A Uniquely Connected Innovation Ecosystem
SWITCH has national and international collaborators, but its heart is in Neath Port Talbot.
This region presents both a huge challenge and a huge opportunity for decarbonisation: with carbon emissions about four times as much as any other Welsh local authority, it has established an active research and innovation ecosystem with businesses and the academic community working together to reduce emissions from buildings, vehicles and industry.
This ecosystem is underpinned by a number of important facilities located in and around Port Talbot.
Their proximity – brought together now in SWITCH – promotes the interaction and collaboration that is needed to accelerate change.
SWITCH Facilities
- Swansea University Bay Campus is home to a wide range of energy and decarbonisation research, including the low carbon Active Office and Active Classroom building demonstrators, the Materials and Manufacturing Academy and METaL skills and training programmes, and many others.
- Solar Heat Energy Demonstrator is SPECIFIC’s demonstration facility for building-scale renewable heat energy storage research.
- Pilot Manufacturing Research Centre is SPECIFIC’s centre to scale-up manufacture of novel coated products and renewable technologies from lab to production line.
- Gateway to Zero (G20) will be a flagship project showcasing the latest infrastructure for net zero vehicles and homes.
- Bay Technology Centre is a new energy-positive building with excess energy being used to generate hydrogen on site. It has flexible office and laboratory spaces to support start-up companies and indigenous business growth, with a focus on innovation from sectors including energy, digital and life sciences.
- Hydrogen Centre is the University of South Wales’ centre for research and development of hydrogen vehicles, fuel cell applications and overall hydrogen energy systems.
- SWITCH Harbourside will be a Swansea University-led open-access research facility focused on decarbonising the steel and metals sector and its supply chain. It will be the new home for the Steel and Metals Institute.
- i-SPACE is designing an industrial scale material separation and sorting plant that will investigate how to improve the quality and volume of raw materials recovered (recycled) from everyday items that have been discarded (arrived at end-of-life).
- Gas Turbine Research Centre is Cardiff University’s centre for research into novel combustion systems, components and fuels under elevated temperature and pressure.
Only by working together can we tackle the net zero challenge.
If you’re on the journey to net zero or industrial decarbonisation, please contact us to find out how you can access our research expertise.
