Prof Tim Mays and Dr Sibimol Luke represented UK-HyRES at the HEA Annual Conference 2024 in London on 23 May. Lord Callanan, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister of Energy Efficiency and Green Finance) was the keynote speaker and he said that the UK needs decisive action more than ambition. He also assured the industry in this time of uncertainty of the UK’s general election that there may not be many policy changes even if the government changes since the country’s climate targets and net-zero goals remain the same.
The conference theme of ‘acting on ambition’ brought together a range of stakeholders including government representatives, policymakers, industry leaders, academics, lawyers, consultants, investors, insurers and bankers. All are essential to scale up the hydrogen sector. The conference reiterated the need for joint actions, strategic planning, more funding and support from the government, and fast decisions if the UK is to become a net exporter of hydrogen and to capture a share of global market technologies.
Tim Mays spoke at the ‘Accelerating Action’ session. He did a short presentation about the mission of the hub, the research themes, the funding available, and the great interest the hub received in the stage 1 research project call. He also emphasised the requirement for more investment from the government and industry in academia and research and for the industry to be involved with academia from the very beginning of research at low TRL levels to build the confidence of the industry and to take the innovations out of the lab.
Different sessions highlighted the need for research and innovation in hydrogen technologies, more investments in R&D in OEMs, challenges in finding off-takers, and at least a few projects that are up and running to build investors’ confidence. Overall, the conference encouraged the hydrogen sector to go forward with its ambitious goals and projects and it is possible to build them together despite the challenges as there are solutions to all the problems.
Prof Shanwen Tao has been announced as a Plenary Lecturer for the 3rd Symposium of Ammonia Energy. Hosted in Shanghai on the 23rd-26th of September at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Foshan Xianhu Laboratory. The theme of this symposium is Ammonia: New Energy, New Opportunity. This event will share and discuss the latest research results, discuss innovative technology solutions, and engage in dialogue on sustainable development strategies for ammonia energy, jointly promote the ammonia energy research, address related challenges, and achieve a cleaner and more sustainable future energy landscape.
If you would like more information on this you can read more here: https://bit.ly/3KfDMqq
The Hydrogen Innovation Initiative (HII), Innovate UK and the EPSRC Hydrogen Hubs, UK-HyRES and HI-ACT, have come together to host the UK Hydrogen Innovation Showcase. This event will highlight the innovative projects taking place across the UK hydrogen supply chain, featuring key players in the hydrogen landscape.
Delegates should come prepared to explore the innovation taking place across the hydrogen landscape, learn about the innovative projects our exhibitors and speakers are showcasing, understand more about the key research developments and funding opportunities underpinning the hydrogen economy, and enable and accelerate meaningful partnerships and collaborations.
With speakers and presentations from senior industry leaders, those working on emerging technologies and members of the policy and regulatory space, this event will be an opportunity to learn more about UK Hydrogen innovation and impactful collaboration.
If you work with hydrogen technologies or want to understand more about the innovations taking place, join the event and help shape the UK hydrogen economy.
Register your interest to attend as a delegate, speaker or exhibitor Here: https://ow.ly/et9k50RYqiB
Please note there are limited exhibitor slots available, thus we cannot accept all EOIs. If you are selected as an exhibitor, we will be in touch with next steps and guidance shortly.
Research Project Call Stage 2
We are pleased to announce that Stage 2 of the UK-HyRES Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels Research Project Call is open to successful Stage 1 applicants. We were overwhelmed at the number of submissions (158) received, an indication of exceptional community interest in hydrogen research. This led to a challenging and lengthy assessment process involving nearly 500 independent reviews each in quality, impact, and fit assessment areas. However, we are confident in the high quality of the final selection of 38 EoIs invited to the full proposal. At this stage, we expect to be able to fund around 10 proposals, subject to review. Finally, it is important to note that ALL the EoIs that we received were interesting, relevant, and potentially impactful. It is frustrating that our limited flexifund did not (and will not) allow us to fund as many project ideas as we would like. We are currently in discussion with the EPSRC to explore a budget uplift for the Hub that will match the clear and extensive appetite for new hydrogen projects.
Key Dates
| Call for Full Proposals opens | 2nd May 2024 |
| Online information webinar for Full Proposals | 17th May 2024 2.00 to 3.30pm on Teams |
| Call for Full Proposals closes | 13th June 3.00 PM |
| Peer reviews of full proposals | 18th June – 16th July 2024 |
| Meeting of Review Panel | w/c 22nd July 2024 |
| Notification of successful and unsuccessful Proposals | w/c 22nd July 2024 |
| Period for exchange of Flexible Fund grant conditions | 22nd July – 16th August 2024 |
| Anticipated start date of successful proposals | October – December 2024 |
How can governance strategies support the uptake of net zero hydrogen technologies and systems (H2NZ)? How do we ensure that in bringing about H2NZ energy transitions we do so responsibly and support a just energy transition?
Come and join the Global Hydrogen Production Technologies (HyPT) Center to create a step change in the development of responsible hydrogen ecosystems and accelerate the pace of decarbonisation of energy systems globally.
For further details and to apply, please see : Research Assistant or Fellow in Society and Global Hydrogen Energy Systems (4820) (cranfield.ac.uk)
On the 23rd to the 27th of June, Prof Tim Mays will take part in the 24th World Hydrogen Energy Conference WHEC as a plenary speaker.
This five-day international meeting aims to exchange scientific information and academic activities on 18 thematic tracks and will be held in Tulum – Riviera Maya, Mexico. We will look forward to hearing all about this event from Tim after its conclusion this summer.
For more information and the full list of participating speakers read here: https://lnkd.in/eixXV2f9
Save the Date – Bringing Hydrogen to the Marketplace – How Can Interdisciplinary Research Make a Difference?
We are pleased to invite you to join us for a unique opportunity to engage with industry leaders and researchers as we explore the theme “Bringing Hydrogen to the Marketplace – How Can Interdisciplinary Research Make a Difference?”.
- Date: March 12-13, 2025
- Location: Bath, UK
- Highlight: Drinks reception and dinner at the Roman Baths, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Great British Energy has a clear vision for hydrogen as part of our low carbon economy. Come and join us at this event to meet people who can help understand and solve your challenges in hydrogen, from technical, to sustainability assessment, to societal acceptance. Hosted by UK-HyRES, the event will feature insightful discussions on using interdisciplinary research, opportunities to co-develop future funded projects and plenty of time for networking.
More details and registration information will follow soon, but for now please mark 12th-13th March in your calendars!
We look forward to your participation in shaping the future of hydrogen together. To register please follow this link: https://bit.ly/41vejTN
Warm regards,
The UK-HyRES Team
Prof Tim Mays (University of Bath) was a panel member on hydrogen clusters at the World Hydrogen UK conference in London on the 11th April 2024. He gave a short presentation on hydrogen research and innovation interests in the South West and joined a moderated question and answer session at which he emphasised wide-ranging community engagement necessary to facilitate growth of the hydrogen economy regionally and nationally.
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Dr. Emre Kiliç attended a series of meetings and brainstorming sessions in Turkey. These high-level events were sponsored by the British Consulate, establishing collaboration between the UK and Turkey on hydrogen technologies.
Sessions started with brainstorming and discussions between UK and Turkish delegates hosted by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. The attendees from the Turkish side were Botas (Petroleum Pipeline Co. and one of the biggest Energy/Pipeline suppliers in Turkey), TENMAK (Turkish Energy, Nuclear and Mineral Research Agency), and EPDK (Energy Market Regularity Authority Turkey).
This was followed by joint presentations in TUBITAK from UK delegates, academics and leading companies on hydrogen in Turkey. We had discussions with Tupras (Turkish Petroleum Company), Ford Otosan Turkey, who produced the first H2 ice trucks and cars ready to drive.
The second part of this event took place in TUBITAK Marmara Center in Istanbul, where the topics of hydrogen regulations, storage, safety, and economy were discussed. Dr. Kiliç said, “It was great to see the impressive TUBITAK research laboratories, hydrogen motors, and prototype hydrogen car produced by TUBITAK. We will keep in contact for future collaborations”.
Events concluded at Sabanci University with further presentations and discussions. Dr. Emre Kiliç will organise some meetings in the following weeks with Turkish colleagues and leading companies to continue the progress made.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) held a Science and Engineering Week to celebrate science and its contribution to delivering Net Zero and tackling climate change. The DESNZ programme, organised by the Office of the Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA), aimed to shine a light on the role science plays, create networks and inspire staff across the department to engage further with science.
As part of the week, University of Bath researchers delivered three online workshops with a focus on energy security and net zero transition. The workshops, which were attended by over 100 people, explored applying behavioural evidence in policy; energy infrastructure and grid resilience; and the research challenges that need to be resolved to enable and accelerate the development and deployment of sustainable hydrogen technologies to support Net Zero 2050.
Prof Tim Mays shared insights on the broad scope of hydrogen and hydrogen carriers, including ‘green hydrogen’. He highlighted current high-priority research challenges which must be resolved to support Net Zero 2050.
Prof Tim Mays says: “It was a pleasure and privilege to present on hydrogen to DESNZ colleagues and to engage in fascinating follow-up discussions. There is clearly significant and growing interest in government in this area. I hope that I was able to underpin that interest in the workshop. Many thanks to the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) for co-ordinating with DESNZ.”
For more information about each workshop and the rest of the event read more here: https://bit.ly/3x2yWJH