The DUAL Ports partners Orkney Islands Council and ITM Power are involved in the pioneering Surf ‘n’ Turf hydrogen community energy project, now launched in Orkney by the Scottish Government’s Business, Innovation & Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse.
Mr. Wheelhouse, one of 70 guests travelling from as far as Malta and Spain, officially unveiled the newly installed hydrogen fuel cell at Kirkwall Pier on Wednesday 27th September 2017.
Surf ‘n’ Turf is led by nationwide charity Community Energy Scotland, working with project partners EMEC (the European Marine Energy Centre), Orkney Islands Council, Eday Renewable Energy, and ITM Power.
The fuel cell is the final aspect of the hydrogen generation system being developed in Orkney as part of the Surf ’n’ Turf project: a pilot project looking to circumvent local grid constraints by generating hydrogen from tidal and wind energy.
Once produced, hydrogen will be stored and transported to Kirkwall where the fuel cell will convert it back into electricity for use by the inter-island ferries whilst berthed at the pier.
As it is produced from renewable electricity, Surf ‘n’ Turf’s hydrogen is a clean fuel that causes no carbon emissions, and has many potential uses – including to supply electricity, as a transport fuel for vehicles or ships, for heating, or to make fertiliser.
A key aspect of the Surf ‘n’ Turf project is the development of educational facilities, run by Orkney College UHI, to skill up the local community in hydrogen handling and attract trainees from other countries.
The Surf ’n’ Turf project has received £1.3m of Scottish Government funding through the CARES programme and Local Energy Challenge Fund.
Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, said:
“Hydrogen itself and hydrogen fuel cells both have huge potential in Scotland’s low-carbon energy system and we have already supported a number of world-leading hydrogen demonstration projects.
“We will continue to support innovation in suitable hydrogen initiatives and explore the practicalities of using hydrogen as a zero carbon substitute fuel for the heating of homes and businesses in Scotland and in transport.
Following the unveiling of the fuel cell, a public seminar on ‘Orkney’s Hydrogen Future’ was held at the Pickaquoy Centre with a turnout of over 100 people looking to find out more about the developments taking place in Orkney around hydrogen.
James Stockan, Leader of Orkney Islands Council, said:
“This is all about turning a problem into an opportunity – a home-grown solution to the difficulties grid restraints cause for a community with abundant renewable energy resources.
“The result is a world-leading project that rightly is attracting international interest. I am confident that this will be the first of many pioneering ways our community will find to utilise hydrogen produced using Orkney’s natural resources.”
ITM Power was invited to present at a workshop organised by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (the main source of EU funding for fuel cells and hydrogen) on the 15th and 16th June 2017 in Valencia.
The workshop was organised to bring key players from the hydrogen and marine sector together, and included:
- Fuel cell manufacturers
- Hydrogen refuelling providers
- Hydrogen storage manufacturers
- Port operators
- Ship builders
- Ship operators
The workshop followed on from a previous workshop on Smart Specialisation held in 2015 in Lyon and took a closer look at maritime and port applications, with a number of sessions centred around the issue of hydrogen and fuel cell applications for boats/ships, logistics and stationary applications, as well as other aspects including safety and regulations and funding mechanisms.
“My presentation appeared to be well received. There were questions at the end regarding the expected price of fuel and whether to go with compressed or liquefied hydrogen. I went away with a much better idea of the priorities of port operators and the sort of pressures that they are under,” says Kris Hyde, Technology Manager at ITM Power, Partner in DUAL Ports.
Click to see the presentation from ITM Power.
The Hydrogen pilot
ITM Power are highly skilled in refueling cars and buses, and the objective of the Hydrogen pilot within DUAL Ports is for ITM to design a hydrogen bunkering system and refueling station for ferries and large vessels. You can read more and follow the progress here.
