ZincGel Battery Pilot at Keele University

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes · Last updated: 25 September 2026

Offgrid Energy Labs has signed a memorandum of understanding with Keele University to pilot its India‑developed ZincGel battery at Keele’s Low Carbon Energy Generation Park. The pilot will deploy ZincGel units manufactured in Hook, Hampshire, in a fully islanded configuration and aims to capture about 1 MWh of surplus renewable energy each month. ZincGel uses zinc‑bromine chemistry and is designed for a 6‑to‑16‑hour discharge window; the developer positions it as a non‑flammable, non‑lithium alternative for long‑duration storage. The pilot will assess safety, depth of discharge and round‑trip performance under real operating conditions and will inform a proposal for a larger multi‑MWh deployment on campus.

What the Keele pilot will install and measure

The pilot will install ZincGel battery modules manufactured at Offgrid Energy Labs’ Hook, Hampshire facility and operate them at Keele University’s Low Carbon Energy Generation Park in a fully islanded configuration. In practical terms, that means the ZincGel system will be disconnected from the wider grid and will absorb surplus generation from the park’s renewable assets for local use. The project’s stated operational target is to capture around 1 MWh of surplus renewable energy each month, a load shape the trial will use to test cycling behaviour over weeks and months.

Measurements the project will record include safety performance, usable depth of discharge, and round‑trip efficiency under varying renewable output. The trial will also monitor how the batteries respond across seasonal swings in wind and solar generation, and whether they can reduce curtailment by shifting output into higher‑demand periods on campus. These operational data are intended to feed a proposal for a larger multi‑MWh ZincGel deployment to absorb excess generation across Keele’s estate.

How ZincGel’s chemistry and discharge window suit wind integration

ZincGel is built on zinc‑bromine electrochemistry rather than lithium‑ion cells. The developer describes the chemistry as suitable for stationary long‑duration storage because it separates energy and power capacity in a way that supports extended discharge. The system is designed for a 6‑to‑16‑hour discharge window, which matches daily to multi‑day shifts in demand and the diurnal and synoptic patterns that affect wind output.

For wind sites such as Keele’s, a 6‑to‑16‑hour discharge capability can store overnight or low‑demand generation and release it during daytime peaks or campus events. The pilot will therefore test whether that discharge window materially reduces curtailment from the park’s two wind turbines and helps shift up to 50 percent of campus demand that the renewables can already supply. Safety is a separate design point: the developer markets the system as non‑flammable, which is a central claim for installations on university campuses and other public sites.

Manufacturing in Hook, Hampshire and the 'made in UK' claim

Offgrid Energy Labs will supply ZincGel batteries manufactured at its Hook, Hampshire facility for the Keele pilot. The project is described as a candidate to become the UK’s first zinc long‑duration energy storage project using batteries manufactured entirely in the country. That claim is significant for procurement and planning because locally manufactured systems can simplify logistics, regulatory checks and campus installation timelines.

The pilot will therefore also serve as a practical test of the supply chain: whether modules produced in Hook can be delivered, installed and commissioned on a university campus without extended lead times. The trial’s outcomes on manufacturability, installation complexity and initial maintenance demands will be material inputs to any business case for a future multi‑MWh deployment at Keele or other UK sites, where local content and lifecycle servicing are procurement criteria.

Operational configuration and campus value proposition

Keele’s Low Carbon Energy Generation Park already includes two wind turbines and supplies up to 50 percent of the campus’s electricity; the ZincGel pilot will operate in islanded mode to show how storage can increase onsite consumption of renewables. In islanded operation the batteries will provide resilience and supply shaping without relying on external network services, which is a common requirement for campus energy managers seeking energy security and lower carbon intensity.

If the pilot demonstrates reliable depth of discharge and acceptable round‑trip performance, the university could scale to a multi‑MWh system designed to absorb otherwise curtailed generation. The trial will therefore address both short‑term operational metrics and the strategic question of whether non‑lithium long‑duration storage can deliver the reliability and safety campuses demand when integrating higher shares of wind and solar.

Case for and against scaling ZincGel at Keele

The bottom line

The Keele pilot will test whether ZincGel’s zinc‑bromine chemistry and 6‑to‑16‑hour discharge capability can turn locally produced modules into a practical tool for wind‑heavy sites. By operating in a fully islanded mode and targeting about 1 MWh of monthly capture, the trial prioritises safety, real‑world round‑trip performance and seasonal behaviour over theoretical lab metrics. Results on efficiency, depth of discharge and supply‑chain practicality will determine whether a larger, multi‑MWh ZincGel deployment at Keele is justified and whether this non‑lithium option is competitive for other UK campus and grid‑connected projects.

What to watch

• watch for the pilot’s operational report on measured round‑trip efficiency, depth of discharge and safety performance; no date has been set.
• watch for Keele University’s proposal for a larger multi‑MWh ZincGel deployment that will follow the pilot; no date has been set.