Joe Butchers - Centre for Print Research

Joe’s research focuses on the design of renewable energy systems for local manufacturing.

He completed a PhD at the University of Bristol in 2021 and has been working at UWE as a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering since 2023. The majority of Joe’s research has been conducted in Nepal where he has worked collaboratively with industrial partners to develop locally appropriate hydropower designs. Working with Nepal Yantra Shala Energy, a Kathmandu-based manufacturing company, he developed a design for a Turgo turbine that is appropriate for local manufacture in Nepal. In collaboration with the People, Energy and Environment Development Association (a Nepali NGO), a 30kW version of this turbine design was installed in Taplejung district in Nepal. Subsequently, the resulting turbine design was shared online via the Hydro Empowerment Network.

Joe has been awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Early Career Researcher Award for the project Printing power: designing hydro-turbines for additive manufacture. For the estimated 0.75 billion people without access to electricity, small-scale hydropower is a proven option in providing rural electrification. Increasing access to additive manufacturing offers new opportunities to develop turbines that can be manufactured locally. The project aims to demonstrate that AM processes can be used to manufacture different types of hydro-turbine at a range of scales. Making use of a range of AM processes available in the CFPR and the School of Engineering, the project will identify which are applicable to different types of turbine. It will also explore how turbine designs can be optimised for additive manufacture. As a result, it will lead to the development of new workflows allowing designers to develop turbines that are ready for production. It is expected that the project will assist hydro-turbine manufacturers in the Global South in the development of turbine designs for rural electrification. Whilst, in general, it will contribute to growing interest in the use of AM within renewable energy.

The project begins in August 2024 and will run until July 2026. It will be supervised by Dr Tavs Jorgensen (from the CFPR) and Dr Shwe Soe (from the School of Engineering), with technical support provided by Mike White. External project collaborators include batch.works, The Fish Friendly Hydropower Company, and the Hydro Empowerment Network.