From Manchester City Centre

From Manchester city centre

to the Orkney Isles

How Manchester Metropolitan University’s research is powering one of the UK’s northernmost points

When you think of tech innovation, the Orkney Isles may not be the first place to spring to mind. However, due to an abundance of wind and wave power, the people of the Orkney Isles now produce more energy than they use — although not necessarily during peak demand.

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“Reducing the costs of electrolysers may also bring down the cost of power for the Orkney Isles community, benefiting residents and workers alike.”

With a production of 120% of power needs, the question arises of how to use and store excess power. This is where expertise from Manchester Metropolitan University comes in.

Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University is working with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney to help use the existing renewable sources. Researchers will explore how to connect them to electrolysers to provide hydrogen power, a storable fuel source, and reduce power generation costs for the region.

Through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), a research associate will work with EMEC with academic supervision from the University over a three-year period, providing the Centre with focused technical expertise.

Whilst in post, the associate will work on the development of a hydrogen-powered fuel cell ‘stack’ and a prototype electrolyser that can be synchronised with the renewable energy sources already in use on the island.

A significant cost of electrolysers, which split water into hydrogen and gas, is the requirement for costly precious metals to operate. To reduce costs, the KTP will explore replacing expensive components with advanced 2D nanomaterials. Extremely thin at two nanometres or less, the nanomaterial would be cheaper to manufacture. Part of the KTP’s remit is to investigate the commercialisation potential of this novel electrolyser.

Manchester Metropolitan University has the unique ability to support this project with its facilities and expertise in the mass production of cheap, scalable and reproducible screen-printed electrodes. Any prototypes produced will also be tested for their hydrogen output purity and robustness at the University and in Orkney.

Reducing the costs of electrolysers may also bring down the cost of power for the Orkney Isles community, benefiting residents and workers alike. Such work is imperative: while the Orkney Isles makes good use of renewable energy, over half of residents spend more than 10% of their household income of fuel. Orkney MSP Liam McArthur describes the amount of fuel poverty as “astronomical”.

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industry 4.0 Issue no 10 - April 2019from Manchester to the Orkney Isles

Researcher Dr Samuel Rowley-Neale has been working closely with EMEC and says “I have found that there can be a disconnect between state-of-the-art technologies developed within universities and their application within commercial settings. Here at Manchester Metropolitan University, we’re working to bridge this divide.

“What is so exciting about this project is that cutting-edge knowledge of how advanced 2D materials can be used in fuel cells will be transferred directly from the University to the EMEC.

“Manchester Metropolitan University and EMEC will work together to develop the next generation of hydrogen-producing devices. These in turn will allow green hydrogen-based energy technologies compete on price with their fossil fuel based competitors, helping to reduce polluting emissions and tackle the problems of man-made climate change.

“I take great pride in this project, as it is based upon the original work that I published here at Manchester Metropolitan”, says Sam. He is supervised by Professor Craig Banks, who features in a list of the most highly cited researchers in the world in 2018.

Director of Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre Amer Gaffar adds, “the project is one that will result in producing real innovation for the sector.

“For a while now, the Orkney Isles has been emerging as a real leader in developing clean hydrogen technology. The Islands are using wind and tidal power innovations to lead the way for the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

“Working with EMEC is a fantastic collaboration for Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre. Our plan and hope is that in three years’ time we have a commercial product that is capable of producing hydrogen at a much lower cost than current levels. The project and partnership will result in real innovation and step change in the sector.”

Discover more about Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre:

Staff from Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre will be on the Manchester Metropolitan University stand at next week’s Industry 4.0 Summit and Expo with a demonstration of live fuel cells in action.

mmu.ac.uk/fuelcell

“Manchester Metropolitan University and EMEC will work together to develop the next generation of hydrogen-producing devices. These in turn will allow green hydrogenbased energy technologies compete on price with their fossil fuel based competitors, helping to reduce polluting emissions and tackle the problems of man-made climate change.

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