The simplest element

Scottish Renewables’ first hydrogen event was a smorgasbord of new language, new tech and new ambition.

With the chance to store renewably-generated electricity, and even convert it for use as a transport fuel, the gas’s potential is impressive.

But it’s the projects which are already underway in Scotland which show we’re serious about our role as an early adopter.

Aberdeen, Fife and (as ever) Orkney are leading the way.

The oil city’s 10-strong hydrogen bus fleet is Europe’s largest.

Poppy, a 750kW wind turbine in Levenmouth, is already producing electricity which is then turned into hydrogen to fuel, among other things, bin lorries – a world first.

Orkney’s Surf ‘n’ Turf project is awe-inspiring in its scope, as well as in the possibilities it offers to the islands.

As Nicholas Gubbins, CEO of lead partner Community Energy Scotland, described the reasoning behind the scheme, which was officially launched by Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse MSP this week.

He said:

“The high levels of grid constraint on the Orkney grid are an ideal opportunity to test some new approaches.

“The legacy of the Surf ‘n’ Turf project will be the foundation of a hydrogen economy in Orkney and the development of a credible hydrogen supply chain on the islands.

“Already we’re showing that hydrogen can provide real relief for constraints on the grid.

“If we can expand the project as planned, hydrogen will play a big role in reducing Orkney Islands Council’s carbon footprint, while being able to fuel the ferry fleet would provide another world first for the islands.”

New technology, as well as novel deployments, is helping shape the future for hydrogen.

Doosan Babcock’s Dr Tekena Fubara told how fuel cells (which produce electricity and heat from gas) could help “de-bottleneck the decarbonisation of heat” by providing a bridge between natural gas and pure hydrogen fuel.

Stuart McKay, the Scottish Government’s Head of CCS and Hydrogen Policy, also provided a view of the future at the event, which saw around 50 delegates from companies across the industry meet in Glasgow on Thursday.

He told how:

• The Scottish Government has already created a Hydrogen Department, as well as combining hydrogen and CCS as policy areas;
• Consideration of the challenges of decarbonising the gas grid, where “the volume of hydrogen which would be needed is massive”, is already ongoing;
• Work to consider the geological storage of hydrogen (which would be necessary if the gas is to be produced and used in large volumes) is underway, and will be complete within 12 months;
• National Grid’s HyDeploy Project is working to demonstrate that natural gas containing levels of 10-20% of hydrogen can be distributed and utilised safely in the UK gas grid.

Stuart even spoke of his delight at the ongoing developments in Fife, Aberdeen and Eday, saying:

"These projects are learning by doing. They are actually on the ground and we are extremely proud of them."

Also at the event, Wood Group’s Alan Mortimer told how lessons learned in oil and gas can assist in developing a hydrogen economy to help renewables.

He also highlighted (in slide 100, here) how the production of hydrogen “needs to be considered in the context of the whole chemical industry”, where its uses include the production of syngas, methanol and ammonia.

Although the hydrogen economy is yet to gain scale, Scotland is pushing the boundaries of how this simple element can help make the most of our abundant renewable resources.

Watch this space for more on this fascinating topic from Scottish Renewables.
Thursday’s event was sponsored by Doosan Babcock and supported by Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association and the Energy Technology Partnership.

Thanks also to Bright Green Hydrogen and Scottish Carbon Capture & Storage for their presentations.