Adelan Ltd, the UK’s oldest fuel cell company, has completed a successful trade mission to China. Meeting with high-level decision-makers from two Chinese provinces earlier this month, Adelan chief executive officer Dr Michaela Kendall garnered commercial interest in their patented fuel cells from some of the world’s largest technology players.
Posted 28 Dec 2018
Based in Edgbaston, Birmingham, Adelan is an active supporter of the Midlands Engine, a coalition of councils, academia and business which is actively working to present the Midlands as an attractive business location. Adelan chairs the Midlands Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Network (MFCHN), which is a collaborative network working towards commercialising fuel cell technology, the key to green energy.
Led by Sir John Peace and Anthony May, a small delegation of executives from key technology sectors met with senior leaders in Zhejiang and Guizhou Provinces as part of an on-going engagement programme to promote trade and investment. The trade visit marks the progression into a new, more strategic, phase of a regional relationship that has developed between the two provinces and the Midlands.
The Midlands Engine China Strategy focuses attention on developing relations with organisations in China across the energy and transport sectors, two industries that are expected to significantly benefit from the widespread commercial roll out of fuel cell technology like the micro-tubular SOFCs first developed by Adelan in 1994. There are already strong ties between China’s technology players and Midlands-based engineering. For example, Zhejiang based Geely Auto owns Coventry’s London Electric Vehicle Company (LEV). Following on from a significant investment programme for LEV, Geely is hoping to utilise fuel cell technology to power the next generation of electric vehicles.
Commenting on the trade mission Dr Kendall said: “China is actively embracing the clean energy revolution and it is very encouraging to experience the keen interest shown during this trade visit as China looks to embrace advanced technologies like Adelan fuel cells. UK enterprises could also benefit from our home grown Birmingham-based engineering talent and its technology breakthroughs.”
Both China and the UK have stressed the importance of adding value to their current economic connections, as well as engage and encourage more commercial relationships to be established. As a leading technology supplier, Adelan fuel cell technology is expected to play a key role in the clean energy future that is being actively embraced by China. A key delegate on the trade mission noted: “Going forward, we should describe Adelan as a green-energy company, providing products which result in a cleaner, carbon free environment.”
Adelan has successfully demonstrated SOFC’s potential by powering auxiliary power on a very light rail (VLR) vehicle in the Black Country, reducing operating costs through fuel efficiency and slashing carbon emissions
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