The Birmingham Energy Institute (BEI) is developing and applying the technological innovation, original thinking and new ways of working required to create sustainable energy solutions and support the regional, national, and global transition to a zero-carbon energy system.
A research-focused institute, the BEI is driving change in the way we deliver, consume and think about energy. Bringing together interdisciplinary research from across the University of Birmingham and working with government, industry, and international partners our research is solving societal issues and addressing challenges relating to energy poverty, the circular economy, transport systems, cooling, hydrogen, energy storage and the decarbonisation of heat.
The BEI is working with partners across the West Midlands, exploring bold and coordinated solutions for energy poverty, domestic heating, electricity grid constraints, poor air quality and energy storage.
Located in East Birmingham, the BEI is supporting Tyseley Energy Park’s mission to transform clean energy innovation in Birmingham and the West Midlands by stimulating and demonstrating new technologies and turning them into fully commercially viable energy systems that will contribute to Birmingham’s commitments to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030.
On the same site the BEI’s Energy Innovation Centre is stimulating collaborative research and development projects to promote innovation in waste, energy and low carbon vehicle systems.
Through the Climate Innovation Platform and ATETA programme, we’re providing the BEI is providing SMEs with tailored support to drive the commercialisation of innovative energy products and services.
By engaging with local communities across East Birmingham, the BEI and its partners are highlighting how the energy research and innovation at Tyseley Energy Park, alongside decarbonising domestic heating and transport, can benefit residents whilst ensuring a just transition to net-zero.
Through the Energy Research Accelerator Consortium, the BEI creates opportunities for students in the Midlands to engage with academics, industry and policymakers to increase the supply of highly trained, skilled postgraduates across the spectrum of energy research.
More information about the organisation
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.
The BEI regularly draws on the University of Birmingham’s broader capabilities and expertise, and its strong collaborations with other academia and industry, to produce studies and policy documents addressing today’s energy system challenges. These Policy Commission reports highlight the development needs, opportunities, and possible solutions, required to overcome some of the largest obstacles the nation faces in its attempt to reach net zero by 2050. Most recently these reports have addressed:
- Decarbonising Heat and how to deliver this at a local level.
- Securing technology-critical metals for Britain.
- Creating Energy from Waste.
- Powering West Midlands Growth – a regional approach to energy innovation.
Across the wider university, the BEI is supporting the University of Birmingham’s commitment to create the smartest, net-zero, energy campus and building management system in the world. This will create a dynamic living laboratory environment – allowing transformative approaches in energy generation, energy systems management, and social behaviour, and big data to be developed and deployed.
"To deliver our region's net zero ambition we must work collaboratively, and Energy Capital is a great example of how we can bring academia, local authorities, regulators, energy companies and national government together to achieve a shared vision."
Professor Martin Freer
Director of the Birmingham Energy Institute.
For more information visit: www.birmingham.ac.uk/energy