ScottishPower, BOC and ITM Power are partners in the consortium that will use the Energy Innovation Portfolio funding to install a 10MW electrolyser and associated four tonnes of storage at Whitelee Windfarm near Glasgow.
Jim Mercer, business president, BOC UK & Ireland said: "The Green Hydrogen for Glasgow project is both innovative and exciting. It will help to shape the future of energy storage and demonstrate the value of hydrogen to Scotland’s growing low-carbon economy. This project will accelerate development across multiple disciplines – from production and storage to transportation and end use."
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According to ITM Power, the project is designed to provide carbon-free transport and clean air for communities across the city and wider central belt region, with Glasgow aiming to become the first net-zero city in the UK by 2030. The facility aims to supply hydrogen - using renewable electricity and water as inputs to the production process - to the commercial market by the end of 2023.
Energy and climate change minister Greg Hands said: “This first-of-a-kind hydrogen facility will put Scotland at the forefront of plans to make the UK a world-leading hydrogen economy, bringing green jobs to Glasgow, while also helping to decarbonise local transport – all immediately following the historic COP26 talks.
“Projects like these will be vital as we shift to a green electricity grid, helping us get the full benefit from our world-class renewables, supporting the UK as we work to eliminate the UK’s contribution to climate change.”
The Energy Innovation Portfolio competition, run by the UK government’s Department of Business Energy Innovation and Skills (BEIS), called for innovative, replicable large-scale energy storage solutions which could provide a market competitive alternative to conventional commercial large-scale energy storage technologies.
BEIS added that an additional £2.25m in new funding will support the development of hydrogen skills and standards in the UK.
This funding, under the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, will see the British Standards Institution (BSI) develop technical standards for hydrogen products, and a consortium comprising Energy and Utility Skills and the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers, will establish new standards and training specifications to facilitate the training of hydrogen gas installers.
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I think that a network inclusive of the vehicles on it would make sense. However it remains to be seen if there is any plan for it to be for the...