Energy, Environment and Sustainability Group Prize

The 2023 EESG prize is awarded to Dr. Sarim Al-Zubaidy for his lifelong, aggregate contribution that has impacted the lives of individuals and disadvantaged communities around the world and for his service in the areas of energy, sustainability, and environmental protection.

Dr. Al-Zubaidy's impactful achievements are in developing innovative solutions for producing and delivering energy; positive change impact on the behaviour of suppliers and consumers of energy; generation of a better understanding of complex energy systems and successes in reducing the environmental footprint of energy technologies and improving the sustainability of providing and using energy.

The projects Dr Al-Zubaidy pioneered included the design and fabrication of a low-cost, fit-for-purpose solar dryer specifically designed for pepper berries. This was the first approved Teaching Company Scheme in partnership with the pepper marketing board in Sarawak; the design and manufacture of a cooling system for low-cost housing units using renewable energy and the design and fabrication of wind turbines using local technology in Jamacia; conducting evaluation and sustainability assessment on the impact of local ambient conditions on the performance and power output of gas turbine power stations in the UAE; the development and initiation of structured research in green, sustainable building design and renewable energy in Kazakhstan and the Bahamas; and supporting the national agendas to move away from oil and gas towards sustainable renewables in the Caribbean.

The 2022 EESG prize was awarded to Professor Nick Eyre for his work on energy and climate. He has worked as a researcher, consultant and manager on energy and environmental issues since 1984. His interests focus on energy policy, especially with respect to energy demand reduction (EDR), energy efficiency and the transition to ‘low carbon’ energy systems. He has published extensively on energy, climate, environment and transport issues. It was Nick’s publications on EDR that particularly commended themselves to EESG, as well as his positive endorsement of the Energy Hierarchy.

Now based at the University of Oxford, he was the Director of the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS), until it was disbanded at the end of 2023. Their research demonstrated how reductions in energy use are essential for the transition to a fair, ‘net-zero’ society and it is disappointing that Government has not yet replaced this vital role.

His previous work includes lead roles with the Energy Saving Trust and as co-director of the UK Energy Research Centre.

In 2001, he was seconded to the Cabinet Office, Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU), where he was a co-author of the Government's 2002 Review of Energy Policy; he led work streams on energy efficiency and long-term energy scenarios. This was another long-standing connection with Nick, as EESG led the IMechE’s response to the 2002 PIU review.

The 2019 EESG prize was awarded to Geoff Bates for his work developing a solution to loss of nitrogen from pastoral farming. The loss of nitrogen is the most significant adverse environmental impact from pastoral farming, particularly dairy farming.  The nitrogen harms both water bodies and the atmosphere as well as being a source of greenhouse gasses. It is also a waste of valuable fertiliser.

The nitrogen is lost from the animal’s urine patch and the first challenge was to find a practical robust ‘farmer proof’ method of detecting urine flooded patches of pasture.  Of course finding the urine patch is only half the problem and Geoff has also led a considerable research effort to develop treatments to enhance and regulate the activity of different soil bacteria so that the nitrogen in the urine is redirected into grass growth.

The technology developed improves productivity and has opened a whole new field for pastoral farming. This technology has the potential to reduce global GHG emissions by more than the total GHG emission from Geoff’s homeland, New Zealand!

Other developments in Geoff’s career include a device to reduce on farm water use by a third – this device, known as a Dungbuster, is widely used in the New Zealand dairy industry. He also led the team that homologated the first vehicle to meet the FTP Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle standard (in Switzerland).

The 2018 EESG prize was awarded to Dr Kannan for his work on energy planning and policy in Malaysia. This included the production of a code of practice for energy auditing: “MS1525: Code of Practice on Energy Efficiency and use of Renewable Energy for non-residential buildings”. This standard is now widely quoted and used by engineering and architectural professionals.

He has also played a major part in the ASEAN Energy Efficiency & Conservation Best Practices Competition for Energy Efficient Buildings, both as the Malaysian representative on the board of judges and as Chairman from 2004 to 2006.

As well as carrying out energy audits himself, Dr Kannan served as the Chief Project Coordinator for the UNDP-GEF – Malaysian Industrial Energy Efficiency Improvement project from 2005 to 2007. This was the first project that initiated energy auditing in Malaysian industries. A total of 54 industries were audited. As a result of the project, total energy savings from 250 companies implementing energy saving measures was estimated as 3.2 million GJ, giving a CO2 reduction of 944.7 kilotonnes of CO2 annually (i.e., 9.45 million tCO2 over a 10-year period). This work has continued with further industrial establishments leading to additional CO2 reductions.

The 2017 EESG prize was awarded to Professor Hussam Jouhara for his work in developing more efficient energy systems and thus reducing their environmental impact. He combines academic research with commercial knowledge and practical implementation and has filed many patents.

His extensive expertise in designing and manufacturing various types of heat exchanger has resulted in new approaches to the design of recuperators, steam generators and condensers, and flat heat pipes. These designs have since been implemented across various industries including food processing and production, electronic thermal management and low to high industrial waste heat recovery.

Examples include the use of heat pipe technology in nuclear seawater desalination and in ventilation processes.

He is currently working on a home energy recovery unit using the heat pipe technology to pyrolyse domestic waste and supply hot water.