Two researchers from the University of Birmingham have been awarded funding through the HI-ACT Secondment Flex Fund. Both will take their research directly into policy and government settings, one working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the other with the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST).

Modelling the value of long-duration hydrogen storage with DESNZ

Dr Harati, Research Fellow, will be seconded to DESNZ to assess the system value of long-duration hydrogen storage for the UK energy transition.

Working with the department’s Energy Engineering team, Saeed will use DESNZ’s SCORES model to compare storage options, including salt caverns, depleted gas fields and lined rock caverns. The aim is to identify which storage characteristics matter most for balancing renewable generation, providing flexibility and strengthening the resilience of the energy system. His findings will feed directly into government modelling and policy thinking on long-duration storage.

Building an evidence pathway to Westminster with POST

Dr Sharma, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, will build on her existing work with POST to create a stronger evidence pathway between HI-ACT and Westminster.

Her secondment will deliver three outputs: a national policy workshop for HI-ACT Early Career Researchers, a knowledge-exchange workshop with POST and parliamentary colleagues, and a HI-ACT Perspectives Paper. Together, these will help ensure that hydrogen and net zero policy is informed by research from across the Hub and give early career researchers practical experience of how evidence reaches decision-makers.

Professor Walker, HI-ACT Principal Investigator, said: “Hydrogen will only play its full role in a net zero energy system if research and policy move forward together. Saeed and Shivangi’s secondments are exactly what the Flex Fund was designed for: putting our researchers alongside the people shaping energy policy, so that evidence from across the Hub reaches government and Parliament directly. I’m delighted to see two early career researchers leading the way, and I’d encourage colleagues and partners across the consortium to think about how a secondment could do the same for their work.”

About the HI-ACT Secondment Flex Fund


HI-ACT Secondment Flex Fund supports skills development and knowledge exchange between academia and industry, the public sector and the third sector, focused on the integration of hydrogen into future energy use.

Three recent papers show the breadth of work underway across the hub, from the digital systems that will hold an integrated energy system together to the economics of hydrogen storage and the design of low-carbon buildings.

Hydrogen won’t slot into the energy system on its own. Making it work alongside electricity, gas and heat raises questions that cut across engineering, economics, digital infrastructure and people. Three recent publications from HI-ACT researchers show how the hub is tackling those questions from very different angles.

The digital backbone of an integrated energy system

As energy networks become more closely linked, they depend more on sensors, data and software, the ‘cyber’ layer that sits on top of the physical infrastructure. That brings real benefits, but it also creates new challenges, including cyber security, data governance, real-time coordination and getting different technologies to work together.

Cyber-physical multi-energy systems: Towards an integrated energy system – A review, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, surveys academic research and industrial initiatives in this area from 2019 to 2024. The authors highlight the growing use of AI for forecasting, optimisation and detecting cyber threats, and the use of digital twins to monitor renewable assets and predict when maintenance is needed. 

The review argues that energy systems are social as well as technical. It examines how research has begun to factor in end-user preferences and societal impacts, and it proposes a new cyber-physical-social energy systems (CPSES) architecture. 

Read the full paper

Making the investment case for hydrogen storage

Surplus renewable electricity can be turned into hydrogen, stored, and converted back to power when it’s needed. This approach, known as vector coupling storage, links the electricity and gas systems. But would anyone invest in it in a competitive market?

In a paper for the International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, Joseph, Allahham and Walker use game theory to explore that question. Their model represents gas, electricity and independent storage operators as strategic players competing in a liberalised market. It pairs an annual investment model with an hourly simulation of how the system operates. The team applied it to the North of Tyne region, using a scaled-down version of the Future Energy Scenarios dataset that follows a regional pathway to net zero by 2050.

Read the full paper

Renewables, hydrogen and gas working together

The third paper looks at integration on a smaller scale: a single building’s energy system. Dr Yiji Lu of the University of, working with partners in China, modelled a system combining several technologies:


The system draws on both the gas and electricity grids.

Published in Applied Thermal Engineering, the study simulated how the system would respond to changing weather and demand, considering four measures: energy efficiency, primary energy savings, sustainability and lifecycle cost. The study shows that combining complementary technologies can make supply more reliable while cutting reliance on fossil fuels.

Read the full paper

HI-ACT’s research community continues to grow its contribution to the UK’s hydrogen and energy research landscape, with recent developments highlighting the breadth of expertise and leadership across the programme

Professor Jianzhong Wu appointed as Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Bath

HI-ACT’s Co-Director and Work Package 1 Lead, Professor Wu, has joined the University of Bath as the new Pro Vice Chancellor (Research). In his new role, Jianzhong will be responsible for helping develop and implement Bath’s research strategy and will serve as a member of the University’s Executive Board.

Professor Wu’s appointment follows a career spanning energy systems research, academic leadership and major UK energy research initiatives, with his research focusing on how different parts of the energy system can be brought together to support the transition to net zero. 


Professor Wu said: “I am delighted to be joining the University of Bath. Bath combines research excellence, a strong sense of community and a clear ambition for the future.”

The University of Bath is home to UK-HyRES, another EPSRC funded hydrogen research hub and partner to HI-ACT, and is part of a growing  national hydrogen and low-carbon energy ecosystem. Jianzhong’s recent move provides a valuable opportunity to build on the collaboration already taking place between HI-ACT and UK-HyRES, while creating new connections across the region’s research and innovation landscape.

Industry recognition from the Royal Academy of Engineering

Professor Wu was also recently recognised as one of the 75 leading figures in engineering and technology at the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Annual General Meeting, which celebrated the Academy’s 50th anniversary.

The Academy describes Professor Wu as a world leader in energy engineering innovation, recognising his research leadership and contribution to energy policy and practice through advisory roles across government, industry and the networks sector.

A new chapter for Dr Pourmirza at Keele University

Dr Pourmirza recently joined Keele University’s School of Computer Science and Mathematics as an Associate Professor, having previously served as Senior Research Fellow and Academic Director of Smart Systems at the University of Birmingham. 

At Keele, she will continue her work across digitalisation, cybersecurity and resilient energy infrastructure, including research into hydrogen-integrated systems and trustworthy digital technologies. 

Keele University’s innovative energy infrastructure, including its Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) and green hydrogen production facilities, will help HI-ACT advance its research and create opportunities to explore hydrogen within a wider, integrated energy system rather than in isolation.

Building a research community for the energy transition

The recent milestones achieved by Professor Wu and Dr Pourmirza offer a snapshot of the success of HI-ACT’s wider research community. Their new roles and industry recognition demonstrate how expertise developed through collaborative research can continue to contribute to the UK’s academic and energy landscape.

As HI-ACT moves forward, its growing network of researchers, partners and collaborators will remain central to developing the evidence, insight and practical approaches needed to understand the role of hydrogen in a future Net Zero energy system.