University of Bath scientists awarded £1.9 million to unlock energy hidden in the sky
The Bath-led project could help aircraft stay airborne over the UK all year round
Last updated 15th Sep 2026
Scientists at the University of Bath have been awarded £1.9 million to develop technology that could transform how aircraft are powered.
The funding has come from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) and will go to researchers in the university's Centre for Climate Adaptation and Environment Research.
Their project, called STRAT-NAV, will help high-altitude unmanned aircraft harness natural energy from the atmosphere, in a similar way to how eagles ride thermal currents, so they can stay airborne for much longer.
The team, based at the university's campus on the edge of the city, is working on a kind of "stratospheric sat-nav" for long-endurance aircraft known as High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellites, or HAPS.
These aircraft fly between 10 and 25 kilometres above the Earth and are mostly powered by solar panels, but according to the University of Bath many struggle with power during long winter nights, when solar energy is at its lowest.
The Bath team's answer is to guide the aircraft towards atmospheric gravity waves, ripples in the air created when wind is pushed upwards by mountains or storms, which the aircraft can then use to glide and save energy.
The university said this could deliver energy savings equivalent to carrying a battery twenty to forty per cent bigger, at no extra cost.
Why the project is based in Bath
The University of Bath said the research builds on years of atmospheric science carried out by the team, and that the UK's geography, including the mountains of Wales and the Pennines, makes it one of the best places in the world to study this kind of atmospheric activity.
Dr Neil Hindley, a research fellow at the University of Bath and the project's lead, said the timing of the UK's weather works in the country's favour.
"While the available solar energy falls to a minimum during winter, this is when gravity wave activity maximises over the UK, exactly when it is needed," Dr Hindley said.
He said the project could "fundamentally change what's possible" for long-endurance flights over the UK and beyond.
"This project is an exciting opportunity to translate our knowledge of the atmosphere into a practical tool to transform high-altitude aviation and unlock the stratosphere as an operating environment," Dr Hindley said.
The University of Bath team will move from computer modelling to real-world testing, with observation campaigns planned for late 2026 and 2027.
Flight trials with industry partners are expected later on, as part of ARIA's wider Enduring Atmospheric Platforms Programme, which is backed by £70 million over three and a half years.