TTPi co-founder to lead £7M program to deliver “revolution” in sustainable electrification

A £7 million grant to develop sustainable electrification in transport and industry has been awarded to a group of researchers from the universities of Nottingham, Newcastle and Bristol.

The world-class team will be led by Dr Liliana de Lillo, who is a Royal Academy of Engineering Senior Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham, as well as a co-founder and director of The Thinking Pod innovations.

The funding from the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a huge show of support in Dr de Lillo and the co-leads on the project, Dr Xu Deng and Dr Nick Simpson from Newcastle and Bristol universities.

The trio will head up a multidisciplinary team of experts in power electronics, electric propulsion, thermal management, machine design, materials and manufacturing.

Sustainable electrification is set to become increasingly important. Driven by the UK government’s push towards NetZero, the next two decades will see a huge increase in the use of electric generators and motors to power almost all propulsion, heating, cooling, and industrial processes.

This research program aims to reduce energy loss, CO2 emissions and precious raw material use in both the manufacture and usage of the generators and motors.

Through the multi-disciplinary approach, the research will focus on removing technological barriers to enable true integration of power converters with electrical motors and generators.

These integrated drives (which bring together power converters and motors, or generators, in one compact unit), can dramatically reduce energy consumption and the size and weight of components, thereby delivering much greater efficiency in transport and industry.

In addition, researchers from the Universities of Nottingham, Newcastle and Bristol will investigate and deliver solutions that also cut CO2 emissions in the manufacture of these cutting-edge devices and minimise life cycle impacts.

“We are living through a new industrial revolution, and this is a crucial time in the quest to find sustainable solutions to electrification across all industrial sectors,” said Dr de Lillo.

“Through this research programme, we want to change the way we use energy. Renewable energy sources and electrification are key enablers of the aim to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions.

“We can achieve that aim through the integration of power electronics and electric motors, using common structures and systems to greatly reduce material usage and energy consumption.

“The ambition is to investigate and deliver innovative solutions that reduce energy wastage and minimise life cycle impacts and the quantity of precious materials used.”

Dr Kedar Pandya, EPSRC Executive Director for Strategy said: “Sustainable electrification is an important part of the work EPSRC is supporting to help secure a low-carbon future and meet UK net zero targets.

“This research highlights how innovative new technologies and approaches will play a key role in reducing energy waste across industrial sectors and cutting carbon emissions so that we can build a greener future for us all.”