University of Birmingham - Building a greener future

The University of Birmingham has invested more than £3 million of quality related "QR" research funding in a new facility that is driving the development of innovative energy technologies in partnership with Government and industry.  

The Tyseley Energy Park (TEP) is an energy innovation zone that is helping shape the ways in which Birmingham develops infrastructure for renewable heat and power, energy storage, clean transport fuels and advanced waste processing.  

The University of Birmingham is using facilities at TEP to support Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund work that will deliver new full-scale rare earth magnet recycling facilities. it is also developing robotic disassembly pilot lines for recycling batteries, automotive components and electronics to extract critical materials.  

 The first phase of a new Birmingham Energy Innovation Centre building at TEP opened in 2021 with state-of-the-art lab facilities and equipment for thermal energy storage, battery production, magnet processing and hydrogen and fuel cell research. Thermo-Catalytic Reforming technology developed at the University of Birmingham sits at the heart of TEP's ability to generate energy from waste and hydrogen fuel cell research delivered at the site has help support the development of a regional hydrogen freight strategy.  

 The University is working with Birmingham City Council on a masterplan for expanding the energy park within the Tyseley Environmental Enterprise District and has established an East Birmingham Community Heat Task Force. This task force is working with communities in East Birmingham to establish a series of community energy schemes particularly focussed on the delivery of low-carbon heating and housing energy efficiency improvements. It directly informs a new Policy Commission examining the challenges of delivering local low-carbon heating solutions.