The research infrastructure is housed within the Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage (BCES) at the University of Birmingham. The focus of the assets and equipments is the formulation and characterization of new materials for thermal and thermochemical energy conversion and storage, specifically on composite phase change materials (cPCM), composite thermochemical materials (cTCM) and hybridization of cPCM and cTCM, covering a temperature range from extremely low temperature of -196oC  up to very...

Situated just metres off the coast of Fife, the 7MW Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine (LDT) was acquired by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult in 2015 and is the world’s largest and most advanced open access offshore wind turbine dedicated to research and demonstration. Since then, 112 SMEs have accessed the facility for technology development, testing or demonstration, providing an invaluable and unique facility for businesses to innovate, to prove new technologies and find vital...

The Thermal Energy Storage Materials Characterisation and Systems Testing Lab facilities at Loughborough enable investigations into alternative energy storage media, materials and properties that will be more robust and suitable for expected changes in both supply and demand. Demand for energy storage in a low carbon energy industry has grown, and energy predictability reduced, as a result of the electrical generation mix evolving to accommodate more wind and solar. The facilities are used in a...

Surface Engineering Lab equipped with 8 off magnetron sputter deposition systems for the production of thin films of metals, alloys, ceramics, etc on metal, glass, plastic and nanoparticulates. Expertise includes process development, production and testing of photocatalytic materials, functionalisation of nanoparticulates, antimicrobial coatings. Equipment scales from lab scale to pilot production scale. Tribiology testing lab for friction/wear tests.

Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre...

A collection of internet of things (IoT) sensors and other environmental and infrastructure monitoring equipment providing real-time data from city systems, infrastructure an the environment.  Currently over 3500 live data streams.  Data is streamed into an open data system and is immediately available for download or visualisation through an open data platform.  Observations are taken across over 60 different indicators including air quality, traffic, energy, weather, people movement etc. ...

The MDL contains a multidisciplinary development suite for the advanced characterisation of and accelerated cycle testing of energy technologies. The facilities provide a multidisciplinary pathway to accelerate energy research from the bench to prototype devices and back again. It allows for the support of energy research internally, nationally and internationally through establishing a collaboration-based facility access structure. The MD-lab is housed on the first floor of the RAD building on...

The MTC was established in 2010 as an independent Research & Technology Organisation (RTO). Its primary focus is to ensure that great ideas become reality and don’t fall into the manufacturing abyss known as the ‘valley of death’.

It represents one of the largest public sector investments in UK manufacturing and, after four years of planning and a 16-month build, the facility opened at Ansty Park in Coventry at the end of 2011. It exists to prove innovative manufacturing processes and...

The National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) is part of the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Environmental Data Service and is hosted by the British Geological Survey (BGS). We manage nationally important datasets concerned with geology, geoscience and the sub-surface.

Our staff help researchers in ensuring that the data they produce are curated appropriately for the long term, guaranteeing their security, accessibility and re-usability for the user community.

The NGDC is...

The hybrid cryogenic Internal Combustion (IC) engine facility supports the development of Cold Engine Technology and particularly through the development of the applications of Liquid Air. Work to support desalination has become a significant workstream for these facilities. Equipment of this type has been proven to be critical onboard ships to supply fresh water as well as electricity – a service usually provided by fossil fuel powered devices. Work has continued with oil producing companies on...

The Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence (MEECE) is a multi-million-pound collaboration between ORE Catapult and Welsh universities, funded by the Welsh European Funding Office. Based at Pembroke Dock, the Centre will deliver research, development and demonstration activities to support innovation in the Welsh supply chain, accelerating the commercialisation of the wave, tidal and offshore wind sectors by reducing cost of energy.

The purpose of the MEECE collaboration is to...