Facility will boost testing of hydrogen fuel cells capable of decarbonising air travel and data centres
Located within the 750-acre Chelveston Renewable Energy Park in Northamptonshire, UK, Intelligent Energy’s £7.1 million Technology Development Centre is a dedicated facility for advancing hydrogen fuel cell systems for aerospace and high‑power stationary applications.
Opening in 2026, the centre significantly strengthens our UK capability to design, build and validate high‑power hydrogen fuel cells – from aviation‑grade systems for zero‑emission flight to robust solutions for off‑grid and resilient power. The facility plays a critical role in accelerating technologies capable of decarbonising air travel while delivering reliable, on‑demand stationary power.
Chelveston is also the UK’s first hydrogen co‑location project of this scale, integrating wind, solar and hydrogen production. This enables real‑world testing of how renewable energy can be converted into hydrogen and deployed as dependable power for both flight and ground‑based infrastructure.
Accelerating IE-FLIGHT™ 300 through HEIGHTS
Chelveston plays a central role in delivering the HEIGHTS programme – a three-year, £17 million, government-backed initiative to develop a 300kW modular aviation fuel cell platform for eVTOL and commuter aircraft by the end of the decade.
A key focus is thermal management. Intelligent Energy’s patented evaporative cooling system reduces coolant mass by around 90% compared with conventional liquid systems, enabling a smaller, lighter architecture suited to flight.
The Chelveston site enables full-power validation of these systems using locally produced green hydrogen, bringing laboratory innovation closer to certified flight applications.
Advancing IE-GRID™ technology for stationary power
Beyond aerospace, the site also provides a dedicated environment for the development and validation of IE‑GRID™ hydrogen fuel cell systems, supporting stationary power applications from hundreds of kilowatts to multi‑megawatt scale.
The site enables full‑system testing of fuel cell powered generators designed to deliver reliable, zero‑emission power where grid capacity is constrained or unavailable, including critical infrastructure, data centres and MW scale back-up and off-grid power.
Using locally produced green hydrogen, IE‑GRID systems can be tested under real‑world operating conditions, validating performance, efficiency and durability for continuous and high‑uptime power demands. This includes applications where uninterrupted power is essential, such as data centres, microgrids and off‑grid energy systems, where hydrogen fuel cells offer a compelling alternative to diesel generators and grid‑dependent solutions.
A working model for renewable hydrogen
The design of our Technology Development Centre also demonstrates how renewable generation and hydrogen storage can deliver reliable off-grid power.
An on-site electrolyser can produce up to 450kg of hydrogen per day, which is then stored in a 75m³ tank and converted back into electricity – on demand via IE fuel cells – and fed back via 3MV transformer.
In a year when the UK spent more than £1.5 billion curtailing wind generation, the site demonstrates how surplus renewable energy can be captured, stored and redeployed – delivering energy security where grid capacity is constrained.
By bringing together aviation fuel cell development and high‑power stationary power systems, Chelveston showcases hydrogen’s dual role in enabling zero‑emission flight and strengthening long‑term power resilience.
