Efforts to help establish the West of England as a leading net zero technology hub have been given a £2.5m funding boost.
The region’s Metro Mayor Dan Norris has said the money has been secured to help establish a ‘hydrogen supercluster’ of research organisations across the West Country and in South Wales, will look into cutting-edge technology designed to help decarbonise industry and transport.
Like this story? Why not sign up to get the latest South West business news straight to your inbox.
READ MORE: {}
Known as the ‘Great Western Supercluster of Hydrogen Impact for Future Technologies’, or GW-SHIFT, The ‘supercluster’ is being co-led by the University of Bath, which recently opened a £70m research and innovation centre featuring the first green hydrogen manufacturing plant throughout the South West.
Welcoming the latest funding boost, Mr Norris said the West was becoming “a centre for innovation” in the country.
The Labour mayor added: “Hydrogen is one important solution to our climate problems - it’s powerful and there’s lots of it. The potential when it comes to slashing emissions in those hard-to-decarbonise sectors like transport, and others, is huge.
“I’m proud my Mayoral Combined Authority has joined with our partners in unlocking this vital funding. Along with the investment I’m making in things like the region’s first-ever green hydrogen plant, it will really boost our plans for our West of England region to become a zero-emission and innovation leader.”
Professor Tim Mays of the University of Bath added: “GW-SHIFT will develop as a place-based supercluster to accelerate the impact of research and innovation in sustainable hydrogen technologies in the South West of England and South Wales to secure the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s net zero carbon emissions target for 2050.
Most Read
“All partners are incredibly excited to be involved and look forward to working together over the next four years and beyond.”
Other research and development facilities looking into hydrogen in the West of England, include the National Composites Centre, which hosts the £10m Mayoral Combined Authority-funded Digital Engineering Technology & Innovation programme.
Aerospace giant Airbus has announced it will launch a new research hub at its base near Bristol to develop hydrogen technologies as part of efforts to decarbonise aviation, while its neighbour in Filton ,GKN, is also hosting pioneering research into developing a way to power planes using hydrogen.
Both organisations, along with Bristol Airport, airline Easyjet, Bristol Port among others, are part of the Hydrogen South West consortium, which is looking to enable cross-sector partnerships to produce, utilise, capture, store and transport the element across the area.
The development of a hydrogen infrastructure throughout the West of England and South Wales has been tipped by business groups to help create and support hundreds of thousands of jobs.