Overall, 40 new projects were launched as part of the SIF funding announcement, marking a significant ramping up of energy network innovation to help accelerate the transition to net zero at the lowest cost to consumers.
The projects will each receive up to £150,000 from Ofgem’s five-year £450 million SIF to carry out a two-month ‘discovery’ phase on their proposal to further explore their potential. After this those projects judged to have the greatest potential will be awarded up to £500,000 to take their ideas forward. Then there will be a further selection process, with successful projects receiving more funding and able to carry out large-scale demonstrations of their technologies.
The aim is to develop transformative new SIF innovations which can rolled out across all UK energy networks, making them fit for the future and delivering benefits for both consumers and the planet.
The rail-related projects include studies preparing for the transition to zero-emission transport; for example, looking at using hydrogen to power heavy-duty vehicles, and developing a toolkit to help planners understand how gas and electricity networks can help decarbonize rail transport.
Other projects look at technologies linked to the future uses of hydrogen in our energy system, from helping electric vehicle charging cope at the busiest times using hydrogen, to testing new metallic coatings which will protect pipework from accelerated wear and tear, and the potential for using nuclear power to generate hydrogen.
Ofgem and Innovate UK are working to identify further innovation challenges for round two of the SIF, working closely with all energy networks, network users and consumers, and will issue another call for proposals in the autumn of 2022.
Each of the 40 projects submitted a short video providing an insight into their solutions. To find out more about the rail decarbonization projects, watch the below videos:
SP Energy Networks: A holistic hydrogen approach to heavy duty transport (H2H)
SP Energy Networks: Resilient and flexible railway multi-energy hub networks for integrated green mobility
Northern Gas Networks: Rail decarbonization planning
Nothern Gas Networks: Multimodal hydrogen transport refueling study