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Banter 120: 20May26 Good News, with Graham Stoddart-Stones

breakthroughs in renewable energy, improved solar cell efficiency, advanced battery technologies, offshore wind developments, community microgrids, solar power, battery storage, small-scale generation

Video Timeline (min:secs):

00:00 - 23:23 Presentation

23:23 - 60:14 (end) Q & A

Presentation: Banter 120

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Please feel free to download this presentation; a markdown version (ie text only) is available at the bottom of the page

Meeting Summary - Banter 120

May 20, 2026 11:51 AM London ID: 834 5460 8536

Quick recap

This meeting focused on sharing positive environmental news and innovations that communities can implement to address climate change. Graham presented breakthroughs in renewable energy, including improved solar cell efficiency, advanced battery technologies, offshore wind developments, and community microgrids. The discussion covered how local communities can increase energy resilience through solar power, battery storage, and small-scale generation systems. Participants shared additional positive developments including biodiversity net gain initiatives, food waste management, balcony solar panels, and rewilding projects. The group explored how to measure success in local food resilience and discussed approaches to engaging farmers in regenerative agriculture practices, with several members sharing examples of successful community initiatives and partnerships with farming clusters.

Next steps

Belinda

  • Watch the recording of the meeting on catch-up.

Cllr.Stuart

  • Provide more information on Solar Foods and their protein product Solein.

  • Investigate developing a small solar farm using sodium ion batteries.

Graham

  • Share the recording of the meeting this afternoon.

Sue

  • Look up Cllr.Stuart on the Town Council website for public facing environmental projects.

  • Sound out the local wildlife trust about the idea of creating 100 new log piles for residents.

  • Consider focusing on local food production and agriculture for her mayoral year, and explore how to engage with local farmers.

  • Look up Jenny's contact (Sussex peasant/Edin) for local food and regenerative farming connections.

Summary

Environmental Technology Breakthroughs Discussion

Graham opened the meeting by discussing the need to share positive environmental news to counter gloomy reports, focusing on recent breakthroughs in energy transition technologies. He highlighted improvements in solar cell efficiency, advancements in battery storage systems, and the UK's leadership in offshore wind turbine technology, particularly floating wind turbines. The discussion included a question from Sue, the newly elected mayor of Battle, about environmental initiatives for her town, to which Graham suggested looking at community-level projects and mentioned that ideas from the day's presentation could be relevant.

Renewable Energy Progress and Challenges

Graham presented significant progress in renewable energy, noting that renewables now provide over 50% of UK electricity generation compared to just 2% two decades ago, with wind power being the main contributor and solar increasing steadily. He discussed various technological developments including MIT's electrically charged concrete, precision agriculture using AI drones, digital twins for flood forecasting, and advancements in electric vehicles with improved range and charging speeds. Graham concluded that while the technology for addressing climate change is available, the main challenge now is persuading decision-makers to implement these solutions, emphasizing the importance of local energy generation and storage systems.

CO2 Emissions Reduction Strategies

Stuart highlighted the need for accelerated action on reducing CO2 emissions and suggested investing in renewables rather than CO2 removal technologies. He also discussed solar foods, specifically mentioning a protein called solein made from bacteria that converts CO2 and hydrogen into protein, which is licensed for consumption in Singapore and partially approved in the US. Gary presented positive environmental developments including biodiversity net gain, food waste management, and new solar panel options for homes, while also mentioning upcoming housing regulations requiring solar installation and rewilding initiatives.

Environmental Resilience and Food Systems

Sue expressed gratitude for learning new concepts and discussed the balance between individual responsibility and government action in addressing environmental issues, particularly regarding lifestyle changes and technology improvements. Graham shared insights about market gardening and the benefits of worm composting from a garlic farm case study on the Isle of Wight, highlighting a 30% productivity increase and plans to develop a market garden. The group discussed how to measure success in local food resilience, with Graham suggesting tracking local supermarket supply sources and Cllr.Stuart mentioning research on children's health benefits from playing in soil.

Community Energy Benefits Discussion

Belinda discussed the challenge of demonstrating the benefits of community energy projects, noting that while carbon emission reductions are measurable, social benefits like health and wellbeing are more difficult to quantify. She mentioned the Ashton co-benefits toolkit as a resource for measuring these benefits. Cllr. Stuart shared information about sodium ion batteries becoming available domestically, stating they are safer and potentially cheaper than lithium ion batteries, though still more expensive. The discussion also touched on the current renewable energy generation levels and the challenges with V2G technology standards.

Carbon Capture and Agriculture Discussion

Graham and Cllr.Stuart discussed carbon capture technology, with Cllr.Stuart noting that Climeworks aims to capture one million tons per year but currently operates in thousands. They identified bureaucratic and political opposition as key barriers to implementing renewable energy solutions, particularly for community energy projects. Sue raised concerns about poor soil quality and how to implement regenerative agriculture practices, with Cllr.Stuart suggesting working through farm clusters as a potential solution to reach farmers and promote regenerative techniques.

Regenerative Agriculture Initiatives Discussion

The group discussed regenerative agriculture initiatives and local farming practices. Jenny suggested contacting Edin from Sussex who works with regenerative farmers and has set up information boards about agricultural practices at his market stalls. Belinda shared details about Dorset Council's work with county farms, including funding for farm surveys and farmer engagement through breakfast events with FWAG. The discussion concluded with Sue proposing to create 100 new log piles for residents to support bug habitats, though Garry raised concerns about potential theft for wood burners.

Useful Links: Banter 120:

Solar Foods - creating food without agriculture/food out of thin air: https://solarfoods.com/

Chat: Banter 120

00:13:05 Stephanie Juniper: Wildflowers, meadows throughout the Abbey :-).

00:13:25 Stephanie Juniper: We are using Foamstream as a weed killer which doesn’t use pesticides. Seems to be working well.

00:51:28 Stephanie Juniper: Thank you, extremely interesting, afraid I am going to have to go.

00:53:59 Belinda Bawden: The Ashden Co-Benefits Toolkit has some ideas about health and well-being benefits : Tools for Councils • Ashden

01:07:09 Belinda Bawden: The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group

The national FWAG Association represents local Farming & Wildlife Advisory Groups (FWAGs) across the UK. These groups have helped British farmers for over five decades by providing trusted, independent environmental advice.

Banter 120 Markdown of presentation

Good News in Climate Change

…and a lot of it involves you!

Areas of Rapid Advance

  • Energy Transition Breakthroughs

  • Heat and Building Technology

  • Food and Agriculture

  • AI and Systems Management

  • Carbon Removal Technologies

  • Transport Advances

  • Community-scale Resilient Technology

Energy Transition Breakthroughs

☀️ Solar PV Efficiency Leap

Laboratory efficiencies have now exceeded:

  • 33% for tandem cells

Benefits:

  • rooftop generation improves sharply

🔋 Grid-scale Batteries

Storage is becoming:

  • cheaper

  • safer

  • longer-duration

🌬️ Floating Offshore Wind

The UK is becoming:

  • a major test bed

The Impact of Renewable Energy Transition

Renewables Share of UK Electricity

Year
Renewables Share

2000

~2–3%

2010

~7%

2015

~25%

2020

~43%

2024

50.4%

2025

52.5%

Key Points

  • Most growth comes from wind power

  • Solar is still increasing

  • Coal-powered electricity has collapsed:

Year
Coal Share

2000

40%

2025

0%

Additional notes:

  • Renewables now account for:

    • 18% of total UK energy use

    • more than 50% of electricity generation

  • In 2025:

    the increase in renewable generation exceeded the increase in global electricity demand

👉 “We are winning!!”

Heat & Building Technology

🏠 Heat Pumps Improving Rapidly

New systems:

  • work better in cold weather

  • integrate with smart grids

  • reduce electricity demand spikes

🧱 Low-carbon Building Materials

Examples:

  • low-carbon cement

  • mycelium insulation

  • timber hybrid structures

  • carbon-sequestering concrete

Fun Fact!

MIT Electron-conduction Carbon Concrete

MIT is working on:

  • electron-conduction carbon concrete

This:

  • acts as a supercapacitor

  • can store electricity as part of the building structure

Example:

  • powering an average house for a day would require:

    • ~5 cubic metres of concrete

    • roughly the size of a basement wall

Notes:

  • only applicable to new builds

  • not retrospective

  • concrete remains the world’s most-used building material

  • not yet commercial, but making rapid progress

Food & Agriculture

🌱 Precision Agriculture

Using:

  • AI

  • drones

  • satellite imaging

  • soil sensors

To:

  • reduce fertiliser use

  • optimise irrigation

  • improve resilience

🧪 Alternative Proteins

Rapid growth in:

  • fermentation proteins

  • cultivated meat

  • seaweed-based foods

Still:

  • early commercially

  • moving fast

🌊 Seaweed & Marine Agriculture

Seaweed:

  • grows fast

  • needs no fertiliser

  • captures carbon

  • can improve soils

Reminder from People’s Emergency Briefing

More sustainable food grown locally

Don’t Forget:

Worms!!

AI & Systems Management

AI for:

  • grid balancing

  • flood prediction

  • traffic optimisation

  • crop disease detection

  • climate modelling

🌧️ Flood Prediction Advances

Using:

  • real-time sensors

  • LiDAR

  • machine learning

To forecast:

  • flash flooding

  • sewer overload

  • storm overflow risk

Digital Twin for Flood Forecasting

Carbon Removal Technologies

Types

  • Direct Air Capture

  • Enhanced weathering

  • Biochar

  • BECCS (bioenergy + CCS)

Reality Check

Most remain:

  • expensive

  • energy intensive

👉 Useful supplementary tools, not substitutes for emissions reduction.

Transport Advances

EV Batteries

Range, charging speed, and cost continue improving.

Future shifts:

  • sodium-ion batteries

  • solid-state batteries

  • vehicle-to-grid integration

Aviation & Shipping

Major work on:

  • hydrogen

  • methanol

  • ammonia fuels

Still:

  • early stage for large-scale deployment

EV Range Change

Year
Typical EV Range

2000

50–90 miles

2026

~325 miles

Community-scale Resilience Technology

This area is growing rapidly and may matter most locally.

Examples:

  • community microgrids

  • local battery storage

  • smart heat networks

  • community energy trading

  • local food coordination platforms

The Really Important Emerging Theme

The biggest advance is not any one technology.

It is:

Integration

The future system increasingly looks like:

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