PlusZero and Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc Blog: Collaborating to Innovate

This week, PlusZero will exhibit at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP), host to the Scottish Zero Emission Mobility Manufacturing Conference.

MSIP - a joint venture between Michelin, Scottish Enterprise, and Dundee City Council - is a world-class Innovation Parc in Dundee for sustainable mobility and decarbonisation, which aims to drive growth and diversity in the Scottish economy whilst addressing the global climate emergency. MSIP is focused on the sustainable mobility and decarbonisation sectors, working with an increasing number of companies, Universities and other organisations who are active in these sectors.

Innovation is at the heart of PlusZero’s mission to provide a fully integrated and seamless Green Hydrogen solution in efforts to decarbonise. Just as important is collaboration - with business partners, academia, energy and events sector specialists, the public sector and communities - to assist PlusZero on its mission.

Collaboration is a core value which also drives the work of MSIP.

Innovation Director at MSIP, Sarah Petrie, explains:

“I am immensely proud to be responsible for the Innovation Programme at MSIP which aims to support company growth and success through the development of innovative new products and services. We are committed to working in partnership with industry, academia, government and the local community to transform Dundee and Scotland into a key location for innovation that will progress emerging technology for a greener future.“

In September 2021, PlusZero was awarded two grants of £5,000 via MSIP’s first ever Innovation Challenge. The aim of the Innovation Challenge is to assist decarbonisation across a broad range of operational activities that typically use small-scale diesel generator units, and PlusZero is among eight grant recipients that are developing hydrogen, fuel cell and battery energy prototypes.

All Innovation Challenge recipients, including PlusZero, are now progressing through the respective company development processes - demonstrating how a small grant can de-risk early stage feasibility and development for companies, allowing them to progress innovations that otherwise may not happen.

PlusZero has used one of the grants to successfully convert a single cylinder petrol combustion engine generator (Honda GX series) to run on 100% hydrogen, producing no carbon and very low levels of NOx (pictured). The project has seen engine efficiency increase by nearly 40% when running on hydrogen rather than petrol. With 300 million of these engines used worldwide today, this project paves the way to give them a new, carbon-free lease of life.

The second grant is being used to explore the development of a heat capture and transfer module to be added to PlusZero’s suite of existing, more powerful, hydrogen fueled generator sets. This generator converts up to 40% of the hydrogen fuel to electrical power, with the rest being lost as heat. The ability to capture that waste heat for use in space heating applications offers the potential to increase overall system efficiency to over 80%.

Not only has the Innovation Challenge provided rich benefits in terms of product progression, but it has also demonstrated the importance of working together. PlusZero has worked with a number of partners including Imperial College London and CMB.TECH on its Innovation Challenge projects.

Sarah Petrie continues: “All but one of the projects included a number of collaborators, and the Challenge itself has introduced companies to new potential collaborators. And there are further benefits beyond the funding element too - the Innovation Challenge has opened doors for participating companies to new funding routes, signposting, product demonstration opportunities, event business awards, and securing student placements.

“PlusZero have been a great partner for MSIP, demonstrating the value of working together at every opportunity.”

PlusZero’s small generator and combined heat and power prototypes will be rolled out later in 2022 as additional innovations to PlusZero’s large-scale clean power offering.