Contact Dr Fergus Crawley
Areas of expertise
- Concentrating Solar Power
- Hydrogen
Background
Fergus Crawley is an energy systems researcher specialising in renewable technologies, energy harvesting, and advanced thermal control systems. He completed his PhD in 2024, having previously gained an MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering at Cranfield University and a BEng in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Salford, including a year in industry working on new product development for a Combined Heat & Power (CHP) manufacturer.
At Cranfield, Fergus has led and supported experimental programmes focused on thermoelectric power generation, solar energy harvesting, and the development of a DC-DC solar-to-hydrogen demonstration plant, linking renewable electricity generation with hydrogen production systems. His work has contributed to major research initiatives funded by the Gates Foundation and Innovate UK, delivering practical, prototype-driven solutions for low-carbon energy applications.
Current activities
Fergus Crawley is currently a Research Fellow at Cranfield University, where he works as a mechanical engineer on the development of a commercial pilot-scale green hydrogen prototype system that directly powers electrolysers from solar PV using DC-to-DC power electronics, creating a simpler and more cost-effective architecture for hydrogen production.
Alongside this, he is advancing smart thermal energy capture and heat-to-electricity generation technologies, recovering waste heat from energy-intensive manufacturing processes and inefficient renewable systems to improve overall system efficiency and sustainability.
Clients
- TFG Global Power Ltd
- BAE Systems PLC
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Crawley F, Ibrahim KA, Qin Q & Luo Z. (2025). Redesigned crinkle washer for piezoelectric energy generation. Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering, 11
- Crawley FJE & Luo Z. (2024). High force compression mode to Shear mode piezoelectric energy harvesting. Micro and Nano Engineering, 23
- Abdulkhaliq HS, Crawley F, Luk P & Luo Z. (2023). Piezoelectric energy harvester for harnessing rotational kinetic energy through linear energy conversion. Energies, 16(18)
- Nwalike ED, Ibrahim KA, Crawley F, Qin Q, Luk P, .... (2023). Harnessing energy for wearables: a review of radio frequency energy harvesting technologies. Energies, 16(15)
- Munthala D, Sonklin T, Pomyai P, Luo Z, Crawley FJE, .... (2021). In-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies of electrical field induced domain switching in BCZT ceramics. Ceramics International, 47(17)
- Ibrahim KA, Hussaini ZA, Crawley F, Karim M, Luo Z, .... Optimizing Solar Thermal and Electrical Output Through a Hybrid Fresnel Lens and TEG System. SolarPACES Conference Proceedings, 3
Conference Papers
- Crawley FJE & Luo Z. (2024). High force compression mode to shear mode piezoelectric energy harvesting
- Hussaini ZA, Crawley F, Luo Z, Sansom C, King P, .... (2023). A Novel Application of a Parabolic Trough Collector for Solar Cooking, Thermal Storage and Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting
- Ibrahim KA, Kim M, Kinuthia D, Hussaini ZA, Crawley F, .... (2021). High Performance Green Hydrogen Generation System