A group of new energy research centres and hubs have been announced to boost knowledge, create innovative green technologies and reduce demand for energy.
Backed by £53 million of government funding through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the six new centres are spread across the country.
Energy demand
A £15 million Energy Demand Research Centre based at the universities of Sussex and Newcastle will investigate how domestic, industrial and transport energy demand reduction can be achieved on a local and national level across the UK.
Hydrogen
Two separate hubs will be established to drive forward the national effort in hydrogen energy. The first, the UK Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels (UK-HyRES) is led by the University of Bath and will focus on practical hydrogen and alternative liquid fuel technologies.
The second, the Hydrogen Integration for Accelerated Energy Transitions (HI-ACT) Hub at Newcastle University, will evaluate how hydrogen can be effectively integrated into the wider energy system.
Renewable energy
There will also be three ‘Supergen Impact Hubs’ focusing on how the UK can take advantage of the latest research in renewable energy. These include the Supergen Energy Networks Impact Hub at the University of Bristol, specialising on energy distribution between suppliers, and the Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Impact Hub at the University of Plymouth, which will focus on wave, tidal, solar and wind power technology.
The final centre, the Supergen Bioenergy Impact Hub, will be based at Aston University and aims to support the transition to low carbon energy in the UK by increasing biomass production.
‘Game-changing ideas’
Announcing the funding, Prof Dame Ottoline Leyser, chief executive of UKRI, said: “The funding announced today will support researchers and innovators to develop game changing ideas to improve domestic, industrial and transport energy systems.”
