Adelan
Founded in 1996 by the Kendall family, the privately held company is globally recognised for innovating a unique fuel cell architecture – the microtubular solid oxide fuel cell (mSOFC). This patented low-carbon technology is capable of generating electricity and heat, whilst also achieving carbon reductions at very competitive costs. It can also produce green hydrogen.
A quiet, clean, compact and efficient alternative to diesel generators, Adelan’s products are flexible and can run cleanly on a range of commonly available fuels such as LPG and natural gas, or bio-fuels, as well as hydrogen, addressing key environmental problems such as carbon and air pollution emissions.
The stackable and scalable system can be adapted for both portable off-grid applications – like battery chargers – and grid-connected power stations. Unmanned airborne vehicles, recreational vehicles, portable power, electric vehicles, remote power and micro-combined heat and power (mCHP) are all products in demand.
Spearheading the company’s green ambitions is a scientist and Chief Executive Dr Michaela Kendall, who also serves as the UK’s Hydrogen Champion for Mission Innovation – based in the UK government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) – and has worked with the UN as well as European, US and Chinese governments.
She said:
“With the clean energy transition now at the top of the international agenda, we’re excited to see what the next 25 years bring Adelan. We see the West Midlands as the heart of the UK’s Green Recovery and Global Britain, and we work here with our international partners to create positive environmental change globally.”
Why the West Midlands?
Once at the forefront of the Victorian Industrial Revolution, the West Midlands has a firm legacy as a powerhouse for industrial energy innovation.
Now, as the UK embarks on a once-in-a-generation push towards a Green Industrial Revolution, the region is primed to lead the sought-after clean tech revolution in industry – especially in hydrogen.
Based in Birmingham, Adelan is at the heart of the region’s hydrogen innovation landscape, benefitting from world-leading partnerships with local universities.
One of Adelan’s founders is among the creators of the University of Birmingham’s (UoB) Centre for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Research – one of the UK’s leading fuel cell research centres and an internationally recognised hub of expertise – pioneering cutting-edge research into the commercialisation of fuel cell technology in vehicles and other applications. The Centre is part of UoB’s wider Birmingham Energy Institute, which has over 140 academics engaged in energy and energy-related R&D seeking to develop sustainable solutions in transport, electricity and heat supply.
Additionally, Adelan is proactively nurturing the local supply chain by chairing one of six UK regional trade associations for the hydrogen sector – the Midlands Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Network. The Network offers a dedicated fuel cell incubator in conjunction with Birmingham City University (BCU) aimed at supporting new green technology businesses to grow and tackle problems like climate change and air pollution. The firm is also embedded with Aston University’s Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI), whose state-of-the-art hydrogen facilities combine analysis and smart computing to provide vital industry insights and enable green hydrogen production and uses, such as fuel cells.
A number of world-first applications of hydrogen technologies are already underway in the region, including the UK’s first hydrogen-powered train, designed with the purpose of retrofitting existing rolling stock. Meanwhile, Birmingham City Council is kick-starting the hydrogen market with a Clean Air Hydrogen Bus pilot scheme, purchasing 20 zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell double-deckers to service the city’s streets and help deliver the local authority’s 2021 Clean Air Zone policy.
The pilot will see the buses refuel with hydrogen at Tyseley Energy Park (TEP) – the energy and waste nexus for the City of Birmingham. These provisions for cleaner air in the city have fostered new business opportunities for Adelan, which is offering a hydrogen car lease scheme for local enterprises operating within the Clean Air Zone.
Kendall added:
“Adelan has been a global leader in this Greentech space and is now a global influencer, making us testament to Birmingham’s long heritage as an industrial powerhouse. We are encouraging government to support the region to repurpose our region as the Green Workshop of the World. As clean energy alternatives now come into sharp focus, it sets businesses up to continue a historical role of Birmingham leading the energy revolution, this time with Adelan at the fore.”
Adelan’s innovation facilitates the transition to a cleaner, low-carbon economy and offers the opportunity to introduce greener tech across multiple global markets. The company holds unique intellectual property in this area and extensive know-how of the technology, application and global markets, including the US, China and the European Union.