Welcome to the Sir Joseph Swan Centre
for Energy Research (Swan)

The award winning Devonshire Building

The mission of the Sir Joseph Swan Centre is to provide an intellectual lead in the pursuit of the low-carbon economy of the future, by developing new technologies which reconcile human needs for energy conversion and use with social and ecological needs.

Working with the Region

We strive to engage with energy activity in the local region, working with local councils and industry on energy-related projects, or with local schools through education for sustainable development.

Lower-carbon Living

Newcastle is famous the world over as the birthplace of 'Carboniferous Capitalism'. In the late 16th century, it was home to the first industrial-scale coal mining in the world. Four centuries later, Newcastle is a Science City, and rapidly becoming a global leader in the shift to a low-carbon energy economy. Rapid climate change and predictions that the worldwide peak of hydrocarbon production will occur before 2021, mean the shift to lower-carbon living is being pursued with ever-greater urgency. 

Research Expertise

The Swan Centre enables experts from across Newcastle University to work together to develop 'greener' solutions to the world's future energy needs by bringing together research expertise.