COP26: The West Midlands inventions to combat climate change

Birmingham is renowned for its innovation - the city of a thousand trades led the industrial revolution and now its politicians are aiming for it to lead the green industrial revolution.

From groundbreaking advances in jewellery design, armory in its factories, chocolate at Cadbury’s and even tennis - the first game being played in Edgbaston around 1860 - the second city is proud to be first with so many creations.

In modern times it’s credited as the home of the first ever pacemaker, electric kettle and vacuum cleaner.

So it’s no surprise that across the West Midlands there are a host of pioneering projects exploring how we can combat climate change.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street is attending COP26 in Glasgow this week along with politicians and teams from across the region.

He will be showcasing two carbon neutral trains - one powered by hydrogen the other powered by a battery.

There is also a local COP26 roadshow at the University of Wolverhampton where more inventions are in the spotlight.

Here are the COP26 climate change inventions:

Battery powered train

Vivarail– based at Southam, near Stratford - is home to the UK’s only battery and battery hybrid trains. They provide unlimited emission-free travel on rail routes that don’t or cannot have overhead power lines. At present only polluting diesel trains can operate on those routes. The company designers and manufacturers are also addressing resource issues by using recycled materials for train interior

Hydrogen powered train

HydroFLEX – developed by the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) in collaboration with rolling stock solutions provider Porterbrook. The project is expected to decarbonise the British railway network, which currently accommodates diesel and electric trains, by replacing diesel-only trains with HydroFLEX until 2040.

Marine anti-fouling

Despite being landlocked in the heart of England, Sonihull in Solihull is cutting carbon emissions from shipping - one of the biggest global emitters - by reducing the fuel consumption of ships.

An estimated 11m tonnes of carbon emissions have already been saved by the company. This is achieved by using an innovative product which uses sound to prevent the build-up of algae and other marine life which can reduce a vessel’s fuel efficiency and increase fuel costs by up to 60%.

Otherwise, this would be tackled by coating the hulls in polluting chemicals that can be even more harmful to marine life and the planet.  Sonihull will be available for interviews at the roadshow and will have a demonstrator of their innovation at the expo.

Triggo electric cars

Triggo, based in Coventry is the manufacturer of tiny, flexible chassis electric vehicles that are ideal for emissions free urban journeys. They can whizz through traffic and cut time - as well as polluting emissions.

E-bikes and an e-trike

Pashley – based in Stratford-upon-Avon this acclaimed manufacturer of traditional bicycles is now producing e-bikes. The company is already building thousands of bikes for the region’s bike hire scheme (similar to London’s ‘Boris Bikes’) and is now set to deliver electric-bikes for the scheme which is operated by Transport for West Midlands – part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Pashley will be bringing along prototypes of their new e-bike and also their new delivery e-trike.

See how Birmingham firm Acleron are making batteries more eco friendly below

Building better batteries across the globe from Birmingham

With the move to battery-powered industry/transport, there is a major risk of spent batteries going into landfill. Aceleron is revolutionising battery production by innovating their dismantling and reuse.

The company is also supporting nations in the global south with battery technology, including Kenya.

Can I attend the COP26 Roadshow at Wolverhampton University?

The  COP26 Regional Roadshow at the University of Wolverhampton is now a sell-out but people can still register for a virtual ticket via the Eventbrite website.

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