The University of Sheffield will produce more green hydrogen than any other research center in the United Kingdom to support research into new sustainable fuels for aviation.

Sheffield’s Energy Institute is installing a new hydrogen electrolyser that will be used in research to develop and test new hydrogen-based sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). 

The electrolyser, from IMI Remosa under the new brand IMI VIVO, is being installed in the University’s Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre (SAF-IC) - the UK’s first R&D facility that is able to develop, test, validate and help certify new fuels all in one location. The facility, along with the new electrolyser, gives the UK much-needed R&D capabilities in SAFs and can play a major role in helping reduce the environmental impact of air travel. 

Researchers from Sheffield will work with partners in the aviation industry to develop new hydrogen and CO2-based fuels that meet these strict standards. They will also work with other industries across the UK to help them switch fuels and decarbonise.

With the new electrolyser, the University is capable of producing nearly 140Nm3 per hour of green hydrogen with storage capacity of 1450Nm3  - equivalent to the electricity required to power 200 homes.

Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian, Director of the University of Sheffield’s Energy Institute, said that "in order to drive forward a decarbonised future, we must understand more about the possibilities and capabilities of green hydrogen, particularly with regards to sustainable aviation fuels. With this new electrolyser at our SAF-IC facility, we can work with industry and fellow academics to discover and demonstrate the best way to make a hydrogen economy, and a greener future, a reality."

Pourkashanian added that "we are thrilled to have the capacity to produce the green hydrogen in our site, so that our research and development into SAFs ( especially via Power-To-SAF), industrial fuel switching and decarbonisation can continue. We’re also pleased to work with IMI VIVO on this project, and we are now having discussions with the team that could lead to future international collaborations and projects."