Biomass is the use of organic matter as a fuel, used since people first burnt wood to cook food and keep warm. More recently, it has been part of a drive for using renewable energy sources to fuel our homes and businesses, rather than fossil fuels.
Flooding is the most significant disaster risk in the UK. Flooding is estimated to cost the economy about £1 billion per year. More frequent, more intense storms resulting from climate change, and inappropriate developments in floodplains will put more people and property at risk in the future and will increase the impact of flooding. It is projected that the annual cost of flooding could be up to four times higher by the end of the century.
Few of us like to think too much about how wastewater or surface water run-off from their home, workplace or business gets to a place of treatment and/or safe disposal to the environment. But, when the infrastructure that either transports or treats this water fails, the resultant problems can be unpleasant, costly to rectify and damaging to the environment.
Dr Roy Hawkins officially retires from Hawkins & Associates today, 28 February 2022, after 42 years of dedication to the company he founded.
Back boilers are often located within a chimney breast behind either an open fire or range cooker, and they are typically installed during a house’s initial construction.
We are all probably very familiar with fireworks, especially the type commonly used in gardens on Bonfire Night, or those seen when watching professional displays at weddings and other celebrations. These types of fireworks are classified F1 to F4 in “The Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015,” covering all the types of fireworks from hand-held sparklers to the largest display shells used by professionals.
After months of working from home, it was a very pleasant change of pace for the Hawkins’ Marketing Team and some of our forensic investigators, to attend traditional, in-person events during the month of October.
Hawkins would like to announce our new offering of Forensic Architecture services, as well as the joining of both Sam Morley and Alastair Ferguson as Senior Associates within the company.
The process of turning mechanical energy into electrical power is pretty fascinating. You may remember turning a magnet near a coil and seeing a light bulb illuminate at school? In practice, power generation in the real world is fairly similar; an electromagnet is spun by a turbine (through wind, water, steam or a combustion engine) and power is produced. In practice, this electro-magnet may be over 100 tonnes, spinning at 3000 times a minute within a stationary coil weighing hundreds of tonnes. The largest generators being manufactured at the moment are rated in excess of 1.5 GW (gigawatts, or billion watts – enough to power three million UK homes). Whether being driven by wind, water steam or gas turbines, all generators are made of the same parts.
An exploding egg-speriment. Don’t try this at home! Our team includes chemists and forensic engineers who are highly trained and skilled in dealing with flammable items and the necessary safety precautions.
