Expert help for the hydrogen economy
LOUGHBOROUGH University experts are part of a new programme designed to boost the emerging hydrogen economy in the Midlands.
The £4.99 million, three-year hydrogen development and knowledge exchange (HyDEX) programme unites businesses with academics, including Professor Upul Wijayantha, from the university’s chemistry department.
The aim is to build markets and the supply chain, and support the skills needed for the hydrogen economy.
The programme will allow businesses to accelerate the development of new hydrogen products, while supporting the transition from declining industrial sectors to lower-carbon methods of transport, manufacturing and power generation.
The programme is being funded via UK Research and
Innovation (UKRI). It will see the university partners in the energy research accelerator (ERA) sector making available their £111 million worth of hydrogen facilities and research capabilities to businesses.
This will be supported by the expertise of leading industrial partners in transport, heating and manufacturing technologies. These include Worcester-Bosch and Cadent (hydrogen boilers and gas networks); Intelligent Energy (fuel cells); Toyota (hydrogen vehicles); FAUN Zoeller (heavy vehicles); Cenex, ENGIE (Hydrogen Networks); Progressive Energy, ITM Motive (hydrogen generation and transport respectively); Siemens and ENGIE (hydrogen production and storage).
Professor Wijayantha said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Loughborough University, ERA partners and the Midlands region, as it will put us in a globally leading position in hydrogen technology innovation.
“The HyDEX programme is a perfect opportunity to achieve some important objectives that we identified last year when we worked with the Midlands Engine to formulate the 10 points Green Growth Plan for the Midlands.”
Loughborough’s Dr Kathryn North leads the project’s skills programme.
She said: “HyDEX will work closely with industry and university partners to provide training and development opportunities for researchers and industry colleagues.”
The other universities involved in the programme are Keele, Aston, Birmingham, Cranfield, Nottingham and Warwick.
Civic partners such as the Midlands Engine and local authorities will also add their weight to support the creation of a market for low-carbon hydrogen solutions.