Six research centres are set to receive £53 million in funding to boost knowledge and innovation within the energy sector.
The funding, which has been presented by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a public funding organisation, will enable the centres to boost knowledge, create new green technologies and reduce demand for energy to achieve greener, cleaner domestic, industrial and transport energy systems.
The research centres set to receive the funding include the Hydrogen Integration for Accelerated Energy Transitions Hub (HI-ACT), UK-HyRES: Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels, the Supergen Energy Networks Impact Hub 2023, the Supergen ORE Impact Hub 2023, the Supergen Bioenergy Impact Hub and also the Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC).
In total, £15 million has been provided to the EDRC, which is being led by Professor Mari Martiskainen of the University of Sussex and Professor Sara Walker of Newcastle University.
The project will build an evidence base for understanding the impact of energy demand reduction, from the perspectives of what low energy demand futures may be like. This will include a range of technologies and industry areas such as flexibility, skills and policies.
£20 million has additionally been allocated to two hubs aiming to integrate clean and sustainable hydrogen into the domestic, industrial and transport energy systems. These are known as HI-ACT and the UK-HyRES: Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels.
Led by Bath University, the UK-HyRES Hydrogen Hub aims to support hydrogen by delivering practical hydrogen and alternative liquid fuel technologies that could support the energy carrier’s role in the energy transition.
Hydrogen in particular can be utilised across a number of hard-to-abate sectors. In the case of transportation, heavy-duty trucking, cars, trains, planes and boats have all been touted as potential avenues for the energy carrier.
The HI-ACT hub, led by Newcastle University, will focus on hydrogen’s role in the wider energy landscape, addressing interactions with electricity, natural gas, heat, and transport. By considering a whole systems perspective, the research shall identify where hydrogen offers most value.
Both of these hubs have been provided £10 million in funding.
The final hubs to have been awarded funding include the Supergen Impact Hubs which each will look to explore the latest research in energy generation from renewable sources.
The Supergen Energy Networks Impact Hub, at the University of Bristol, will investigate modernisation of energy distribution systems between suppliers and users to become a driving force towards a rapid, safe and just transition to net zero.
The ORE Impact Hub, which is based at the University of Plymouth, is aiming to deliver research to accelerate the impact of current generation and future ORE devices and systems. Researchers will focus on innovation and new technologies in wave, tidal, solar and wind power.
The Supergen Bioenergy Impact Hub, based at Aston University, will continue to support the UK’s transition to a low carbon energy future by identifying pathways for delivering bioenergy with wider social, economic and environmental benefits.
“The government has set a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, requiring rapid decarbonisation of our energy systems. UKRI is leveraging its ability to work across disciplines to support this ambition through a major portfolio of investments that will catalyse innovation and new green energy systems,” said Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, chief executive of UKRI.
“The funding announced today will support researchers and innovators to develop game changing ideas to improve domestic, industrial and transport energy systems.”
