The University of St Andrews, in partnership with the University of Strathclyde will deliver the ‘Translating Hydrogen into Action’. This venture will complement the endeavours of newly formed Hydrogen Accelerator facility funded by Transport Scotland. This project will assist companies throughout the hydrogen supply chain from fuel cell manufacturers to energy specialists to create a strong Scottish OEM-base. This is particularly pertinent as Scotland strives to achieve its net zero targets and create new jobs within the hydrogen sector.
The University will provide access to specialised manufacturing and testing equipment, and provide a knowledge exchange programme informing companies of recent advances in energy storage technologies. With support from this ERDF funding, the project will also identify innovation opportunities and provide advice around growth opportunities including relevant funding calls. Another important role this project will play is to serve as a platform for business to business collaboration.
The University of St Andrews is developing a new Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, the GENESIS centre, at its Eden Campus. This project will form the foundation for SMEs to engage with the GENESIS Centre and access university know-how and facilities to scale-up manufacture of their innovative solutions from lab scale to bring them closer to market. This facility will allow companies to significantly reduce their cost and risk as they develop new products
The Scottish Government released its Hydrogen Assessment and Policy Statement in December 2020 and has committed to supporting the emerging Scottish hydrogen sector. The Hydrogen Assessment highlights the applications of hydrogen-based technologies in transport, industry, heat and whole system approaches within Scotland. The Policy Statement describes the important role hydrogen could have in economic growth for Scotland potentially supporting 300, 000 Scottish jobs. The ‘Translating Hydrogen into Action’ project builds on wider strategic initiatives resulting from these important documents.
Professor John Irvine, Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Hydrogen Accelerator at University of St. Andrews said, “We look forward to working with up and coming companies to bring forward new hydrogen technologies to enable our low carbon future.”