£2.5 million funding announced for hydrogen supercluster project

Working alongside colleagues from fellow GW4 Alliance universities of Exeter, Bristol, Cardiff, as well as others from Swansea, South Wales and Plymouth, the project will bring together academics, civic organisations, and industry partners to help reach the UK’s net zero carbon emissions targets.

The project, ‘GW-SHIFT: Great Western Supercluster of Hydrogen Impact for Future Technologies’, has secured £2.5 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as part of their Place Based Impact Acceleration Account Awards (PBIAA).

Supported by a range of partners including the Western Gateway, Great South West, West of England Combined Authority, Hydrogen South West and SETsquared, GW-SHIFT will enable cross-sector partnerships to drive the development of hydrogen skills, infrastructure and technology.

Hydrogen technologies will play an important role in decarbonising transport and energy to meet the UK government’s 2050 net zero target and large scale aims to drive the growth of low carbon hydrogen. GW-SHIFT will be a key enabler of these priorities, supporting the UK transition to green hydrogen production.

Over the next four years, GW-SHIFT will support innovative research and activities to create a thriving low-carbon hydrogen supercluster focusing on key themes such as production, storage and distribution, conversion and transport.

Professor Tim Mays, GW-SHIFT Principal Investigator and Co-Director and GW4 Net Zero Ambassador, from the University of Bath's Department of Chemical Engineering, said: “GW-SHIFT will develop as a place based supercluster to accelerate the impact of research and innovation in sustainable hydrogen technologies in the South West of England and South Wales to secure the UK’s net zero carbon emissions target for 2050. All partners are incredibly excited to be involved and look forward to working together over the next four years and beyond.”

Professor Xiaohong Li, Project Co-Director, University of Exeter added: “We are delighted to establish the GW-SHIFT hydrogen supercluster for the South-West of England and the South Wales to support these regions to accelerate strategic and high-impact uses for green hydrogen. Not only will the supercluster bring together the academic institutions, civic organisations, and key industry partners in the region, but in the meantime the co-created projects and collaborations will enable us to move further and drive innovations.”

The project builds on the South West England and South Wales’ unique strengths and emerging hydrogen ecosystem, including the highest concentration of net zero economy businesses in the UK. The region is also home to the world’s leading aerospace cluster outside of the US; who are backing hydrogen solutions to deliver the future of long-haul flight.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/18102023/25-million-funding-announced-for-hydrogen-supercluster-project/