For Andrew Cunningham the journey towards a greener energy network in the UK and beyond has been a personal crusade for more than a decade.
The Chief Executive of zero emission power provider GeoPura believes that businesses can invest in going green and still make a profit in the process.
And he’s proving it with the company he launched in 2019 providing HPUs (Hydrogen powered generators) to supply zero emission electric power when and where it is needed off, or to supplement, the national grid.
From music festivals and sports events to Ministry of Defence establishments and power stations the HPUs are providing an alternative to highly polluting diesel generators.
The easily transportable power boxes provide scalable green energy for construction, film and TV, live events, electric vehicle charging, and critical infrastructure.
The Newcastle-based business, GeoPura, is an innovative collaboration with Siemens Energy and the result of more than 12 years of research and development by engineer Andrew who has invested a significant amount of his own money in the project.
The remarkable progress of the business and its commitment to protecting the planet, was rewarded earlier this month, when honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category, recognising its pioneering work.
This prestigious accolade celebrates the development and commercial success of the HPUs, a breakthrough technology that provides scalable zero emission energy on such a wide scale.
Andrew said: “We’re incredibly proud to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise. It is a powerful recognition of the hard work, innovation and commitment of the entire GeoPura team and our partners.
“At a time when the need for clean, reliable energy has never been greater, this award supports the shift to green hydrogen and zero emission fuels. Our Hydrogen Power Units are helping to phase out polluting fuels like diesel and HVO that damage health and the environment.
“Our technology delivers scalable, reliable, zero emission electricity wherever and whenever it is needed. From critical infrastructure and EV charging to media production and construction, we are cutting carbon, improving air quality, and enabling organisations across the UK to accelerate their journey to net zero.
“It is an honour to be recognised on a national stage and even more meaningful to be building the future of clean energy in a region with such a proud industrial heritage.
We are creating skilled jobs, training apprentices, and investing in the local supply chain right here in the North East.”
GeoPura’s HPUs are manufactured at scale in the North East, through a long-term collaboration with Siemens Energy at its CA Parsons Works site in Newcastle.
This collaboration is supporting regional job creation, supply chain growth, and apprenticeships in a sector critical to the UK’s net zero ambitions.
GeoPura currently offer two key units, the HPU1 and, most recently, the even more powerful HPU2, for large events and at scale EV charging.
HPUs use green hydrogen, produced from renewable electricity, to deliver reliable power anywhere it’s needed – from 50kW to 50MW, providing power where the electricity grid is not available or sufficient. A self charging battery, powered by green hydrogen, GeoPura’s HPUs convert green hydrogen into electricity through fuel cell technology, producing only water and heat as by-products.
The public health benefits are significant too. Air pollution, especially from diesel engines, is linked to heart and lung disease and contributes to tens of thousands of premature deaths in the UK each year.
Andrew Cunningham says businesses must adopt green energy for the sake of all of us and the planet’s future. He said: “It’s massively important. it’s a matter of survival; certainly survival of life of the kind we enjoy at the moment.
“There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that human-induced climate change is real and all the signs that I see are accelerating and accelerating to a scary extent.”
Speaking of the journey GeoPura has been on Andrew said: “I never had any doubt the technology would work. I’m an engineer by background and GeoPura was built on 12 years of research development.
“But the real doubt was can you come up with a commercial model where people will pay for this? Well they did, and they are, just going to prove that business with an environmental conscience is a viable philosophy.”
GeoPura’s HPUs are proving to be invaluable across a wide range of uses Ð with the benefit of producing zero pollution in the process Ð and are already trusted by major names including Balfour Beatty, the BBC, National Grid and the MOD. Some recent examples include:
The company was commissioned by power station owner Uniper to provide HPU energy during a six-month power-down for maintenance at its Cottam Development Centre Natural Gas Plant between June 2022 and January 2023.
It was an alternative to diesel that saved 17 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions Ð approximately the same amount of CO2 produced by a car that has driven around the world 17 times.
Last year GeoPura HPUs at the Isle of Wight Festival replaced traditional diesel generators to provide power for crew and artist catering and part of the guest village. This bold initiative was part of the festival’s commitment to becoming the most sustainable in the country. The units powered these key areas with zero emissions saving 9.2 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the process.
The England Touch Association commissioned GeoPura to supply power at the 2024 Touch Rugby World Cup in Nottingham across 23 fields, spread over two venues, for seven days. This included an electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
By replacing diesel generators with hydrogen-powered alternatives the tournament successfully reduced its carbon emissions by 6.6 tonnes.
GeoPura and the Ministry of Defence teamed up for a landmark hydrogen power trial, introducing hydrogen energy on military bases to generate electricity and recharge electric cars and vans.
Locations included RAF Leaming, HMNB Devonport, Mervile Barracks Colchester, HMS Excellent Portsmouth and RAF Northolt. With approximately 120,000 miles driven in vehicles charged via the HPUs over the course of the trial, the project saved 31 tonnes in CO2 emissions.
