Efficient buildings, smart grids and future automation were key topics
Cambridge’s Murray Edwards College played host to this year’s annual HEAT and SHIFT conferences that were organised by CIR Strategy – a strategy consultancy established in 2001 that offers opportunity prioritisation and market entry focus and works closely with the Cambridge technology cluster as well as operating internationally. The events are in their fifth and fourth years (HEAT and SHIFT, respectively) and covered a broad range of topics, with an emphasis on the work of local and national operations to reduce UK emissions through efficient connected buildings (HEAT) and various changes to the automotive landscape (SHIFT).
It was refreshing to visit an event where fuel cells were not the primary focus but instead one of several solutions to future energy and carbon challenges in the building and automotive industries. The two events gave a strong feel for the climate in which fuel cells, and indeed other energy solutions, will have to excel, and the technological, financial and behavioural challenges that will have to be met in order for them to succeed.
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