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About us

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  1. Queen Mary University of London
  2. About us
  3. Sustainability
  4. Sustainable development goals
  5. Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
  6. Engagement

Engagement

Helping people understand clean energy 

Queen Mary gives members of the public opportunities to learn about renewable energy, energy efficiency and emerging low-carbon technologies. At the Harwell Open Day in 2024, Queen Mary researchers demonstrated battery technologies and other green-energy systems at an event attended by more than 10,000 visitors. The activities gave people a chance to see how renewable-energy technologies work and to speak directly with researchers developing them. In February 2025, Queen Mary’s Night of Science and Engineering brought researchers, industry, policymakers and members of the public together around new technologies. Exhibits included space-based solar power and sustainable materials, giving visitors another opportunity to engage with clean-energy research. Queen Mary also opened Climate Action Week 2025 to the wider community. Across 15 events attended by more than 150 people, talks and workshops covered climate policy, carbon emissions, sustainable finance and practical action. 

Switching off unnecessary energy use 

During Climate Action Week 2025, Queen Mary’s Sustainability Team worked with student volunteers on an out-of-hours switch-off campaign in the Laws Building. The team switched off non-essential lighting, portable heaters, projectors, and local air-conditioning units before the weekend. Electricity use fell to around 820 kWh, down from 1,422 kWh and 2,099 kWh over the previous two weekends. This meant potential savings of up to 1,279 kWh and more than £300 in a single weekend. The activity gave students a practical way to see how everyday behaviour affects energy use and showed how small changes can make a measurable difference. 

Supporting low-carbon start-ups

Queen Mary provides funding, facilities and business support to entrepreneurs developing low-carbon technologies. In 2024, Carbon Cell, a start-up developing bio-based insulation for buildings, received £15,000 from the Queen Mary Social Venture Fund. The company is working to reduce the carbon impact of insulation and construction materials. Carbon Cell later secured £1.2 million in pre-seed investment, giving the company further support to develop and scale its technology. Queen Mary’s Green Energy Hub also provides specialist facilities and research expertise in areas including batteries, photovoltaics, hydrogen and sustainable materials. 

Bringing clean-energy evidence into policy

Queen Mary also works with policymakers and the public on the choices needed for a lower-carbon energy system. In June 2024, Queen Mary, the Trade Justice Movement and MutualGain organised the Citizens’ Assembly on Trade and Climate. Fifty-nine members of the UK public took part in 35 hours of discussion and evidence sessions before developing recommendations for the UK Government. The recommendations included redirecting fossil-fuel subsidies towards green technologies and research, supporting renewable-energy development, expanding electric-vehicle infrastructure and using public procurement to support lower-carbon goods and services. A policy brief setting out the Assembly’s findings was published in December 2024. Queen Mary’s Green Energy initiative also works with UK and international government departments as part of its wider work on the transition to cleaner energy technologies. 

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