Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub secures FID

Hydrogen Scotland member bp Aberdeen Hydrogen Energy Limited – the joint venture between bp and Aberdeen City Council – announced this week that their final investment decision for its Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub project has been agreed. Construction activities are expected to begin before the end of 2024, targeting green hydrogen production from 2026.

The Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub will feature a hydrogen production, storage and distribution facility, located at Hareness Road in Aberdeen, which will be powered by electricity generated at a solar farm to be installed on the former Ness landfill site located nearby.

Once operational the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub will have the potential to deliver up to around 300 tonnes of green hydrogen a year through the initial phase of the project, enough to fuel 25 buses and a similar number of other fleet vehicles per day. The Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub is a scalable, green hydrogen production, storage and distribution facility in the city powered by renewable energy. The hub plans to be developed in three phases, scaling with growing demands for hydrogen:

1. Phase one involves building a hydrogen refueling facility for buses and trucks, powered by a solar farm. It aims to produce over 800 kilograms of green hydrogen per day – enough to fuel 25 buses and a similar number of other fleet vehicles.
2. Phase two could see production scaled up to supply over three tonnes per day of green hydrogen for road, rail, freight and marine, by 2030.
3. Phase three could scale up further to supply hydrogen for heat in buildings and potentially export. Expansion would be enabled by the expected increased availability of local renewable power sources, including developments that emerge from the ScotWind offshore wind initiative.

The solar farm and hydrogen facility will be on separate sites but linked by an underground solar grid connection. The hydrogen site has a substation grid connection to power it in periods of low solar power production, while excess power can be returned to the grid when high solar power is generated.

The green hydrogen and vehicle refuelling facility are located at Hareness Road. The solar farm would be located at the former Ness Landfill site to the west of the Coast Road. The planning application for the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub was submitted in March 2023 and planning permission was granted at the end of June 2023.

The Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub will be actively marketing hydrogen for use in road transport fleets (e.g., buses, trucks, vans and cars at 350 and 700 barg) and related applications. Get in touch with the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub via their contact us page to find out more about use of green hydrogen to decarbonise transport fleets and to discuss offtake from the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub.

National Grid has released the latest update to their Future Energy Scenarios, FES2024. For an introduction to the FES2024 Pathways there is a series of four FES2024 webinars taking place this week on Wednesday 17^th and Thursday 18^th July, see below for details.

The ESO Pathways to Net Zero represent different, credible ways to decarbonise the UK energy system by 2050. FES 2024 has adopted a new framework to better present three pathways for net zero by 2050 with the Counterfactual scenario which shows how UK energy might look if decisive actions are not taken within the next two years to deliver the fundamental change required for a net zero UK energy system by 2050.

1. Mixed Pathway: explores a route to net zero under a mixed technology development path.
2. Electrification Pathway: explores a route to net zero under a highly electrified development path.
3. Hydrogen Pathway: explores a route to net zero under a hydrogen development path
4. Counterfactual: explores a world where not enough progress is made on decarbonisation and net zero 2050 is missed.

The previous FES framework, used since 2020, presented a wide range of credible outcomes on the route to net zero. This new framework seeks to explore a narrower range by identifying strategic choices that can be made on the route to net zero and forms part of a wider industry overhaul to Great Britain’s energy network planning.

The three new FES2024 pathways – Holistic Transition, Electric Engagement and Hydrogen Evolution – explore strategic routes to net zero based on extensive stakeholder engagement, research and analysis. In comparison, the Counterfactual is used to understand the gap between successful tracking of the pathways versus enabling change too slowly and missing key UK targets for Net Zero by 2050.

1. Holistic Transition: 2050 energy demand for net zero is met through a mix of electrification and hydrogen, with hydrogen mainly around industrial clusters. Consumer engagement in the transition is very strong with demand shifting, with smart homes and electric vehicles providing flexibility to the grid.
2. Electric Engagement: Net zero in 2050 is met through mainly electrified demand. Consumers are highly engaged in the energy transition through smart technologies that reduce energy demands, utilising technologies such as electric heat pumps and electric vehicles.
3. Hydrogen Evolution: Net zero in 2050 met through fast progress for hydrogen in industry and heat. Many consumers will have hydrogen boilers, though energy efficiency will be key to reducing cost. There are low levels of consumer engagement. Hydrogen will be prevalent for heavy goods vehicles but electric car uptake is strong.
4. Counterfactual: Net zero UK target for 2050 is missed, though some progress is made for decarbonisation compared to today. While home insulation improves, there is still a heavy reliance on gas across all sectors, particularly power and space heating. Electric vehicle uptake is slower than the net zero pathways, but still displaces petrol and diesel.

In 2023 the total UK energy demand was 1706 TWh with fossil fuels making up 79% of total UK energy supply. Petroleum supplied over 90% of road transport demand and 100% of aviation and shipping demand. Interactions between different fuels are low, demonstrating limited whole system thinking or cross-sector decarbonisation as illustrated below:

By contrast the Hydrogen Evolution pathway predicts the total UK energy demand will reduce to 1292 TWh in large part due to improved energy efficiency measures. Hydrogen supplies 30% of overall energy needed in 2050 used across all sectors. Overall energy demand drops by 414 TWh, driven primarily by the remaining demand that is electrified. Natural gas is still used for electricity and hydrogen production in 2050 but it is abated through CCS.

The Hydrogen Evolution pathway uses high levels of hydrogen dispatchable power plants to lower needs for renewable and nuclear capacities, and CCS abated natural gas plants have lower utilisation post 2035. Hydrogen storage provides most flexibility in this pathway.

Link to FES2024 Pathways Summary

Link to FES2024 Pathways report

Link to FES2024 Changes

FES2024 webpage

The UK Government has appointed Chris Stark to head the new Mission Control initiative tasked with delivering clean power across the UK by 2030, and this week’s announcement of £7.3bn of additional funding for the new National Wealth Fund will help unlock private investment in new technologies such as hydrogen and green steel.

Chris Stark delivered the inaugural Hydrogen Scotland Burns Week Lecture earlier this year on 22^nd January at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, using this opportunity to highlight the challenges of energy system decarbonisation and the need to achieve net zero power. Previously chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, and former Director of Energy and Climate Change in the Scottish Government, Chris Stark will bring extensive expertise working with the energy sector to remove barriers and achieve the clean power mission on the country’s path to net zero.

Chris Stark said: ‘Tackling the climate crisis and accelerating the transition to clean power is the country’s biggest challenge, and its greatest opportunity. By taking action now, we can put the UK at the forefront of the global race to net zero – driving down our carbon emissions but also cutting bills for households. It is a privilege to head up this work alongside the country’s top energy experts who will make this mission a reality.’

This new Mission Control initiative will be the first of its kind in the UK government – with a focus on accelerating the transition away from volatile fossil fuel markets toward clean power, improving Britain’s energy security and cutting energy costs – solving the Energy Trilemma.

Mission Control will be a one-stop shop, bringing together a top team of industry experts and officials to troubleshoot, negotiate and clear the way for energy projects. Mission Control will work with key energy companies and organisations including the regulator Ofgem, the National Grid and the Electricity System Operator to remove obstacles and identify and resolve issues as they arise. This will speed up the connection of new power infrastructure to the grid, and cleaner, cheaper power to people’s homes and businesses.

The announcement this week of £7.3bn of additional funding for the new National Wealth Fund will help unlock private investment in new technologies such as hydrogen and green steel. Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds have instructed officials to immediately begin work to align the UK Infrastructure Bank and the British Business Bank under a new National Wealth Fund that will invest in the new industries of the future.

Under the Government’s new plans, the National Wealth Fund will bring together key institutions and a compelling proposition for investors. This will mobilise billions more in private investment and generate a return for taxpayers. £7.3bn of additional funding will be allocated through the UK Infrastructure Bank so investments can start being made immediately, focusing on further priority sectors and catalysing private investment at an even greater scale.

This £7.3bn funding is in addition to existing UKIB funding. As part of the National Wealth Fund reforms will be made to the British Business Bank, which is overseen by the Department for Business and Trade, to ensure it can mobilise the UK’s institutional capital and unlock billions of pounds of investment in the UK’s world-leading green and growth industries.

Hydrogen Scotland member TCP Group have reached the milestone of operating a fleet of 500 hydrogen fuel-cell mobile lighting towers available to hire, with the support of a fully managed service. The TCP Ecolite TH-200 hydrogen lighting towers are replacing traditional diesel-powered lighting towers, with remanufacturing hundreds of their diesel-powered lighting towers to use hydrogen fuel-cells and gas cylinders. providing the same lighting performance with the benefits of zero-emissions and much lower noise levels.

Gareth Holden, TCP Scotland Manager, said, “It’s great that our fleet of hydrogen lighting towers is growing at pace now. The towers are becoming increasingly popular for off-grid filming, events and major construction projects in Scotland. The light is natural and they are perfect for filming as they are completely silent.”

Jim Irvine, Operations and Development Director at TCP Group, added: “The TCP Ecolite TH200 (hydrogen fuel-cell mobile lighting tower) is an increasingly popular choice where temporary lighting is required and as companies look for clean energy solutions to reduce carbon emissions. We have an ever-growing demand for this particular lighting tower, and we committed to the provision of 500 towers by July 2024. With large infrastructure projects moving forward, such as Sizewell C and the Lower Thames Crossing, this temporary lighting solution is the No.1 choice, as they are silent running, no spill risk and zero emission at point of use.”

Many of TCP’s customers have already benefitted from deploying hydrogen fuel-cell lighting towers. Back in 2015, Costain used them on the Cross Rail project, and they were used for much of the HS2 project. TCP Group works regularly with the Environment Agency, in partnership with Jackson Civil Engineering, to provide clean energy solutions for works such as lock repairs.

Joe Ambor, Sales Director at TCP Group, explained the environmental benefits from remanufacturing TCP’s legacy diesel gen-sets: “We have steadily grown the fleet of hydrogen mobile lighting towers in recent years. As a company faithful to recycling where possible, we have remanufactured hundreds of our diesel-powered lighting towers to use hydrogen fuel-cells and gas cylinders. Our added value is to provide a fully managed gas service. Gas usage is monitored remotely and when a hydrogen gas cylinder needs exchanging, the TCP team make arrangements with the customer to replace the empty cylinder with a full one and then take the empty one away.”.

TCP Group has always had a focus on the effects on health with issues caused by diesel emissions. A partnership was formed with Hydrogen Scotland member BOC in 2010, to replace diesel fuel with hydrogen fuel-cells in lighting towers to transform lighting solutions for site operations. The silent running of the hydrogen fuel cell makes them better neighbours, along with fewer health dangers to site workers whilst helping to drive against climate change.

The hydrogen fuel-cell lighting towers are fitted with Prismalence lenses. These unique lenses create controlled light distribution meaning the uniformity is far superior than other competitors. Artificial lighting can have a negative effect on health and can cause fatigue, headaches and even stress symptoms. The Prismalence lenses have low glare, good visibility, good colour rendering and no flickering. Consequently, the light frequency is a much more comfortable light to work by, increasing employee wellbeing and jobsite safety.

About TCP Group: Founded in 1989 by Andrew Barker (the current Managing Director), TCP Group started out as a plant hire company, but always with a drive to find cleaner fuel solutions. TCP Group has spent the last decade investing in research and development to expand the Eco side of the business. Hydrogen-powered generators, sentry boxes, CCTV and security monitoring systems are some of the applications that TCP Group has developed over recent years and by using hydrogen, it removes at least 80% of emissions, compared to diesel fuel.

TCP Group is headquartered in Maldon, Essex and has depots across the country with the Scottish depot in Falkirk. TCP Group offer initial consultation and expertise to provide guidance to help reduce carbon emissions and offer best options for lighting and power in the most efficient way. TCP Group is also about to launch a range of training courses for customers to understand how hydrogen-based equipment can help with their own sustainability credentials.

Ahead of The King’s Speech on July 17 and to kickstart their engagement with MPs following the General Election, Scottish Renewables has outlined ten priorities for the UK Government’s first 100 days to accelerate economic growth and reduce energy costs. You can watch a summary of these ten priorities on LinkedIn.

Scottish Renewables has also written to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net-Zero to outline the benefits for the UK’s economy and energy security by uplifting the Allocation Round 6 (AR6) budget as part of a signal of confidence to our supply chain.

The open letter, signed by 67 organisations representing 20,000 jobs, featured in an exclusive by The Herald and has been shared with relevant Ministerial teams across the UK Government. In addition, Scottish Renewables has signed a letter by RenewableUK to the Chancellor of the Exchequer advocating for an uplift to the AR6 budget.

Scottish Renewables has began our programme of engagement with new Ministers, Scotland’s 57 MPs and parliamentary staff to highlight the priorities of the renewable energy industry and supply chain. Key junior Ministerial appointments include:

• Michael Shanks MP (Rutherglen and Hamilton West): Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net-Zero.
• Sarah Jones MP (Croydon Central): Minister of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net-Zero and the Department for Business and Trade.
• Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP (Lothian East): Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade.
• Kirsty McNeill MP (Midlothian): Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland.

Scottish Renewables welcomes the establishment of a Mission Control for Clean Power, led by Chris Stark, to support effective cross-governmental action towards 2030 targets. The new Mission Control will work alongside the Clean Energy Mission Board, chaired by the Prime Minister, as well as the development of GB Energy and the National Wealth Fund.

Environmentally-conscious timber products supplier GMG Energy has joined forces with a respected specialist building company in a strategic partnership which is likely to significantly boost growth in both concerns.

The Highland-based sawmill operator and biomass supplier is teaming up with long-established Lanarkshire construction company Hendry Joinery and Builders to supply and install bespoke garden rooms and home offices across Scotland.

The move is designed to benefit from the continuing strong demand for outdoor space which was sparked by lockdown and is now being sustained by the huge numbers of people – estimated by the ONS at up to 40% – who still work part of the week from home.

The new partnership will be launched at the Caithness Show in Thurso East on the 19^th and 20^th of July this year. Under the terms of the deal, wood will be supplied from GMG’s eco-friendly plant in the Strath of Halladale in Sutherland, which is powered by a massive solar array on the roof, and Hendry will cut the timber to size to create and install the individually-crafted units.

Malcolm Morrison, Director of GMG Energy, said: “I was inspired to investigate the possibility of a partnership when Kirk Hendry, the owner of Hendry Builders, and his team built a remarkably useful and aesthetically pleasing home office in my own garden.

“The craftsmanship and the quality of work was quite outstanding and the custom-built structure has added value and flexibility to the property, as well as being brought in on time and on budget.

“There is a huge market for this kind of structure, with sector predicting a rise in sales of up to 10% this year. Suppliers are also increasingly focusing on sustainability, using eco-friendly materials and incorporating energy-efficient features, which is a perfect fit with the way we operate.”

Kirk Hendry, who has been in the construction industry for 41 years, said from his base in Strathaven: “We have undertaken a wide variety of work this year, including building two houses, a garden house and a dental surgery, but we see a great scope for growth in the demand for outdoor work and living space.

“The alliance with GMG Energy chimes with customer demand for environmentally-aligned products, since Malcolm has invested heavily in renewables and also specialises in ethically sourced timber from its own sustainable resources.”

GMG Energy, which has a turnover in excess of £2 million, has spent £100,000 on solar power generation as well as £250,000 on equipment. It is a major contributor to the circular economy, using local suppliers and providing products with significantly fewer transport miles to local businesses. It processes 2,000 tons of timber annually.

As a major plank of its business model, the company is committed to replacing every log of timber that it uses, and plants 10,000 new trees a year, which grow to maturity in 35 years. It has far exceeded this target in recent years.

Hydrogen Scotland member Net Zero Technology Centre has just released the Energy Hubs – Fill the Backbone report. This study highlights the emerging opportunity to export hydrogen into the expanding hydrogen market in Europe. Economic modelling indicates that a 10 GW scale Energy Hub in Scotland producing green hydrogen from floating offshore wind could produce hydrogen for £3.90/kg. To capitalise on the opportunity, Scotland will need to develop strategic Energy Hubs in time to meet this growing demand.

This report finds that the key to establishing a thriving hydrogen economy in Scotland is the development of Energy Hubs. An Energy Hub is a specific geographic location which will host all facilities necessary for the large-scale production of hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives such as e-fuels. It focuses on how to optimise the efficiency and economic viability of Scottish Energy hubs, including the opportunities offered by alternative fuels, CO₂ imports and by-products.

Location assessments identified Cromarty, Shetland, Aberdeen & North-East, and Orkney to be optimal locations for green hydrogen production. A preliminary screening was performed to select five Energy Hubs for further detailed analysis of the current, future planned, and potential renewable generation capacity for each of the five selected hubs. The study results summarising the generation capacity that may be available for each Energy Hub location are depicted in Figure 7 below.

Figure 7: Generation capacity for each Energy Hub

With Scottish electricity demand being met predominantly by currently installed renewable capacity, there is an opportunity to use future (planned and potential) renewable capacity for alternative purposes, such as hydrogen generation. The analysis established the future (planned and potential) generation capacity for each energy vector at each of the five hubs. To avoid double counting, energy resources within a given area were uniquely allocated to individual hub locations. The results indicate that if all the future planned generation capacity for the areas covered by the five energy hubs is realised, then this could mean an annual surplus of 160 TWh. Realising renewable energy from sources classed as “potential” would add a further 150 TWh to the total. This incremental annual capacity is shown in Figure 8 below.

Figure 8: Incremental annual energy generation capacity for five Energy Hub locations

This Energy Hubs project builds on the findings of NZTC’s Hydrogen Backbone Link project report released in August 2023, which demonstrates the feasibility of exporting 0.9 million tonnes of hydrogen per year from Scotland to Europe via a new dedicated 10GW capacity hydrogen pipeline. The Energy Hub project evaluates the potential of utilising Scotland’s offshore wind resource to produce GW-scale low carbon hydrogen to supply the demand required by the proposed Hydrogen Backbone Link (HBL).

Phase one of this Scottish government funded Energy Hubs project also provides recommendations to achieve this ambition. It examines the infrastructure, long-term investment and technological innovations needed to establish commercially viable and efficient energy hubs across Scotland. Key recommendations include:

• Rapid investment targeted at next generation technologies and manufacturing processes to accelerate floating offshore wind
• Innovations in electrolyser technologies to improve the efficiency of hydrogen production while reducing system costs
• Development of highly efficient energy storage facilities with GWh capacities
• Optimising the integration of energy vectors within Energy Hubs, along with exploring further opportunities in alternative fuels and byproducts

The likely power supply for a multi-gigawatt scale hydrogen or e-fuel Energy Hub is floating wind. The cost of electricity from floating wind will have a significant impact on the commercial viability of the hydrogen produced in Energy Hubs. Economic modelling indicated that a 10 GW scale Energy Hub producing green hydrogen from floating offshore wind could produce hydrogen for £3.90/kg. The total CAPEX for a development (including both the wind farm and the hydrogen production facilities) was estimated to be £30.2 billion and would produce over 0.9 Mtpa of green hydrogen This modelling used forecasted costs for the late 2030s and anticipates that the cost of electricity from floating wind will decrease over time as the technology develops.

Energy storage for a 10 GW facility poses a significant challenge. For Scotland to be able to meet its own domestic hydrogen demand, sufficient hydrogen storage for lulls in production associated with low wind conditions is needed. The subject of energy storage capacity would benefit from further assessment (including cost benefit analysis) to determine the sensitivity of hydrogen production rates (and electrolyser life) to varying levels of energy storage capacity.

Scotland’s proximity to the European market and the Hydrogen backbone link project will enable low transportation costs, but if production costs are too high then this strategic benefit will be negated. To enable Scotland to leverage its vast renewable resource and fully capitalise on future export opportunities, action is required across four key areas:

• Development of the Super Hub concept to maximise the overall performance of Energy Hubs. The Super Hub concept is being explored in more detail in Phase 2 of the Energy Hubs Project, which will conclude in November 2025.
• Investment and Government support to accelerate the development of key technologies, in particular, investment targeted at floating offshore wind is needed to ensure the competitiveness of Scottish green hydrogen.
• Development of high efficiency energy storage facilities with GWh capacities.
• System integration: Optimising the integration of energy vectors (including thermal) within Energy Hubs, along with exploring further opportunities in alternative fuels and byproducts is needed to ensure the efficiency and economic viability of Energy Hubs. This is being explored in more detail in Phase 2 of the Energy Hubs Project.

The Energy Hubs project is dedicated to advancing the Energy Hub concept by addressing the fundamental questions that emerge when considering how to establish large-scale hydrogen production in Scotland. The Energy Hubs project is one of seven projects being delivered through NZTC’s Net Zero Technology Transition Programme (NZTTP), which was awarded £16.7 million from the Scottish Government’s Energy Transition Fund (ETF). The Energy Hub project is funded over a three-year period and will conclude in November 2025.

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Hydrogen Valleys are geographical areas where clean hydrogen is produced and locally used by households, local transportation and industrial plants. Hydrogen Valleys are the cornerstones of a viable hydrogen economy and are listed on the Mission Innovation Hydrogen Valley Platform that was launched in 2021, with 21 valleys in Europe. The counter currently stands at 98 valleys globally with 67 located in the EU. Out of the European Hydrogen Valleys, 17 have received support from the EU research and innovation programmes totalling EUR 262 million.

Mission Innovation map of Hydrogen Valleys (from https://h2v.eu/hydrogen-valleys)

The European Commission published Towards a roadmap for accelerating the deployment of Hydrogen Valleys across Europe: challenges and opportunities. This is a working document which outlines the strategic priorities and actions that are currently ongoing or planned to support the development of Hydrogen Valleys:

• The Commission will support a ‘Hydrogen Valley Facility’ through the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, a public-private partnership under Horizon Europe, to help early-stage Hydrogen Valleys mature to the point where they can start construction.
• Building on the recently relaunched European Hydrogen Observatory, a new Clean Hydrogen Knowledge Hub will provide stakeholders with the information they require, allowing for automated data analysis and reporting to support knowledge-based decision making.
• Following the recent revision of the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan, the Commission will work closely with Member States and stakeholders to implement the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) of the ERA Pilot on Green Hydrogen.
• The Commission has approved four successive waves of hydrogen Integrated Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs).
• Together, these initiatives aim to raise over EUR 43 billion from a blend of public and private funds, supporting more than 120 projects involving nearly 100 European companies.
• A European Hydrogen Academy has been launched in January 2024, with an EU contribution of EUR 3 million. The European Commission intends to transform it into a European Net-Zero Industry Academy as announced in the Net-Zero Industry Act, providing a broad portfolio of education, training and reskilling.
• The Commission will intensify the cooperation with international partners on clean hydrogen deployment and the development of hydrogen markets, in particular through the Clean Hydrogen Mission under Mission Innovation.
• REPowerEU, the EU scheme aiming to reduce Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels, has topped up the contribution from Horizon Europe to the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking with EUR 200 million to accelerate the roll-out of Hydrogen Valleys across Europe. The additional EUR 200 million invested by the Commission in the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking is being used to boost the support to Hydrogen Valleys across Europe.

The proposed ‘Hydrogen Valley Facility’ is aimed at accelerating the number of Hydrogen Valleys in Europe. The facility, funded through Horizon Europe and implemented by the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, will include project development assistance to support Hydrogen Valleys at various levels of maturity. Whilst the focus will be on EU Members States and countries associated to Horizon Europe, such project development assistance may inform also the support to renewable hydrogen development in partner countries. In addition, it will include activities aiming to ensure that the knowledge gathered, and the lessons learnt from Hydrogen Valleys (including skills) are retained, collected, analysed and widely disseminated and used in a structured and efficient way. The Facility will also be used to maintain and update the Hydrogen Valley Platform.

The working document highlights the need for training and education are to increase the number of skilled people to realise the development of the Hydrogen Valleys, including for regulators and local administrations implementing permitting rules. As part of the policy priorities of the Pact for Skills, the new European Hydrogen Academy has been set up, coordinated by the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. It will last for 54 months, having kicked-off last January 2024, and funded with an EU contribution of EUR 3 million from Horizon Europe. The consortium counts with 17 members and the project focuses on 200 occupational projects, aiming to produce university-type courses, facilitate the reskilling and upskilling of workers and create a network of schools and higher education institutions. National initiatives are also being set up to train workforce or scholars in the field of hydrogen technology.

While originally being a European research and innovation concept, Hydrogen Valleys are now spreading across the globe. The Clean Hydrogen Mission under Mission Innovation is a global cooperation forum for interested governments and that is co-led by the Commission, and has set the target of developing 100 Hydrogen Valleys across the globe by 2030. Given the closer interlink with deployment, they could be developed in cooperation with the Clean Energy Ministerial H2 initiative. As the global hydrogen market develops, it will be important to connect Hydrogen Valleys. Cooperation on Hydrogen Valleys outside the EU may take place with international partners on renewable hydrogen deployment and the development of hydrogen markets, in accordance with the EU policy priorities and legislation.

View Hydrogen Valleys working document here.

The Hydrogen Electric Integrated Drivetrain Initiative (HEIDI) £12.7m APC project led by Hydrogen Scotland member Bramble Energy has reached a significant milestone with the completion of concept designs for the hydrogen system and double-decker bus and is now moving into the manufacturing phase.

Early testing of the Bramble Energy fuel cell stack shows promising results for power output at bus level, paving the way for this innovative fuel cell design to be used in heavy duty transport applications. Bramble’s flexible fuel cell design has allowed the bus to maintain a capacity of 86 passengers, similar to current London double-deckers, without compromising service for system installation.

Dr. Vidal Bharath, CCO at Bramble Energy commented: “This new milestone for HEIDI brings us one step closer to revolutionising public transport with our innovative PCBFC™ technology providing a viable path to net-zero emissions for commercial vehicles. The ability to maintain passenger capacity whilst achieving significant range and rapid refuelling times showcases the practicality and scalability of our solution.”

Simulations carried out by Hydrogen Scotland member the University of Bath predict a range of up to 280 miles on UK bus routes using 350 bar hydrogen. This surpasses the typical daily distance of London buses (100-200 miles) and offers refuelling times similar to diesel or petrol alternatives (around 8 minutes). Bramble Energy, with its partners, will now move into the next phase of HEIDI, manufacturing key components, including the fuel cell stack, fuel cell system, and hydrogen storage.

Bramble Energy is the lead partner of the HEIDI project which has received £6.3m funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre, matched by industry to £12.7m. The UK-based consortium is developing a hydrogen-powered double-deck bus, using a first-of-its-kind fuel cell technology from Bramble Energy together with Aeristech’s high efficiency air compressor, and Equipmake’s motor power electronics and battery management system. The powertrain is being optimised through vehicle simulations carried out by the University of Bath.

Bramble PCBFC™ stacks optimised to fit available space (credit Bramble Energy)

The Bramble PCBFC™ fuel cell stacks can be produced in almost any size and arrangement according to the end customer’s needs. The result is an unparalleled cost-effective solution to supporting and accelerating the decarbonisation of public transport and to improve air quality in towns and cities around the world.

Bramble Energy was selected for this fuel cell bus project due to its revolutionised fuel cell design and manufacturing process. Using a patented-protected printed circuit board technology, it can create bespoke fuel cell stacks in a matter of days at scale and low-cost. Bramble’s PCB technology eliminates the requirement for a number of complex and costly components found in a typical electrochemical stack, which not only simplifies the supply chain but also does not require vast retooling for manufacture.

Dr Vidal Bharath, CCO at Bramble Energy added: “Fuel cell technology can deliver a viable net zero solution that lends itself to commercial vehicles where downtime needs to be limited. This consortium of partners means that we will be able to deliver a world-leading hybridized powertrain, utilising our innovative low cost PCBFC™ technology for the bus sector, where there needs to be a viable electrified solution that can deliver on cost and scalability.”

Automated production for high volume and low assembly costs (credit Bramble Energy)

The significant reduction in the cost of automotive fuel cells – by 70% since 2008 – mirrors the strides made by pioneering technology companies such as Bramble Energy and the wider industry towards more efficient and scalable production processes. This evolution from capital-intensive and slow production cycles to more economical and faster production methods enhances the viability of fuel cell technology. Bramble Energy has developed their unique printed circuit board (PCB) fuel cell – the PCBFC™ which can be manufactured in almost all printed circuit board (PCB) factories worldwide.

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