Steel might be the largest industrial carbon dioxide emitter, but Britain’s troubled industry could be a big part of a cleaner, greener future. By using steel to build new infrastructure for

renewable energy, the UK could create a virtuous circle of improvement for its industry and growth. Ignore calls to subsidise additional supply in a market where there is already too much

steel to go round. Britain instead needs a proactive industrial strategy to stimulate demand for its steel, and one that has sustainability at its heart. Here are nine ways steel could be

used in a clean industrial transformation: 1. BUILD AN ENORMOUS TIDAL POWER STATION This is the long-mooted plan to build an enormous tidal power station across the Severn Estuary. Around

2011 estimate, while offshore the figure rises to 450 tonnes. Although fossil fuel and nuclear power station require much less, they still rely on other finite resources. If the UK is

serious about exploiting its fantastic wind resources it will need a lot of steel for the domestic market, with a view to eventually exporting turbine technology to other nations. 3. EXPAND

HIGH SPEED RAIL Better rail links would mean people taking trains instead of cars or carbon-intensive domestic flights. But, again, this will require lots of steel. Every kilometre of new

high speed railway requires 282 tonnes of steel for the rails themselves. Overhead line equipment – the masts, gantries and overhead wires – add a further 500 tonnes per km, and tunnels and

bridges also need reinforcing. Conventional electrified rail will also require new rolling stock – an average train is around 57% steel, or 27 tonnes. There are proposals for an HS3 line to

Newcastle along with an HS4 to connect Bristol and the West Country with London. A Severn Barrage could also create a new transport corridor into Wales as Brunel’s tunnel is already at

capacity. These hundreds of kilometres of new line could transform regional economies, rebalance the UK – and boost demand for steel. 4. TURN STEEL INTO SOLAR PANELS Steel can be “sprayed”

with photovoltaic material to create roofs and facades that can harvest solar energy. Researchers are evaluating thin film silicon, chalcopyrite and organic solar to find the best solution.

It won’t overtake regular solar panels just yet but, given roofs cover 1.8% of the UK’s land, the potential is enormous. 5. HEAT YOUR HOME – DIRECTLY Academics at Cardiff University have

been working on a neat way to keep your home warm, using profiled perforated steel mounted on the south-facing walls of buildings. It is specially-treated to absorb as much solar energy as

possible. The sun creates a warm boundary layer of air around the steel sheet, which a fan then distributes through the building. 6. BUILD BIG SOLAR FARMS Large-scale solar plants can also

use mounting systems made from steel. Government subsidy cuts have caused the UK solar industry to falter, but past performance has shown its potential. 7. NEXT GENERATION PYLONS The pylons

familiar to most British people were designed in 1928. Demand from electric vehicles will soon grow massively, heating is becoming electric rather than gas-powered, and small-scale wind and

solar generation all needs to be linked up. This new electricity infrastructure will require new plyons, which may be welcome news for the Pylon Appreciation Society. In Iceland, pylons have

been elevated to an art form that adds to the landscape. 8. LIGHTWEIGHT FUTURISTIC ELECTRIC CARS Tesla has gone back to steel for its latest car, the Model 3. After initially using

composites, the company said the cost and mass production advantages of steel were too strong to ignore. Yet steel doesn’t have to mean bulky and inefficient. The Future Steel Vehicle

concept achieves body mass savings of 35% compared to standard vehicles, and shows weight reduction is possible without ditching steel. 9. STEEL PLANTS CAN KEEP US WARM The huge furnaces

found at steel plants could be connected to local heating networks. At present, steel producers consider all that heat a costly byproduct. They even have to cool the water used in the

manufacturing process between each use, which requires lots of energy. However, in harnessing the waste heat and selling it to consumers, they could even turn a profit. Such a scheme already

exists in Sheffield and could be extended to other steel towns such as Scunthorpe or Port Talbot.