News >>> UK Research and Innovation funding for Midlands energy transition

Posted  January  2021

Decarbonisation of the UK’s energy sector is set to feature fuel cell and hydrogen technology following a funding award by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Run on behalf of the UK government, the awarded funds are focused on helping the Midlands achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Part of the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, itself a key component of the government’s Clean Growth Strategy, the programme aims to deploy technologies like hydrogen-ready fuel cells in industrial clusters in a bid to establish the world’s first net zero industrial cluster by 2040.

In the first phase of a two-stage competition businesses like Adelan will support the government funded project to develop plans for decarbonising an industrial cluster using a £1 million grant. Fuel cell and technology is being considered as a solution to decarbonise the transport, heat and power demands of the cluster.

Six winners emerging from phase one are now able to compete for a total of up to £131 million for phase two of the competition. This second phase will see projects developed that will deliver significant emissions reductions in a UK industrial cluster by 2030. Among the winning entrants, the Black Country Consortium is to develop plans for decarbonisation through the Repowering the Black Country project.

The project aims to agree a roadmap for securing significant commercial funding and investment to support clean industrial growth within the region and establish affordable net zero carbon energy for Black Country industry by 2040.

This consortium of partners will identify the best ways to deliver zero carbon power to local businesses using local resources.

Commenting on the UKRI funding, Dr Kendall observed: “Adelan supported the development of this call for proposal at BEIS back in 2018. As a Birmingham-based energy technology innovation company we’re extremely proud to be able to contribute to the clean energy transition in our home region and across the world. Hydrogen-ready fuel cells clearly have a key role to play in tackling climate change and improving air quality, I am delighted that the potential for Adelan’s microtubular fuel cells has been recognised in this exciting development.”

To discover exactly how Adelan can support your future energy ambitions or to meet your requirements for clean, quiet and reliable energy for remote, mobile or any other applications, please contact Dr Kendall and the rest of the Adelan team at:

Adelan Ltd

15 Weekin Works, 112-116 Park Hill Road, Birmingham B17 9HD (UK)

Tel: +44 (0)121 427 8033

About Adelan

First founded in The Midlands, Birmingham-based Adelan pioneered microtubular solid oxide fuel cell (mSOFC) technology more than 30 years’ ago. Adelan’s patented and scalable technology gives the fuel cell unprecedented flexibility, allowing the system to run cleanly on a range of commonly available fuels such as LPG, natural gas or propane/butane mix. As a result, though Adelan fuel cells can also run on hydrogen, they offer considerable additional operational flexibility and ease of use benefits whilst retaining a small, compact and lightweight footprint.