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Scientific community urged to contribute to major review into hydrogen economy

The scientific community is being invited by the Henry Royce Institute to contribute to a major national review into the opportunities and challenges for materials in the hydrogen economy.

The Institute is leading a targeted review of the research and innovation opportunities and challenges for materials across the end-to-end hydrogen value chain. The EPSRC-funded study covers all applications of materials in the hydrogen economy: from hydrogen production and compression; through storage, distribution and dispensing of hydrogen; to end use in transport, heat, energy system integration, chemicals and foundation industries.

Survey

In particular, the scientific community is now being invited to contribute to the study via a short survey which will help to set the direction of funding for materials research and innovation with the potential to accelerate the contribution of the hydrogen energy sector to reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

Robin Morris, Project Co-ordinator, said that hydrogen is expected to help maximise the benefit of the UK’s rich renewable energy resources in offshore wind through inter-seasonal storage, and as a transport energy vector. “Advances in materials research will underpin development of critical components along the supply chain, from production, through distribution and storage, to a range of end uses. Various roadmaps and discussion documents on the hydrogen economy have been produced recently, but none covers the specific materials research and development needed at lower technology readiness levels. “As such we are really keen for the scientific community to engage with us as part of the wider study.”

Roadmapping

The study into the hydrogen economy forms part of a wider roadmapping exercise by the Institute which is targeting a number of pressing national materials challenges, and which is designed to stimulate and drive new advanced materials research in the UK.

The objective is to bring together the UK materials community to discuss, analyse and assimilate opportunities for emerging materials research that will lead to economic and societal benefits. It reflects a growing recognition that highly functional, next generation advanced materials are central to delivering the new technologies needed to meet the challenges we face – from a clean-energy future to health improvements for an aging population.

Access the survey here

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