Sustainable and greener fuel expertise for businesses in new partnership with Bosch
The environmental benefits of hydrogen fuel for small and medium-sized (SME) businesses are set to be realised through a new partnership bringing technology, research and manufacturing together.
Through its landmark Fuel Cell Innovation Centre and its Centre for Enterprise, Manchester Metropolitan University will work with engineering and technology giant Bosch to help the SME community and industry to understand the opportunity of electrochemical hydrogen technologies.
Electrochemical hydrogen technology, such as electrolysers and fuel cells, can efficiently convert electrical power to hydrogen or use hydrogen to create electrical power with zero emissions. This can help businesses to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Manchester Met and Bosch will work together, through the Greater Manchester Electrochemical Hydrogen Cluster (GMEHC), to bring the technological advancements and lessons learned through research, development, and demonstration of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to a range of businesses.
Amer Gaffar, Director of the Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre at Manchester Met, said: “Businesses of all sizes have ambitions to be greener and more sustainable, but they need access to the academic expertise and technologies that will allow them to do this.
“This exciting project will enable us to attract SMEs and other industry to the supply chain opportunity of Bosch’s developing technologies, working on a government funded initiative that can improve businesses’ operational efficiency and help UK industry in the transition to a sustainable, greener future.”
The project is part of the Greater Manchester Innovation Accelerator Programme, which is funded by Innovate UK and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Manchester Met and Bosch will work with the University of Manchester, Henry Royce Institute and National Physical Laboratories to launch a pilot programme for businesses to use and benefit from Bosch’s PEM electrolyser fuel cell stack.
A fuel cell stack can generate the electrical energy business need to operate. Through a cold combustion process, the stack converts the energy from the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, with the only byproducts being water, electricity and heat.
Ben Richardson, Head of Electrolysers and SOFC at Bosch UK, said: “This partnership marks a UK first in empowering local SMEs to enter the hydrogen production sector. By fostering innovation within the local supply chain, it bridges the gap between stack manufacturing and end users, enabling local development of next generation electrolyser systems for green hydrogen production.
“Through the collaboration with Manchester Met, we will harness the collective expertise to support the development of next-generation electrolyser systems, necessary in achieving net zero targets. We are excited about the opportunities this partnership will unlock for Bosch, Manchester Met, and a wide range of UK organisations and businesses.”
Manchester Met’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell Innovation Centre is helping industry in the race to reach a net-zero world powered by renewable energy sources.
The centre focuses on research for fossil fuel alternatives and supporting business to exploit the opportunities. It has been visited by international delegations from all over the world as a key hub for hydrogen innovation and research.
Its outreach to businesses is supported by the University’s Centre for Enterprise, which is home to a specialist team transforming leading research into practical solutions that help businesses to upskill, embrace emerging technologies and boost productivity.
