Programme

Interactive lectures 

Energy transition

This session will provide the context for the week by considering the significance of mankind’s emissions of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases for the global climate. The major users of energy will be highlighted along with the importance of moving to low carbon energy sources. Low carbon energy sources and their relative importance in global energy systems will be introduced.

Wind, tidal and wave energy

This session explores how sustainable composite materials are shaping the next generation of wind and marine energy systems. Composites make turbines and tidal devices lighter, stronger, and more resistant to offshore conditions, but traditional materials pose recycling challenges. You will learn about emerging solutions – such as bio-based polymers, recyclable thermoplastics, and energy-efficient manufacturing – that reduce lifecycle emissions and support a circular, low-carbon future.

Hydrogen and ammonia – production and storage

Hydrogen is a key fuel for reducing carbon emissions in industry and transport, but storing and transporting it on a large scale remains a major challenge due to its low density and demanding operating conditions. In this session, you’ll learn how researchers and engineers are overcoming these barriers – particularly through the use of ammonia as an efficient hydrogen carrier. We’ll explore why ammonia offers a practical solution for hydrogen storage and transport, and how it could play a central role in the emerging hydrogen economy.

Power generation and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS)

In this session, we’ll look at how power is generated from different fuels such as coal, natural gas, and biomass. We’ll then explore why carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies are becoming so important for tackling climate change and achieving carbon neutrality. Biomass power plants can already be carbon neutral – but when fitted with carbon capture systems, they can even deliver negative CO₂ emissions. Finally, you will learn about the most exciting frontier in CCUS – direct capture of CO₂ from the air!

Nuclear energy – fission and fusion

In this session you will learn about the benefits and engineering challenges posed by nuclear electricity generation using fission and fusion. Specifically changes to materials arising from their use in reactors will be introduced including the impact of fission products on fuels in fission reactors and the damage produced by intense neutron fluxes in fusion devices.

Large scale energy storage technologies

As renewable energy sources like wind and solar become more widespread, efficient energy storage is vital to balance supply and demand. This session introduces the key concepts of energy storage and explores why it is such an active area of research. You’ll learn about the main storage technologies in use today, with a focus on compressed air energy storage (CAES) – its commercial applications, technical challenges, and current research developments. The session will also explore the emerging field of liquid air energy storage (LAES) and how it could play a major role in future sustainable energy systems.

Batteries and battery materials

Rechargeable batteries are an integral part of modern technology, found across many areas of life, including portable electronics and electric vehicles. This session will cover the underlying chemistry of Li-ion batteries, exploring the materials used and how the battery works. You will also learn about the limitations and challenges of current technologies, and what the next generation of materials might be.

AI for materials discovery

This session explores how AI and machine learning (ML), combined with high-throughput experimentation, are accelerating the discovery of new materials for energy technologies, such as permanent magnets for electric motors. You’ll see how ML models can predict promising materials, which are then rapidly fabricated and tested using automated, high-throughput methods. This approach enables researchers to explore vast composition spaces in a fraction of the time, greatly increasing the chances of discovering breakthrough materials.

Life cycle analysis and sustainability

This session introduces life cycle thinking – a way of assessing the environmental impact of a technology from raw materials through to end-of-life. You’ll learn how life cycle assessment (LCA) provides a structured framework for measuring sustainability across every stage of a product’s life. We’ll look at examples ranging from early-stage innovations to large-scale technologies, and explore how LCA helps researchers and policymakers balance technical performance with environmental goals.

Energy systems engineering

Energy systems engineering brings together ideas from chemical and mechanical engineering, chemistry, mathematics, and management to tackle the world’s energy challenges. By using modelling, simulation, optimisation, and control, engineers can design and manage efficient, sustainable energy systems. This session will introduce the field, highlighting current innovations and future trends shaping how we produce, store, and use energy.

Hands-on laboratory sessions

Danger and hazard laboratory

In this hands-on session, you will apply the principles of health, safety and risk management in an engineering environment. In the Danger Lab, you will design and carry out a practical experiment using a Charpy impact tester to investigate how materials behave under impact at different temperatures. You will observe the difference between brittle and ductile material behaviour using chocolate samples at room temperature and cooled with liquid nitrogen at −196 °C (77 K), while developing a full risk assessment and safe working protocol. In the Hazard Lab, you will identify common laboratory hazards and evaluate their associated risks, learning how to spot, record and mitigate them. These activities will provide you hands-on introduction to managing risk, promoting safety and developing professional laboratory awareness essential skills.

Wind turbine design and test

 In this practical session, you will use software to design a horizontal-axis wind turbine and analyse its aerodynamic performance. You will then compare your design results with data from a real wind turbine to evaluate efficiency and performance. This activity introduces key concepts in wind energy conversion and turbine design, helping you understand how engineering and analysis drive innovation in renewable energy systems.

Clean energy – solar, wind, electrolysers and fuel cells

In this activity, you will explore how clean and renewable energy sources can be harnessed and integrated into sustainable systems. You will generate electricity from solar and wind energy using photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, then use an electrolyser to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen you produce will power a fuel cell, demonstrating how renewable energy can be converted, stored, and reused efficiently. Through this hands-on experience, you will gain a deeper understanding of the technologies and principles that drive the transition to a low-carbon future. 

Characterising solar cells

In this activity, you will explore how solar energy is converted into electricity through hands-on laboratory experience. You will investigate the performance of solar cells under different light conditions and configurations, building simple circuits to measure current, voltage, and power output. By comparing single, series, and parallel cell arrangements, you will gain insight into how solar technology can be optimised for sustainable energy generation. This practical session bridges theory and real-world solar energy applications, equipping you with valuable experimental and analytical skills essential to the clean energy transition.

Bioreactor Lighting

In this activity, you will build a controllable lighting system for a Bioreactor using an Arduino microcontroller and program it to control arrays of red, green and blue LEDs. The purpose is to create light conditions that support the growth of a substance. Through this hands-on circuit assembly, coding and system testing, you will learn how digital control and electronics are applied in modern engineering processes. This practical session bridges electronics, programming and biotechnology, equipping you with valuable interdisciplinary skills relevant to sustainable and intelligent systems.

Technical Communication for Engineers 

This series of six interactive sessions will develop your technical writing and speaking skills, helping you to communicate engineering concepts clearly and effectively to different audiences. Taught by expert staff from our English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC), the sessions cover topics such as the conventions of engineering texts (e.g. laboratory reports), building arguments with evidence, and developing a critical and professional communication style. You will take part in practical activities, collaborate with your peers, and receive personalised feedback from ELTC tutors.

Energy Engineering Challenge

In this exciting team-based challenge, you will work in a small and diverse team to develop innovative solutions to tackle the energy crisis for a small town. Using SWOT and STEPPLED analyses, you will evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and wider environmental and social impacts of your ideas, before applying a decision matrix to select the most effective solution. Your team will then present your proposal to a panel of judges from industry and academia. The top team will earn prizes and certificates recognising their creativity, innovation, teamwork, and sustainable thinking.

Excursions
 

Drax Power Station

A visit to Drax Power Station, one of the UK’s largest renewable power generators, offers a unique opportunity to see modern energy engineering at scale. Originally a coal-fired plant, Drax has undergone a remarkable transformation to become a leader in biomass and carbon reduction technologies, now generating most of its electricity from sustainable wood pellets. 

Kelham Island Museum

Set in the heart of Sheffield’s historic industrial quarter, the Kelham Island Museum offers a vivid insight into the city’s engineering and manufacturing heritage. The museum showcases the machinery, innovations and people that powered Sheffield’s rise as the “steel city”, including the impressive River Don Engine. The visit provides a powerful context for the summer school; you will learn how past revolutions in materials and energy engineering have transformed society.  

Chatsworth House and Gardens

A short journey from Sheffield in the beautiful Peak District National Park, Chatsworth House is an architectural masterpiece and a site of remarkable engineering innovation. Its world-famous cascade, a dramatic water feature completed in the 17th century, is powered entirely by gravity-fed water systems drawn from reservoirs in the surrounding hills. Chatsworth offers an inspiring example of the connections between engineering, landscape and sustainability.

Bakewell

Situated on the banks of the river Wye, Bakewell is the largest town in the Peak District National Park. Bakewell is a historical and picturesque tourist destination, thinly disguised as 'Lambton' in Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’. The town features medieval architecture, courtyards, and beautiful natural landscapes. Directly linked to the Monsal trail, it is also a popular spot for hiking, cycling, and photography.