or chemical products – will bring many opportunities for the next generation of chemical engineers. The production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from green hydrogen and biogenic CO2 is a promising area poised for rapid growth – provided market dynamics shift accordingly and the technology proves both reliable and efficient.