Funding worth £2.7 million has been granted to seven projects that aim to demonstrate the application of innovative technologies to reduce energy consumption in industry.

The chosen projects are part of the first phase of the £9.2 million Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA), which aims to increase the number of technologies available to British industry, including manufacturing, waste processing and data centres, to help cut energy use and carbon emissions.

Some of the projects include the development of low carbon multi-component cement for concrete applications, generation of electricity from low grade waste heat streams and the use of liquid air energy storage at industrial sites.

Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry said: “We want to make sure businesses take advantage of clean growth by making the most of the assets that they have. That is why we are investing in innovative technologies that can help British industry use less energy, reduce their costs and cut emissions as part of our modern Industrial Strategy.”

The second phase of the programme, which is managed by the Carbon Trust and supported by engineering consultancy Jacobs, launches on 1st February and will run for three months.