ombating climate change does not require the deindustrialisation of Britain, in fact it creates a huge green growth opportunity. So why is it that UK Net Zero Policies have simply been offshoring carbon emissions for decades – and with them manufacturing profits and jobs – instead of greening our homegrown producers? Why have our low-carbon production technologies and our home-grown greentech leaders not been backed to advance our sovereign capability in cleantech? This is one of many questions answered by Dr Michaela Kendall who has worked in fuel cells and hydrogen for over 30 years, and is CEO and co-founder of fuel cell pioneer Adelan (Birmingham, UK).
Even if these UK Net Zero Policies policies were working for us in some way, simply exporting our emissions elsewhere has been proven not to impact the progress of climate change, argues Dr Michaela Kendall. Rather, it has arguably accelerated it and done huge damage to Team GB in the process. The measures taken to date in the name of UK Net Zero have had virtually no impact globally on carbon levels, or the extreme weather and climate risks that brings. Having learned this the hard way, and thrown valuable manufacturing jobs away in the process, we have to reassess this policy.
Instead of leading the world in creating and manufacturing the Net Zero technologies the world needs, these ill-thought out policies have nearly bankrupted Team GB. A further 2.5 million manufacturing jobs are now on the line if we do not get energy prices down urgently, from being the most expensive in the world.
So how has this situation arisen? Well, the lack of technical expertise in government – especially in the Houses of Parliament but also throughout the UK's Civil Service – has long ignored technological diversity and banked on technologies we do not produce instead of the ones we do. Banning fossil fuel combustion – the very technology we have excelled at both technically and commercially – without investing in all credible alternatives has been the key problem. Denying the fragility of the existing grid and the rise of hydrogen as a solution has forced the UK down a dangerous cul-de-sac and exacerbates geopolitical vulnerability. This has created a greater reliance on Asia and in-turn increased emissions from Asia as the UK has off-shored cash in pursuit of solar and batteries. As for wind, sadly we offshored the capability for that also. It is almost as if it is a UK policy to rid the country of viable alternatives to fossil fuels, by turning off the money tap.
The UK now has an opportunity to break that trend and to redefine its industrial future and energy security. The alternative is to risk surrendering entire sectors to better-prepared nations, simultaneously removing local employment and the very foundation of a self-reliant nation. The hydrogen economy is no longer a concept for tomorrow; it is being built today. Unless we act now to develop scalable infrastructure and manufacturing capacity at home, we will forfeit both the economic and environmental rewards of this transition to countries that already understand what’s at stake.
Adelan has spent decades pioneering solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology which offers a hydrogen-ready, fuel-flexible bridge away from fossil fuel dependence. Capable of running on today’s cleaner fuels while scaling into a hydrogen-driven future Adelan SOFCs are a stepping stone technology supporting energy transition Yet, like many fuel cell technology companies and tech companies, these technologies and calls to boost UK manufacturing capabilities have been largely ignored by UK tech funders failing to invest in women-led STEM businesses.
Why does this matter? Because hydrogen infrastructure does not appear overnight. It requires time, investment, and crucially, a market-ready ecosystem of technologies and applications that can drive uptake. That’s precisely where Adelan fits in, backed by the industrial and manufacturing hub of the West Midlands. If we look at countries such as China, already well ahead in hydrogen strategy, they are already leveraging exactly this kind of adaptable fuel cell technology to establish supply chains, scale domestic production, and secure energy resilience.
While the UK fixates on batteries, China is already leading the hydrogen mobility race, with 7000+ fuel cell trucks and buses sold in 2024, nearly 400 hydrogen stations operational, hydrogen highways across nine provinces. China expects a 30% market share for fuel cell and H2-ICE trucks combined and the first liquid hydrogen refuelling products are now entering the market. By contrast, the UK has four hydrogen stations… on a good day.
China is not waiting for infrastructure to be perfect or someone else to fix the problem — they are using practical, hybrid-ready technologies to build the market step-by-step, all while creating jobs, attracting investment, and securing long-term national advantage. It is unclear whether this is how they built the unbeatable solar and battery industries, now both the envy of the developed world. But they certainly made those models work and have tasted success. Unlike British investors and British Net Zero policy makers, both public and private investors in China back their home team.
A recent survey by think-tank New Financial revealed that holders of pensions in the UK think 41% or even the majority of their retirement pots is invested in UK companies or stocks. In fact less than 5% of UK pension investment goes to domestic companies, and virtually nothing goes to cleantech developers like Adelan. Goldman Sachs’ Sharon Bell and colleagues identified a “very British problem” of low allocations to domestic stocks — a contributing factor in the market’s drab performance compared with other gauges since the financial crisis of 2008. This is despite the FTSE 100 index hitting over 9,000 points for the first time ever, a 10 per cent gain this year, just ahead of Europe’s Stoxx 600.
For over three decades, Adelan has been calling for the UK to do much more to support its own workforce and sovereign manufacturing, mainly to keep their hand in the game. The Midlands — with its industrial roots, skilled workforce, and transport sector legacy — is the logical home of this effort. This region already holds the tools, talent, and infrastructure needed to become the manufacturing heart of the UK hydrogen economy, supporting an area that not only stands to benefit economically but also carries a high carbon legacy that must now be reversed.
Historically, the Midlands was a global exporter of fossil-based and carbon-intensive technologies — a region at the forefront of the industrial revolution. So why shouldn’t it now lead the clean revolution? Hydrogen gives us the chance to re-identify and modernise our industrial roots, staying true to the region’s engineering creed while pivoting toward a cleaner, more resilient future.
Adelan’s patented SOFC technology is one of the few UK-developed, UK-manufactured cleantech systems capable of delivering on both near-term energy decarbonisation and long-term hydrogen infrastructure compatibility. Our systems are not just prototypes – they are tested, proven and already in use globally. The opportunity now is to scale this impact across British industry, using Adelan as a catalyst point for regional growth.
As we transition toward net zero, it is essential that we do not rely solely on imported systems, hardware, intellectual property and investments. What might be possible when UK innovation is secured, backed, scaled, and given a platform to compete globally? The UK has the expertise – but without support for local manufacturing and systems integration, we risk building our future with foreign tools.
By embedding fuel cell manufacturing here - building on the automotive and industrial skillsets that already exist - we can stimulate sustainable jobs, develop apprenticeship programmes in clean technology, and work with local manufacturers to retool for a zero-carbon future. This is not theoretical; this is how you turn industrial decline into industrial revival. A hydrogen strategy rooted in practical, deployable solutions will not only create jobs and investment, but it will also provide energy flexibility and resilience for heavy industry, transport, and distributed energy generation. It allows for a just transition, where existing industries and workforces are repurposed rather than replaced.
But this requires clear national leadership - a hydrogen strategy that delivers both top-down political support and bottom-up economic action. If the UK fails to act, the opportunity will go elsewhere. And it is going - fast.
We need to enact change today. Hydrogen is not a niche option. It is a national and regional imperative, and Adelan is ready to help lead the charge.
HYDROGEN CONFERENCE
Dr Kendall is appearing at The Hydrogen Conference “Building a Hydrogen economy” which will take place on Tuesday September 16, 2025, at Conference Aston at the University of Aston, Birmingham, UK. Speaker presentations will begin at 0930 and the conference will end at 1735hrs.
If you would like to learn more about the Conference and be kept informed about details and speakers please visit this link: https://thehydrogenconference.com/agenda/
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