Energy | Research beacons | The University of Manchester

Energy | Research beacons | The University of Manchester
Energy
600+
Researchers working across the entire energy system.
18
Interdisciplinary centres and institutes.
500+
Strong support team of technical staff to IP advisors.
Energy supply
Working with Electricity North West to make its network more sustainable and cheaper for customers.
Sellafield
Helping to improve radioactive waste management at the nuclear facility.
Co-benefits toolkit
Embedding climate and equality actions into Greater Manchester decision making.
United Nations
Influencing how the UN addresses greenhouse gas emissions, reducing climate change caused by shipping and aviation, and helping transform sustainable transport.
Wind, wave & tidal
Expanding clean energy sources with our pioneering technology, alongside a network of global collaborators to test across oceans.
Thermal energy
Developing solutions for
aquifer thermal energy storage and shallow geothermal
to inform UK policy and industry action.
Energy poverty
Optimising the impact of Green Doctors to support lower-income residents across Greater Manchester and tackle fuel and energy poverty.
£16m
Centres for Doctoral Training
focused on the energy transition, helping to develop the UK's skill base in nuclear, robotics and AI.
Driving the energy transition to ensure a just and prosperous future
Our research is at the forefront of the energy transition. Guided by our innovative spirit and interdisciplinary outlook, we work to mitigate climate change while transforming our energy system, to enable a just and prosperous future for all.
Across every aspect of energy, from how we best harness it, to how we can transform and use it, our passionate community of researchers are committed to making a positive difference now and for generations to come. Our legacy gives us the drive to both resolve current challenges and pave the way to a clean and just energy future.
Embracing the urgency and scale of the challenge, we’re developing solutions ready for immediate deployment, that can deliver rapid reductions in carbon emissions. Our experts across engineering, science, social science, health sciences and policy, are transcending disciplinary silos and partnering with governments, industries and communities to create interventions that deliver impactful and immediate change for people both locally and globally.
We’re looking to accelerate this transformation within the next two decades. Pushing boundaries, we’re part of a movement which will transform the energy system, and support local, regional and national leaders in meeting pressing zero carbon targets across systems and scales. We’re challenging how things are done now, exploring ways to integrate technical and social innovations into existing infrastructure, and making room for new energy capabilities that can improve people’s lives.
For future generations, we’re harnessing our curiosity to advance the fundamental science. We’re building our capability to anticipate new energy and materials challenges as AI and digitisation reshape our world, and exploring how new technologies from nuclear fusion to biologically produced hydrogen, could change the way we produce and use energy forever.
At Manchester, we do more than just research. We innovate to create impact that lasts.
Our research covers
Technological change happens because of people and their social contexts, whether it’s through the way we access, respond to, or use technology, how we make the decisions that drive investment, or through our innovations as researchers. Our work places people at the forefront of this change.
Understanding, engaging and supporting people’s experiences of living through an energy transition.
Drawing out insights into the drivers and outcomes of energy poverty and inequality in relation to social participation, wellbeing and health.
Evaluating the implications of decisions by ensuring planning is holistic, rather than just swapping one technology for another.
Guiding local, national and international policy, and industrial and organisational decision making, by driving two-way conversations to inform decisions based on scientific evidence.
Planning for the places people live, through research into the implications of energy consumption, and the impact on population health, jobs, and the physical environment.
Identifying the catalysts and constraints on adoption of new technologies and processes, and developing strategies to foster an energy transition that is just and prosperous, to provide benefits to people through their homes, communities, workplaces, job opportunities, and within the wider economy.
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The energy transition demands change across the interconnected web of physical, social and digital infrastructure. Taking a systems approach to retrofitting and designing novel infrastructure that can balance the diverse needs of society, while minimising impacts on the environment, will be central to a successful transition.
Designing and testing the infrastructure needed to support zero carbon energy systems, nationally and internationally. Our expertise covers nuclear for power and zero carbon fuels, renewables, hydrogen, energy storage, electricity grids and distribution, district heating, and geothermal networks.
Understanding what an energy system transformation means for society and considering how infrastructure affects lives, from day-to-day adaptation to broader health, economic, and social impacts.
Delivering efficiency in energy use through developing low loss electronics for low power systems and smart computing solutions to minimise energy consumption.
Designing and developing the connected networks required to decarbonise energy, to leverage and link the technologies that can deliver energy efficient carbon-free electricity, heat, and transport.
Identifying and delivering the skills and workforce needed to deliver an energy transition – from digital engineering and reactor construction, to fitting heat pumps and insulating buildings.
Applying digital approaches, big data, robotics and AI to optimise maintenance and management of energy systems.
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Our energy system can evolve and respond to the world around us, as new fundamental insights emerge through the innovation and creativity of our researchers.
Using lab-based exploration to create the technologies, applications and materials which could be fundamental to future energy systems.
Pioneering discovery science in future technologies, from nuclear fusion to the development of green fuels.
Drawing on subsurface, geoscience and geoengineering expertise, and research into the absorptive properties of materials, to identify long term grid-scale energy storage solutions.
Exploring novel approaches to exploiting cleaner energy sources, such as synthetic fuels from biological sources, or using computational fluid dynamics to get the most out of wind farms.
Pioneering new processes to use less energy, such as digital twinning to test before building physical prototypes, smart algorithms to minimise computing power, and advances in machine learning to avoid anticipated AI-related energy consumption increases.
Advancing materials research and 2D material innovation to develop the materials that support a low carbon, resilient and financially-viable energy system.
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Our researchers are leading on exploration into the technologies that can limit future damage to the earth’s system, and provide sustainable energy solutions for hard-to-abate industries.
Identifying and assessing new technologies to trap released carbon, remove it from the atmosphere and secure it in long term storage sites in the subsurface.
Working with industrial clusters to co-create whole system solutions to accelerate a green industrial transition.
Leading UK expertise in direct air capture technology, understanding its potential and how best to communicate this to industry and the public.
Devising solutions that optimise bioresource use and consider the role of capturing and storing any carbon released, while embedding biodiversity concerns.
Working with foundation industries to reduce energy consumption through more efficient use of resources and innovative approaches to sustainable use of raw materials.
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Key centres and institutes
Tyndall Manchester
Part of the national Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
Undertaking robust research to identify the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change.
Working with leaders from public and private sectors to promote informed decisions on mitigating and adapting to climate change.
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Manchester Urban Institute
Realising more inclusive and just cities that are environmentally and socially sustainable.
Generating world-leading research and training the next generation of urban activists, decision-makers, researchers and scholars.
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Dalton Nuclear Institute
Bringing together the UK’s largest and most comprehensive academic nuclear research capability to fully cover nuclear energy and decarbonisation including fusion, as well as health and social science.
Fostering long-term, strategic partnerships across industry, academia and Government, to tackle real-world challenges.
Providing training and specialist laboratories in Manchester and at our dedicated Dalton Cumbrian Facility.
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Sustainable Consumption Institute
Interdisciplinary community of social science experts challenging orthodox thinking on sustainable consumption and production.
Developing fresh approaches to sustainability based on our everyday practices and patterns of consumption.
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Henry Royce Institute
Giving industry and academics access to more than £150 million worth of equipment.
Open access to state-of-the-art ‘make, test and characterise’ facilities, to drive agile and cost-effective materials discovery, verification and application.
Providing SMEs with fast access to expertise and R&D capabilities supported by dedicated application scientists.
Supporting pathfinder projects alongside training programmes to accelerate technology translation and impact.
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Tomorrow Labs
Discover the cutting edge facilities where you can access the expertise and equipment you need to address your energy research needs.
Find out more
about Tomorrow Labs
News
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The ICAM Renews Collaboration Framework Agreement with Expanded Scope
The International Centre for Advanced Materials (ICAM) is pleased to announce the extension of its well-established academic–industry collaboration framework agreement broadening its scope to include a wider range of topics including materials, chemistry, catalysis, biosciences, and subsurface, with a focus on enabling technologies that support bp’s ambition to deliver energy to the world, today and tomorrow.
How loud is clean energy? Manchester-led study explores potential impact of underwater noise from tidal energy
The University of Manchester will lead a new research project to understand how noise generated by tidal-stream turbines travels through the marine environment and how it may affect marine life, supporting the responsible commercial scaling of tidal energy.
Scientists develop stronger, longer-lasting perovskite solar cells
Scientists have found a way to make perovskite solar cells not only highly efficient but also remarkably stable, addressing one of the main challenges holding the technology back from widespread use.Perovskite has long been hailed as a game-changer for the next generation of solar power. However, advances in material design are still needed to boost the efficiency and durability of solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity.Led by Professor Thomas Anthopoulos from The University of Manchester, the research team achieved this by fine-tuning the molecules that coat the perovskite surfaces. They utilised specially designed small molecules, known as amidinium ligands, which act like a molecular “glue” to hold the perovskite structure together.The study, published today in the journal Science, focuses on understanding how the chemical structure of the amidinium ligand controls the formation of the low-dimensional perovskite phase atop the conventional three-dimensional perovskite.These highly ordered layers form a smooth, stable protective layer that prevents tiny defects from forming, allowing electrical charges to flow more efficiently and preventing the devices from degrading under heat or light.Using this approach, the team developed solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 25.4%, while maintaining over 95% of performance after 1,100 hours of continuous operation at 85°C under full sunlight.Professor Anthopoulos said: “Perovskite solar cells are seen as a cheaper, lightweight and flexible alternative to traditional silicon panels, but they have faced challenges with long-term stability. Current state-of-the-art perovskite materials are known to be unstable under heat or light, causing the cells to degrade faster. The amidinium ligands we’ve developed, and the new knowledge gained, allow the controlled growth of high-quality, stable perovskite layers. This could overcome one of the last major hurdles facing perovskite solar cell technology and ensure it lasts long enough for large-scale deployment.”
This research was published in the journal
Science
Full title: Multivalent ligands regulate dimensional engineering for inverted perovskite solar modules
DOI:
10.1126/science.aea0656
URL:
UK social homes are unprepared for rising heat as policy fails to keep pace, new research warns
Millions of UK social homes are at growing risk from rising temperatures and soaring energy costs and current housing and climate policies are failing to keep up, according to a new research by The University of Manchester.
Cutting energy demand could be the cheapest, most efficient route to net zero, new research says
Reducing the UK’s energy demand could help the country reach its net zero target faster and at half the cost compared to relying mainly on supply-side technologies, according to new research by energy experts.
Manchester engineers harness tunnel winds to transform railways into renewable power sources
Researchers at The University of Manchester are developing pioneering technology to harness powerful wind in railway tunnels, turning them into renewable energy power stations.
Manchester academics elected as Royal Academy of Engineering Fellows
Two University of Manchester researchers are among the 74 leading figures elected by the Royal Academy of Engineering to its Fellowship this year.
Tyndall Centre at 25: UK must step up climate ambition, report warns
The UK has used less energy than almost anyone anticipated 20 years ago, but opportunities to act on this potential were largely missed, according to a new report published by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at The University of Manchester today.
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SALIENT Lunch & Learn Webinar Series 2026
30 April - 26 November 2026,
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Interdisciplinarity &: 2026 Series - Research Ethos: Speed-Networking
13 May 2026, 2.30pm-4.30pm
Each research discipline has its own ethos—distinct ways of asking questions, applying methods, and communicating ideas. This diversity can sometimes feel like a barrier to colla..
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