The outdoor Centre was majority funded by the East Midlands Freeport and is part of a larger facility with Nottingham University that encompasses a range of facilities in the low-carbon and manufacturing space.
This centre has several aims. It forms a safe platform to scale up research in hydrogen and net zero to larger scale demonstrator phase. This will showcase Loughborough's research to investors, helping to attract investment and high-value jobs to the East Midlands.
It will also provide practical training for Loughborough students and learners from the Institute of Technology and other East Midlands universities.
In addition, the centre was designed to support the EPSRC funded EnerHy Centre for Doctoral Training based at Loughborough University. Students undertaking industry and academia funded research projects will be able to scale laboratory research.
The centre provides the supporting technology needed to do this, including reconfigurable solar panels, water and hydrogen supplies, and a hydrogen offtake (a hydrogen cooker). Its configurable systems will also allow industry partners to test and develop their own hardware.
One of the technologies housed at the centre for demonstration is Loughborough's battery-electrolyser. This combines energy storage and hydrogen production in a single device. Its development has received £3 million as part of a wider £12 million programme of grant-funded research to scale the technology.
A similar unit has been commissioned in Malawi, providing renewable electricity and producing hydrogen for clean cooking at a hospital. The technology is looking for commercial support to scale further, and its presence at the Centre is designed to do this.
Around 90 guests from academia, industry and local government including many partner organisations attended the centre's opening. Loughborough's outdoor environment enables safe hydrogen demonstration and hardware testing, complementing the indoor facilities at the recently opened centre at the University of Nottingham's Jubilee Campus.
Professor Dan Parsons, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Loughborough University, said: "The opening of the Zero Carbon Innovation Centre is about connecting complementary strengths. This centre is just the first step in that progress."
Tom Newman-Taylor, CEO of East Midlands Freeport, said: “Our universities are one of the East Midlands’ greatest assets, and this new centre showcases the innovation and expertise that exists right here in our region. We are proud that East Midlands Freeport has played a part in making this possible. The centre will help attract investment, support business growth and create high-value jobs, strengthening the East Midlands’ position as a leading destination for innovation and advanced manufacturing.”