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The Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) scheme offers partners from industry access to the University of ºù«Ӱҵ’s national pilot-scale laboratories and infrastructure operated by the Energy Institute. These facilities conduct research in renewable energy, sustainable aviation fuels, hydrogen, zero-carbon fuels, bioenergy, circular economy/supply chain, and CCUS sciences.

The discoveries and solutions produced by the EIC address tomorrow’s energy challenges via rigorous, science-based analysis, combined with information gained from large-scale facilities, to identify the fastest pathway to a low carbon energy transition.

By jointly partnering with stakeholders, the EIC will harness the power and expertise of Energy Institute academics, as well as state-of-the-art technology, to scale up clean energy deployment and investment. EIC industrial members support the EIC in developing and implementing innovation strategies which set mission-oriented research and innovation priorities and create a successful collaboration that supports the net-zero energy transition. 

Find out more about the facilities involved, the Translational Energy Research Centre and  Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre, below.

The Translational Energy Research Centre (TERC) is a unique, national pilot-scale facility for R&D into low- and zero-carbon energy solutions, and is one of the largest and best-equipped facilities of its kind in Europe.

At TERC, industrial and academic partners work with world-class experts to develop and test new low carbon technologies across a range of areas, including: 

• Hydrogen
• Sustainable aviation fuels
• Carbon capture, utilisation and storage
• Bioenergy
• Renewables

TERC offers a fast-track to turning early stage research into proven, sustainable, low- or zero-carbon products and services that are ready for deployment in the UK and beyond.

With a comprehensive range of equipment and full capability to test, optimise and demonstrate technologies at scale, TERC is built to enable commercially-focused, mission-oriented research and development. 

TERC is home to more than thirty permanent rigs. Some of our key equipment and capabilities include: 

• Electrolyser for green hydrogen, plus PEM fuel cells
• Next-generational Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell
• Grate-fired biomass with WtE and BECCS, plus ORC 
• Solvent-based post-combustion CO2 capture plant
• Biodiesel engine generator
• Whole energy system approach, flexible plug-and-play rigs
• Advanced analytical, measurement and modelling capabilities

TERC is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the European Regional Development Fund.

The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre (SAF-IC) a bespoke research centre for the development and testing of sustainable aviation fuels. SAF-IC is the first centre of its kind in the UK to produce, develop, test, assess and characterise new SAFs in one location.

SAF-IC enables businesses to accelerate the journey to market-readiness for SAFs through its unique equipment, capabilities and its world-class experts. Its in-house academics specialise in fuels and fuel technology, giving valuable input and guidance on a wide range of fuel-related challenges. 

The facility is home to an extensive range of ASTM-approved testing and analytical equipment which has been specially selected to assess sustainable aviation fuels.

Facilities include: 

• Aviation fuel characterisation lab covering Tiers 1 and 2 and Tier Alpha 
• Small, medium and large-scale aviation fuel thermal degradation testing facilities
• SAF thermal oxidative stability & component test rig
• Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) testing for SAF, plus APU with hydrogen capabilities
• TRL-5 SAF production facility: Fischer-Tropsch plant with Reverse Water Gas Shift (Power-to-Liquid)
• Pre-screening methods that can provide feedback and facilitate fuel producer chemical process modelling

The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. 

Through TERC and SAF-IC, as well as through the significant combined research of academics at the Energy Institute, members will be able to access world-leading facilities and expertise for research into the use of hydrogen as an alternative energy source. 

Topics of hydrogen expertise include: 

• Hydrogen production and utilisation
• Fuel switching to decarbonise heavy industry
• Hydrogen fuels for sustainable aviation transport
• Nuclear SMRs for hydrogen production
• Hydrogen supply chains
• Health and safety for hydrogen implementation and us

R&D for hydrogen can be conducted through bespoke pilot-scale testing equipment at TERC, SAF-IC and other facilities at the University of ºù«Ӱҵ, like the NAMRC and AMRC. 

Equipment includes: 

• Hydrogen Combustion Research Facility (HCRF)
• Hydrogen-powered gas turbine
• Multi-parameter fuel cell test station
• Pyrolysis and gasification of biomass and agricultural waste for green hydrogen production
• APU with hydrogen testing for SAFs 

Find out more about hydrogen research at the Energy Institute