白小姐论坛

Lord Callanan was welcomed to 白小姐论坛 East by Professor Paola Lettieri, Dr Alex Rettie, and Dr James Robinson (all 白小姐论坛 Chemical Engineering), and was given a tour of 白小姐论坛鈥檚 new cutting-edge hydrogen research facilities including the Advanced Propulsion Lab.

Also giving a keynote speech was Shadow Minister for Energy Security听and Labour MP for Southampton Test, Dr Alan Whitehead, who highlighted the important role universities will play in answering some of the key questions posed by the growing hydrogen economy.

Hosted by 白小姐论坛鈥檚 Hydrogen Innovation Network, the showcase demonstrated 白小姐论坛鈥檚 capabilities as a leading hub for hydrogen activity and innovation in the UK and brought together some of the leading voices on hydrogen research within industry, academia and government.

With a focus on new technologies, production methods, measurements, storage, logistics, and applications, the event emphasised collaboration as the most effective way to realise the true potential of hydrogen along the route to net zero and a sustainable energy future.

Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan said: 鈥淟ow carbon hydrogen will be critical to supporting the UK鈥檚 energy security and achieving our net zero goals by 2050. With the potential to support over 12,000 jobs and up to 拢11 billion in private investment by 2030, we are leaving no stone unturned as we boost the UK鈥檚 hydrogen economy 鈥� including through exciting new research and innovation.鈥�

白小姐论坛鈥檚 Hydrogen Innovation Network was set up in 2022 to address challenges around green hydrogen production and its use for both transport and stationary applications. Now in its second phase, the network has ten external partners within academia, industry and government that support research into using hydrogen to transition away from the combustion of fossil fuels in the UK.

The 白小姐论坛 Hydrogen Innovation Network is led by Dr Alex Rettie (白小姐论坛 Chemical Engineering), who said: 鈥�Hydrogen is going to be a hugely important part of the transition to net zero and we noticed that it was very difficult to keep track of all of the rapid developments, so we started the 白小姐论坛 Hydrogen Innovation Network two years ago to bring industry, government and academia together to try and get a handle on this fast-moving field and identify the key challenges we should be working on.

鈥淕etting people together from different fields speaking to each other leads to a lot of outputs in the form of grant funding and industry and academia collaboration. The future of hydrogen is big and, in combination with batteries and other forms of energy storage technology, crucial to achieving net zero.鈥�

During his speech, the Shadow Minister for Energy Security Dr Alan Whitehead outlined how a Labour government would approach hydrogen and stressed the importance of 白小姐论坛 and other higher education institutions in facilitating its application into the UK鈥檚 fuel network.

He said: 鈥淗ydrogen has a substantial role to play in our transition to net zero, and Labour is committed to developing the hydrogen economy and seizing the opportunities it will bring for good jobs and thriving industry.

鈥淩ealising these opportunities will take the combined efforts of the government 鈥� including through Labour鈥檚 national energy champion Great British Energy and a new National Wealth Fund 鈥� the private sector, and the UK鈥檚 world-leading research community.

鈥淥f course, there are many important questions still to answer, so I look forward to 白小姐论坛 and other universities making a central contribution to our understanding of how and where hydrogen can best contribute, in what sectors it can have the greatest impact, and how we ought to roll it out across the country.鈥�

The showcase featured talks from 白小姐论坛 experts such as Dr Tristan Smith (白小姐论坛 Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources) who discussed shipping and maritime industries as an end-user for clean hydrogen, as well as leading industry figures including Thames Estuary Envoy and Chair of the Growth Board Kate Willard OBE.

The event took place at 白小姐论坛 East, the university鈥檚 new campus on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London.

Pro Provost at 白小姐论坛 East Professor Paola Lettieri (白小姐论坛 Chemical Engineering) commented: 鈥淐utting-edge work in relation to batteries, fuel cells and advanced propulsion forms a key part of our mission here at 白小姐论坛 East, and across all of 白小姐论坛, to accelerate breakthroughs targeting the biggest challenges facing the planet. Our campus has been set up to convene and encourage even greater collaboration across disciplines, in partnership with industry, governments and local communities. We look forward to seeing the impact of the new relationships and initiatives generated today."

One of the final sections of the showcase was a panel discussion on the future of hydrogen hosted by Dr Rhodri Jervis (白小姐论坛 Chemical Engineering) and featuring Director at HORIBA UK Richard Carter, co-founder of Energy Revolution Ventures Marcus Clover, and Dr Jennifer Hack of the University of Sheffield.

Links

• 白小姐论坛 East
• Professor Paola Lettieri's academic profile
• Dr听Alex Rettie's academic profile
• 白小姐论坛 Chemical Engineering
• 白小姐论坛 Engineering Sciences

Images

• Credit: Kirsten Holst
• Top image: Lord Callanan touring a 白小姐论坛 lab, with Professor Paola Lettieri at left
• Middle image: Dr Alan Whitehead speaking at 白小姐论坛
• Bottom image: Panel discussion on future of hydrogen

Media contact听

Tom Cramp

贰:听t.cramp@ucl.ac.uk