Nine out of every 10 food and drink businesses (88%) believe fuel cells are set to play an important part of their future energy strategy, according to research by Ylem Energy Ltd. the flexible energy generation and storage specialist.
The survey, conducted by Ylem Energy, formed part of a webinar delivered in partnership with the Food and Drink Federation, and included a presentation from the technical experts at Bosch, designed to help companies understand how they can transition to net zero in a cost effective and sustainable way.
The survey also illustrated that today’s high energy prices mean the priority for most businesses (87%), is the cost of power, rather than net zero targets (13%).
Ian Gadsby, Ylem Energy managing director, said: “It is not surprising that the focus for the majority of businesses has now switched to the cost of power. But pressure to reduce carbon is mounting and tackling emissions is only going to become more important throughout industry.
“A significant number of businesses in the food and drink sector were early adopters of CHP technology and we are now seeing growing interest in understanding the transition process from traditional CHP. Fuel cells powered by Hydrogen will not only offer significant cost savings compared to sourcing energy from the National Grid but will become a key part of the sector’s low carbon strategy, allowing businesses to refocus on the drive to net zero.”
Presenting as part of the webinar, Ben Richardson, Bosch UK&I lead for decentralized fuel cell systems, said: “We see fuel cells fitting several key value drivers for the UK: providing a pathway to net zero carbon, reducing energy costs, and ensuring energy security.
“Bosch prototypes are in use by industry now to help refine and further improve the technology and to make sure the end product fully meets customers’ needs. We are currently using our mass production expertise to drive this technology forward at pace – from development to series production.”
To find out more about fuel cell technology, how it will be able to help reduce energy costs, improve resilience and support the journey to net zero, go to: Webinar – Transitioning to net zero with fuel cells