21–22 August 2025 – EnerHy, the Engineering Hydrogen Centre for Doctoral Training funded by the UKRI, held its first researcher conference, marking an early milestone in its mission to achieve Net Zero by making green hydrogen and wind energy more affordable, scalable, and sustainable.
The event provided a valuable platform for EnerHy’s first cohort of doctoral researchers from leading research groups at Loughborough University, Cranfield University, and the University of Strathclyde to showcase their pioneering projects to an audience of almost 70 academic, industry and civic partners. Topics included advancing electrolysis for jet fuel, anchoring floating wind turbines in the North Sea, and producing green hydrogen directly from seawater.
Keynote speakers included Dr Emma Guthrie, CEO of the Hydrogen Energy Association, and Professor Tony Green, Chief Strategy and Regulation Officer at SGN and Chair of the EnerHy Advisory Board. Industry insights were shared by Alexis Birchall, Hydrogen Blending Manager at Northern Gas Networks, who spoke on hydrogen blending and the East Coast Hydrogen project, and Richard Halsey, Director of Innovation at Energy Systems Catapult, who addressed the role of innovation in achieving Net Zero.
A highlight of the event was the selected design and build project for this year, posed by the UK’s largest gas distribution network, Cadent.
Students with varied science and engineering backgrounds worked as a 13-person multidisciplinary team on a 6-month project and unveiled a unique prototype at the event: a specialised pipe inspection gauge (PIG) capable of traveling through natural gas pipelines and applying a hydrogen-ready protective coating.
EnerHy Director, Dani Strickland, Professor of Electrical Power Engineering at Loughborough University praised the event’s success:
“It was a fantastic opportunity to welcome so many industry partners, including those sponsoring our research student projects such as ESB, Caterpillar, and Cadent. One of the most distinctive aspects of the EnerHy is that our students get the best of both worlds – they pursue their own cutting-edge research projects while also working as part of a collaborative cohort. This team-based approach, combined with exposure to over 60 industry partners, gives them a unique perspective on how their work fits into the wider energy transition. This event really captured that blend of individual innovation and collective ambition.”
EnerHy Advisory Board Chair Professor Antony Green concluded: “EnerHy is a vital part of the UK’s Net Zero journey – it brings together academic excellence and industry insight to lay the foundations for the technologies we’ll need for a sustainable energy future. Hydrogen and wind energy are central to delivering energy security, and this conference offered an exciting first glimpse into how EnerHy is beginning to bridge research with real-world impact.”