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Red Diesel Replacement competition: Phase 1 projects

Updated 31 October 2024

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DESNZ awarded £6.7 million in grant funding across 16 projects for Phase 1, with up to £460,000 per project.

The projects cover technologies within the 3 innovation lots at technology readiness level (TRL) 4 and above:

  • Lot 1: Distribution, storage and energy delivery systems development
  • Lot 2: Development of equipment (components/sub-systems) and fleet management infrastructure (facilities for maintaining, hosting and servicing vehicles)
  • Lot 3: Fuel development

Gen-ZE: Fuel cell generator

Within the Gen-ZE project Bramble Energy will develop, test and trial a ruggedised, portable hydrogen fuel cell generator demonstrating a zero-emission solution to replace diesel generators targeted for the construction sector. Bramble’s printed circuit board fuel cell (PCBFC) technology offers cost advantages over conventional fuel cells, and the simplified, robust design using PCBs will be demonstrated to meet the construction sectors needs for zero-emission portable power generation.

Hybrid Gas Engine HGE

HGE (Hybrid Gas Engine) is a project that will develop a multi-gas engine technology that enables the same engine to run on conventional gas fuels or hydrogen, or a mixture of gas fuels with no fundamental change to the engine. This enables a smooth transition to net zero power by enabling users to purchase a net zero compliant technology now yet operate it on conventional clean fuels whilst the hydrogen supply chain is developed.

High Pressure Hybrid Pumping System for Hydrogen Storage and Dispensing

This project looks to develop an alternative approach that overcomes issues with current methods of delivering high pressure hydrogen for storage, transportation and dispensing at fuelling stations with a new system and process. Existing methods employ large gaseous compressors with intercoolers to deliver hydrogen gas. These methods are relatively inefficient, expensive to manufacture and display various operational issues in use, such as overheating and high fuelling times.

E-fuel as a drop-in replacement for red diesel

The project is to determine the feasibility of developing new capabilities and technologies to combine with known re­circulating gas reactor test technology to yield a production machine and process that can produce an easily transportable green E­diesel. This new process will utilise green hydrogen and CO2 sequestered from the air as feedstock, with the proposed new technology production reactor and process to be powered using renewable electricity resulting in a carbon NET ZERO process. The output of the project will mean E­diesel can be produced at a renewable energy site alongside green hydrogen production.

Digital electro-hydraulic power module with energy recovery

Focusing on energy efficiency, Danfoss aims to accelerate the transition to electric off-road vehicles, by making them cheaper to own and run than diesel equivalents. Combining its Digital Displacement hydraulics and Editron electric motors will allow useful energy to be recovered and re-used, leading to up to 50% reduction of energy consumed, dramatically lowering the cost of the batteries and the energy needed to charge them.

HYDRATE – Hydrogen recuperated advanced thermal engine

The HYDRATE project will develop a Hydrogen version of the Recuperated Split Cycle Engine (RSCE), a highly innovative, fuel-agnostic thermal engine targeting heavy duty applications. The RSCE offers very high efficiency (competitive with a PEM fuel cell), and very low emissions (SULEV with aftertreatment). It also offers an easy route to transition to a net-zero economy, as it can use existing ICE manufacture and supply chains, and match existing ICE installation requirements, all with a moderate capital cost increase).

Demonstration of CNG/H2 flex-fuel linear generator sub-system for heavy duty hybrid power generation

This project will modify an existing 2-cylinder opposed free piston Linear Generator (LGN120) that has been developed by Libertine and MAHLE Powertrain as part of the UK Government funded SBRI Phase 2 programme to allow this to run on blends of compressed natural gas (CNG) and Hydrogen (H2) ranging from 100% CNG to 100% H2.

Decarbonised clean construction engines via retrofit hydrogen and ammonia flex fuelling

MAHLE powertrain and their project partners, which include Clean Air Power and the University of Nottingham, will demonstrate two methods of decarbonising heavy duty engines, using Ammonia and Hydrogen or a combination of both. Dual fuel technology provides a low-carbon, near term flex-fuel capability, whilst MAHLE Powertrain’s Jet Ignition technology targets fully decarbonised, ultra-low NOx operation. Clean Air Power will develop its unique injector technology.

Preliminary development of a mobile hydrogen refuelling station for offroad environments and NRMM refuelling

NanoSUN will be using the BEIS award to develop the existing Pioneer Mobile Hydrogen Refueling station blueprint specifically for off-road environments and for NRMM applications. This will reinforce the operational & safety aspects of the Pioneer for the chosen environment, allowing it to play a crucial role in enabling sectors to transition away from red diesel and towards a sustainable alternative in hydrogen.

Horizon - Breaking through the cost barrier of green hydrogen

In Horizon 1, Oort Energy is addressing one of the major technical problems in green hydrogen systems – the inability to produce hydrogen at the source at very high pressures. Oort Energy has a solution that raises this limit, allowing hydrogen to be made at pressures suitable for direct vehicle refuelling; thus increasing reliability, reducing costs, and bringing a green hydrogen infrastructure closer to a commercial reality.

Development of renewable DME powered engines for off-highway applications

Perkins Engines Company Limited, Loughborough University and Flogas will work together to demonstrate an off-highway engine capable of running on renewable DME.

NRMM to Net Zero using Flywheel and Battery Storage with H2 ICE

Dumarey Green Power (formerly PUNCH Flybrid) will deliver a high power electrically driven flywheel energy storage system coupled with a battery energy storage system with support from eMotor partner EMPEL Systems whilst Dumarey Hydrocells will develop a new hydrogen internal combustion engine for NRMM duty cycles. The project will target a significant improvement in NRMM efficiency using the high-power energy storage technology whilst the integration with battery and H2 ICE will provide a longer-term route to zero emissions NRMM.

Zero emission red diesel engine replacement

Steamology delivers scalable and modular solutions for industrial steam heat and power, embracing the hydrogen economy, eliminating emissions, replacing fossil fuels and fossil fuel engines. The project will deliver a high power, zero emission steam turbine drivetrain, proving a viable red diesel engine replacement technology with substantive improvement on battery, fuel cell and ICE technologies, increased energy density and economic life.

Development of electric driven mobile aggregate crusher and development of net zero road map for mobile aggregate processing

This project is to develop and build a working prototype of a mobile aggregate crusher with a next generation electrical drive system. Also, as part of the overall project, work will be conducted on researching alternative power sources that can provide net zero electrical energy that would be suitable to power machines in locations that do not have access to mains supplied power.

Zero carbon hydrogen construction equipment for real-world use (ZECHER)

The ZECHER project will develop and deploy an H2ICED® combustion engine for onsite construction equipment, enabling a world first in converting a piling machine to run on hydrogen fuel. The project is a collaboration between ULEMCo Ltd, pioneers in hydrogen combustion technology, Skanska, internationally recognised piling and ground engineering specialist contractor and the Buildings Research Establishment (BRE), a research and technology organisation focused on the built environment.

H2Construction

  • Lead Partner:  Motive Fuels Ltd
  • Lot number: 1
  • Total grant: £357,546.65
  • Final report: Due to project factors, the final report will not be issued.

Motive Fuels and BAM Nuttall, with support from BRE, Cenex and Powerstar are developing a hydrogen refuelling station to decarbonise BAM’s fleet and provide zero carbon fuel to construction sites around the East of England. If successful, the project will pave the way for local production and distribution of green hydrogen for vehicles and plant without the need for major grid upgrades.

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