Strathclyde to open facility to support net zero innovation
Hub will bring together capabilities in electrical systems, power electronics and advanced manufacturing
The University of Strathclyde is to establish a new innovation hub within the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland.
An agreement has been signed with Rolls-Royce which will see Strathclyde develop the new facility within the company’s Inchinnan plant to enable the University to scale-up its collaboration activities with industry partners across sectors such as heat, transport and power electronics.
The new facility will also build on the Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) hardware focus in the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC), based at Strathclyde’s Technology & Innovation Centre.
The new Renfrewshire facility will see Strathclyde locate equipment and capabilities from its Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC), an integrated development, manufacture and test facility that will help to accelerate and de-risk large-scale decarbonisation technologies and products.
Jim McDonald, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said: “This facility will combine a unique set of engineering, technology, development and test capabilities that will help to establish the supply chain and supporting ecosystem for decarbonisation while building upon existing skills and infrastructure in the region.
“It will be a major addition to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland that brings together our capabilities in electrical systems, power electronics and advanced manufacturing to support new jobs, economic growth and position Scotland and the UK at the forefront of decarbonised transport and heat.”
Gordon Hutchieson, manufacturing executive, Rolls-Royce, said: “We are pleased to sign this agreement, ensuring that this part of our site will continue to be an important resource for advanced engineering and the advancement of net zero solutions. We are also committed to the drive to net zero, developing our own UltraFan engine technology demonstrator to further improve gas turbine efficiency, ensuring all of our in-production engines are proven to be compatible with 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel, and leading the way in new propulsion systems such as hydrogen.”
Strathclyde is a research leader in energy, operating one of the largest energy research clusters in Europe, and received a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2019 in recognition of the excellence of its research in this field.
Its specialisms cover: wind energy technology and its deployment; renewable energy; smart grids and power grid control, protection, operation and management; power electronics, drives and energy conversion; energy policy, economics, markets and standards; high-voltage technologies; and artificial intelligence and data analytics for energy systems.
