UK firm Bramble Energy targets hydrogen fuel cell revolution

Low maintenance, quick to refuel, highly efficient, and zero-emissions at point of use -  hydrogen fuel cells are, on the surface, something of a net zero no-brainer. But despite the technology’s potential to play a key role decarbonising a range of sectors, it’s yet to be deployed at anything like the scale required to make a meaningful impact.

There are a number of reasons for this: not least the often-discussed challenges around hydrogen infrastructure. But perhaps the biggest stumbling block is the fact that the business of actually making fuel cells is expensive. Whilst the EV battery sector has been able to lean on decades of volume manufacturing expertise, the hydrogen fuel cell - despite being invented in 1842 - has remained something of a niche technology, with the cost of the materials and the intricacies of the manufacturing process posing a major hindrance to commercialisation.

Now however, UK startup Bramble Energy believes it might just have come up with a solution that unlocks the technology’s potential: a fuel cell design that taps into the nimble and high-volume manufacturing capabilities of a sector responsible for one of the most ubiquitous components of the technological age: the printed circuit board.