Bath MP Wera Hobhouse recently visited the team at DRIFT Energy to find out more about the company’s new class of mobile, renewable energy. Sarah Mackintosh, Director of Cleantech for UK, also attended with a videographer to capture the visit on film, along with Mat Munro, Investor at Octopus Ventures and Carmen Peacock, Chair of CBI Southwest.
DRIFT’s high-performance sailing ships are guided by AI-enabled routing software and equipped with on-board systems to produce green hydrogen at sea, returning to port to deliver this clean energy where it is needed. This solution has potential benefits for reducing UK reliance on imported fossil fuels, increasing domestic green hydrogen production capacity, and opening new manufacturing and maritime innovation opportunities. DRIFT is currently developing and testing prototype systems and engaging with investors, policymakers, and maritime partners to move towards commercial deployment.
After meeting the team and hearing about the concept, the company’s progress to date and its future roadmap from CEO Ben Medland, Wera was able to view prototype models and design components. The group went on to discuss the role of green hydrogen in the UK energy system and industrial decarbonisation, as well as the challenges from trying to scale these first-of-a-kind, clean maritime and manufacturing technologies.