EV batteries, hydrogen and air quality to be examined as part of NPL rebrand

NPL, the UK’s National Measurement Institute, has relaunched to help the UK get more value from renewables and low-carbon technology and increase our understanding of emissions and pollution.

This new approach will see NPL apply the latest advances in measurement to make every stage of energy generation and transport more efficient, safe and affordable, and to improve the quality of data available on climate change and air pollution.

NPL is re-launching in direct response to government policy, including the Industrial Strategy, and is unveiling a number of new programmes to pave the way to a greener future for the UK.

NPL will be testing low-cost air quality sensors to increase their utility. More data is needed to help us monitor, and take effective action to reduce air pollution. Advanced, government-run stations provide highly accurate data, but new low-cost sensors offer more localised readings, with consumers increasingly using them to track their own exposure. These sensors offer a means of adding to the existing network of data points and assessing what difference policies are having on the environment. However, the quality of the data they provide is often low. NPL has established a test facility to assess the accuracy of these low-cost sensors, and identify how they can be best used in collaboration with more accurate sensors, to increase our understanding of air pollution.

NPL is also working with industry to understand the barriers to hydrogen uptake as a future energy carrier, as well as consulting with industry on future battery development, and ways to increase battery lifetime, and develop new techniques for testing the claims and viability of new batteries.

Jane Burston, Head of Energy & Environment at NPL said: “Without trustworthy data we can never be confident that the measures we take to minimise climate change are having the desired impact. We need to know that the information we gather on emissions or air quality for example is accurate and that people can use the data to make decisions. We also need to validate the performance of innovative new environmental technologies, to ensure that these new businesses can prove their claims to investors and customers. As the UK’s National Measurement Institute, NPL is uniquely equipped to provide this validation and confidence.

Dr Peter Thompson, CEO of NPL, said: “Many people are unaware of the scope, scale or quality of work that NPL delivers, or the part that it has played in some of the biggest discoveries in modern history. The effects of the science, technology and engineering that NPL delivers are felt by everyone, everywhere. After a century as the silent partner to industry, we are proud to re-launch NPL, to ensure it can further accelerate UK industry and deliver extraordinary impact on our economy and quality of life for many years to come.”

Alongside Energy & Environment, NPL is also focusing its activity in three other areas: Advanced Manufacturing, Digital, and Life Sciences & Health.