We believe that innovation thrives when theory meets practice. The EnerHy Design & Build group project empowers students to bring their ideas to life through hands-on, collaborative engineering projects that address real-world energy challenges.
Three weeks to build a green hydrogen solution
Our second PhD cohort developed an innovative system that uses heat recovered from solar panels to improve green hydrogen production as part of the Design and Build Challenge set by East Midlands Freeport.
What is Design & Build?
Design & Build is a core part of our training programme, where the entire student cohort undertakes a project co-created by an industry sponsor, aligned to their strategic goals. Working together as a team across their areas of research, the students:
- Generate ideas and pitch the project
- Design a practical solution using engineering principles
- Build and test a working prototype
- Present and demonstrate their prototype to academic and industry experts
The students are assessed individually and as a team in October at the project kick off, and during the 4-week design and build residential the following August.
This experience simulates the full product development cycle, from concept to creation.
How do you coat a live gas pipeline for hydrogen?
Our first PhD cohort designed and built a pipeline inspection gauge to apply hydrogen-resistant lining – responding to a real-world challenge set by Cadent Gas, the UK’s largest gas distribution network, to overcome hydrogen embrittlement.
Benefits for students
Through Design & Build, students gain:
- Technical skills in design, prototyping, and testing
- Project management and teamwork experience
- Creative confidence to tackle complex, open-ended problems
- Industry insight through mentorship and feedback
Benefits for industry sponsors
By sponsoring a Design & Build project, your organisation can:
- Leverage innovative thinking from talented research students
- Help shape skilled professionals in energy systems
- Be recognised as a sustainability-focused innovator
- Explore solutions in a low-risk, academic setting
- Connect with researchers and industry peers
Support a project
We would love to hear from organisations interested in supporting future projects. Please contact enerhy.cdt@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk (subject line: D&B) and we will be in touch with you soon to discuss a possible design and build project, aligned to your mission.