Cooling the Planet Final

Cooling the Planet Final

The Final

After strong competition, 'Cooling the Planet' reaches its crucial final stages with the last six teams battling it out to be crowned as champions.

Global warming remains a real threat, and we have been extremely encouraged by the work that the six teams of young engineers have put into assessing ideas about how to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on future climate.
Register now for the Final!

We welcome delegates to attend the final of the Cooling the Planet competiton at the Institution's Birdcage Walk headquarters in London on 5 March 2009.
For further information or to join us for the final
The Final Six

From an extremely stong field of entrants, six finalists emerged. Three of the teams have presented geo-engineering approahces and three have presented mitigation approaches:

Geo-engineering category

1. Artificial Trees - entry from team based at STFC, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, UK
2. Building Integrated Biofuel from Algae – entry from BH Young Engineers based at Buro Happold in London, UK
3. Reflective Roofing - entry from team based at Jaguar Land Rover in Coventry/Warwick, UK
   

Mitigation category

1. Carbon capture and storage – entry from team based at the Tenaga Nasional University, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia
2. Biogas CHP - entry from Team Glow based at Buro Happold in Bath, UK
3. Waste to Biochar Hydro-Pyrolysis – entry from Planet AECOM based at Faber Maunsell in London, UK
   

The Final Task

For the final, all six teams will be assessed on the feasibility of their chosen approach to 'Cooling the Planet' and will have to present their findings to a judging panel. This will consist of engineers with a very strong technical expertise, and media/MPs/policy makers/general public who will be well placed to see how good the teams are at explaining their approach to a wider, non-technical audience.

To make their approach accessible to technical and non-technical judges alike, the teams will be required to:

* produce a written technical report of their assessment
* make a 10 minute powerpoint presentation followed by 5 minute Q&A session
* produce a one page hand out of the assessment for a non-technical audience


Judging Panel

Confirmed judges so far include:

• Dr Colin Brown, IMechE Director of Engineering (Chair)
• Professor Tim Lenton, Professor of Earth System Science, University of East Anglia
• Dave Watson, Head of Environment and Sustainability – Engineering, United Utilities
• Chris Cox, Renewable Energy Team, E.ON Engineering, E.ON UK
  

The Final Day

The final will take place at the Institution's Birdcage Walk head office in London on 5 March 2009. The winning approach will then become part of the Institution’s environmental strategy, and promoted to the media, policy makers and the general public.