Innovative Scottish hydrogen project secures UK Government funding offer
An innovative hydrogen project in Scotland has been awarded a government grant to create green hydrogen from wind power.
The Knockshinnoch Green Hydrogen Hub Project, developed by Renantis, will be one of the first fully off-grid renewable hydrogen supply systems in the UK. Situated in East Ayrshire, the funding award is a result of the latest round of funding from the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF).
The project will see wind turbines installed alongside a battery that will be directly connected to an electrolyser to produce fuel-cell-grade hydrogen. The compressed hydrogen is expected to be stored on site before being transferred to mobile trailers to power transport, as well as other hydrogen applications.
Renantis aims to put communities at the forefront of this project by providing opportunities to co-invest, sharing value with them. As the project progresses, knowledge and learning will be shared for the benefit of the entire energy sector.
The project is being led by global renewable energy developer and operator Renantis, with project partners Logan Energy, leading experts in the manufacturing and installation of hydrogen energy systems and Hive Hydrogen, an experienced hydrogen project and supply chain developer.
Once operational, the hub will supply around 160 tonnes of green hydrogen per year – enough to power around 20 12-metre buses traveling 75,000 miles per year – to be used for the country’s ever-growing zero-emission bus and truck fleets.
Saurabh Shah commented, “This flagship project is a first-of-its-kind in mainland UK, combining off-grid green hydrogen with community ownership opportunities to deliver real benefits to the territories that we operate in.
“In developing this innovative project we are taking a real lead in growing the deployment of hydrogen technology in the UK, setting a strong foundation for the replication of this concept in the UK’s drive to net zero.”
Bill Ireland added, “This project will be an exemplar for the hydrogen industry demonstrating the potential for energy independence and a realistic way of meeting our net zero goals. The project builds upon our extensive experience in delivering hydrogen energy systems. Hydrogen is produced from the renewable electricity generated by wind turbines. It is then either used when there is a shortfall of onsite generation or is exported. It’s a self-sufficient system with no grid connection and is a model I believe will be replicated elsewhere as we learn to rely less on fossil fuels.
“We believe hydrogen has a significant part to play in the future energy mix, but we need more projects like this and on a larger scale.”
Josh Williamson commented, “This influential project will showcase how the UK can take a crucial step towards realising greater renewables deployment, facilitating its energy dependency targets and unlocking its off-grid potential. By combining renewable generation with batteries and electrolysis, this project will demonstrate how hydrogen can play a vital role in maximising domestic energy production both for the benefit of national goals, and regional communities.”
