STEP Conference 2016 - David Hogg, Bright Green Hydrogen - Hydrogen Powered Vehicles: Levenmouth Community Energy Project

1. Fife means business.
Hydrogen Powered Vehicles:
Levenmouth Community Energy Project
STEP Conference, Edinburgh
3 November 2016
David Hogg, Bright Green Hydrogen

2. Fife means business.
Overview
• What/How/Why hydrogen?
– Benefits
– Problems
• Hydrogen Infrastructure
– Levenmouth Community Energy Project
• Future Hydrogen Projects

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What is Hydrogen?
• Colourless, odourless, tasteless,
non-toxic, non-metallic
• Lightest gas in the periodic table
• Highly combustible
– (Flammable in air at 4% - 74%
concentration)
• …but it has some benefits!

5. Fife means business.
How do we use Hydrogen?
• Green hydrogen produced using
renewable electricity in an
electrolyser
• Hydrogen can be stored as a
compressed gas, liquid or in a
metal hydride
• It is combined with oxygen in a
fuel cell to produce electricity
and heat

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Why Hydrogen
• Zero carbon energy cycle when
produced with renewables
• Can be used to load balance
excess wind and solar electricity
• Energy devolution from
renewable electricity to renewable
transport
• No compromise on vehicle range
or refuelling time
Reaction
Catalyst
(e.g.: heat; Pt+ )

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Benefits
• Other benefits include:
– It has a long history of use in Scotland
– City centre hydrogen buses can help reduce air pollution
– Makes use of more renewable energy locally
– Electricity supplied for times there is no renewable
energy generation
– Hydrogen can be used for transport, heating and as a
chemical feedstock

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Disadvantages
• High capital cost of hydrogen equipment &
infrastructure
– 00’s kW scale Energy Storage System ~ £1-2million
– Fuel Cell passenger vehicles ~ £60k
– Fuel Cell bus 3-4 x more expensive than diesel
– Engine conversions add £15-£30k to the vehicle
– 10 light vehicle refuelling station ~ £300-500k
– Larger refuelling stations ~ £3-5million

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Disadvantages
• Other disadvantages include:
– Low energy density by volume
compared to diesel
– Overall system efficiency is
lower than batteries
– Town gas skill set has been
lost
– Technology requires further
development
– A public perception issue
remains

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Existing Hydrogen Infrastructure
• Pure Energy Centre –
Shetland
• Stornoway hydrogen
refuelling station
• Aberdeen hydrogen bus
project

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LES Challenge Fund 2015
• Seeking a major expansion of its activities, BGH
set up a consortium of organisations in 2014,
involving principally Fife Council and Toshiba
• The group successfully passed both stages of
the LES Challenge Fund during 2014 and 2015,
resulting in a grant of £4.4m to the project
• Much-expanded, new and innovative facilities
are being installed, which are scheduled for
completion this summer

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The Levenmouth Community Energy Project
Map from Google Maps

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The Levenmouth Community Energy Project
• Increase in generation – 750kW to
910kW
• Increase in buildings on microgrid
network
• Hydrogen energy storage system –
Logan Energy
• Two hydrogen refuelling stations –
Logan Energy
• Energy flow managed by Toshiba
H2EMS
• Fleet of 17 vehicles
• Investigation into Rural hydrogen

15. Fife means business.
Our Vehicle Fleet
• 10 Renault Kangoo electric vans, fitted with
hydrogen fuel cell range-extender
• 5 Ford Transits owned by Fife Council, to run on
a mix of hydrogen and diesel
• 2 Refuse collection vehicles also owned by Fife
Council, also running on a mix of hydrogen and
diesel – these are a world-first
• All vehicles are dual-fuel, and so can operate
even if hydrogen supply interrupted

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Other Current Vehicle Activities
• Range extended Kangoo vans will be leased
• Training of staff for both operation and
maintenance of vehicles
• Gathering of vehicle data to maximise lessons
learned

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Future Hydrogen Projects
• Hydrogen refuelling station at Bankhead in
Glenrothes through Transport Scotland
• Orkney Surf & Turf and Big HIT projects
• Leeds City Gate

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Conclusions
• Hydrogen is a technologically viable way to
decarbonise the energy system
• Further cost reductions and technology
improvements are still required
• The Levenmouth project has several world
leading hydrogen applications
• Hydrogen vehicles are here to stay (No matter
what Elon Musk says!)

22. Fife means business.
• David Hogg, Technical Manager
david.hogg@thehydrogenoffice.com
The Hydrogen Office
Ajax Way, Methil
Fife, KY8 3RS
01333 439 321