News: Fuel cell installation complete at AMP

UPS Systems has successfully installed the fuel cells into the Hydrogen Mini Grid System (HMGS) on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham.

The HMGS has been developed by energy consultancy, TNEI Services Ltd and hydrogen specialists the Pure Energy Centre and is designed to produce and store "green" hydrogen energy generated by a 225kW wind turbine to power the Advanced Manufacturing Park Technology Centre and make it self sufficient.

Capable of producing in excess of 500MWh a year the grid will make the building the first in Europe fuelled solely by wind and "green" hydrogen power.

During testing, UPS Systems successfully demonstrated that the fuel cell is operational as the system generated over 12,000kWh of electricity during May and exported 2,000kWh to the local distribution network.

UPS Systems Managing Director Tom Sperrey said: "The creation of the Hydrogen Mini Grid System is an exciting development for fuel cell technology.

"Generating hydrogen onsite through renewable energy sources such as wind helps to make fuel cells a greener solution. Although this is not the first fuel cell installation where we have had to integrate multiple sources of energy, it raised several new technical challenges that our fuel cell technical team successfully addressed."

Dr Jason Stoyel, Technical Manager at TNEI and HMGS project manager said: "In putting together the team to deliver this ground breaking project, we wanted to work with companies that could deliver innovative solutions and systems.

"UPS Systems has not disappointed and with the installation of the fuel cell we are one step closer to on-site generation of "green" hydrogen."

AMP Technolgy Centre website
Hydrogen Yorkshire website
UPS Systems website
Rotherham

Images: hydrogen-yorkshire.co.uk

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News: Rotherham energy project on the starting grid

The Engineer reports that the hydrogen mini grid system (HMGS) in Rotherham is is set to begin full demonstrations in the next three to four months.



The Advanced Manufacturing Park Technology Centre in Rotherham is to be the first building in Europe fuelled solely by wind and "green" hydrogen power.

TNEI Services Ltd and the Pure Energy Centre were awarded the £2.3 million project from Yorkshire Forward to create the hydrogen mini-grid where electricity generated by an onsite 225kW wind turbine will be used to power the building and any excess stored using innovative hydrogen fuel cells.

Jason Stoyel, TNEI's technical manager told the magazine: "One of the key stumbling blocks is that electrolysis requires a nice constant source of power like you get from the grid, whereas renewable energy tends to vary. With the HMGS you can take all that variation into the electrolyser to generate hydrogen."

UPS Systems has successfully demonstrated that the fuel cell is operational as it generated over 12,000kWh of electricity during May and exported 2,000kWh to the local distribution network. The rest of the electricity was used on site.

"We're not claiming it's the best ever system but it's a working demonstration of what could be done. It's using local products that are innovative. For example, the electrolyser hasn't been done before and the storage system is based on a composite cylinder using technology that is still being proven."

The Engineer article
Hydrogen Yorkshire website
Rotherham

Images: hydrogen-yorkshire.co.uk

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News: Rotherham energy project "Yorkshire's new claim to fame"

V1 Energy magazine talk to the experts behind the UK's first hydrogen powered building in Rotherham. The Advanced Manufacturing Park Technology Centre is to be the first building in Europe fuelled solely by wind and "green" hydrogen power. TNEI Services Ltd and the Pure Energy Centre were awarded the £2.3 million project from Yorkshire Forward to create the hydrogen mini-grid where electricity generated by an onsite 225kW wind turbine will be used to power the building and any excess stored using innovative hydrogen fuel cells. Generated using an electrolyser, the hydrogen will be compressed from 30 bar to 420 bar for storage at high pressure in state-of-the-art cylinders. This high pressure storage will allow the hydrogen to be used on site or easily sold or transported for use elsewhere. With over 200kg of high-pressure hydrogen stored in purpose built cylinders, it is also set to be the biggest single store of "green" hydrogen in the UK. Dr Jason Stoyel of TNEI also discusses the importance of the ground-breaking project as a knowledge transfer programme, designed to build expertise within the Yorkshire region, and as a catalyst for further investment from the Government. He also told the magazine: "The Hydrogen Mini-grid, based on a hydrogen fuel cell, will be the most technically advanced commercial fusion of renewable energy and state of the art hydrogen technology in Europe. "The energy generated by this installation will make the EETC one of the first truly carbon negative, fully operational commercial developments in the world and demonstrate the important role Hydrogen has to play in providing a secure, reliable and renewable energy supply for the UK."
Hydrogen Yorkshire website
V1 Energy article
Rotherham

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News: Rotherham's hydrogen technology demonstrated in new exhibit at Eureka!

A new interactive exhibit at Eureka! The National Children’s Museum in Halifax, West Yorkshire will tell children all about new hydrogen technology. Funded by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, the exhibit has been designed to bring to life the groundbreaking renewable energy development that is being championed at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham by energy consultancy, TNEI and the Pure Energy Centre. The project is one of the first in the UK to use "green" hydrogen energy to power a large commercial building, the AMP Technology Centre, and to create a store of hydrogen for use as a fuel for vehicles. An onsite 225kW wind turbine will generate the electricity for the mini grid and it is estimated that the turbine will produce in excess of 500MWh a year. The exhibit's "Power Wall", will demonstrate the complex process of converting raw energy into efficient hydrogen power and will explain how hydrogen is extracted from water, compressed and then stored to power vehicles and buildings. Projects Director at Eureka!, Tudor Gwynn said: "The new Power Wall will be a great way to explain the complex theory behind green hydrogen energy to young children." Sara Ragan, PR & Communications Manager at TNEI says: "We were keen to work with Eureka! to take the message about hydrogen power and the groundbreaking energy developments in Yorkshire to as wide an audience as possible. This is the real science of the future and Eureka!'s visitors are an ideal audience – they are likely to see the extensive use of hydrogen power during their lifetime." The first hydrogen is set to be produced on site within a matter of days.
Hydrogen Yorkshire website

Eureka website

AMP website
Rotherham

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News: Recycled wind turbine installed at the EETC in Rotherham

The UK’s first building to be fuelled by "green" hydrogen has started as it means to go on by installing a recycled wind turbine to generate the electricity it needs to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen project commissioned by Yorkshire Forward aims to accelerate Yorkshire’s move towards carbon neutrality. The second hand wind turbine was transported from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham to its new home at the Environmental Energy Technology Centre, (EETC), on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, where it is to be installed. Recycling and reusing wind turbines is common practice. The turbines are often decommissioned when wind farms install bigger and more powerful machines. The turbine being used at the AMP is a V29 VESTAS wind turbine, rated at 225kW and is capable of producing 500 Mega Watt hours of power each year (equivalent to around 100 houses) ideal for lower wind speeds. At the end of its journey, the turbine was hoisted into place, its job to generate electricity for use by the EETC building and for the on-site production of hydrogen using a state-of-the-art high pressure alkaline electrolyser developed by TNEI’s project partners the Pure Energy Centre. Commenting on the project, Jason Stoyel, TNEI’s technical manager explained: "This development is a real life Tomorrow’s World style project which will demonstrate to the wider energy community how hydrogen can be used in a commercial setting. Yorkshire Forward should be congratulated for pioneering this development and using hydrogen power." Jim Farmery, Assistant Director of Business at Yorkshire Forward adds: "The EETC will not only be a cutting edge hub for businesses leading the way in environmental technologies, it is also an example of excellence in sustainable building. The introduction of a wind turbine to the site only adds to its credentials."

AMP website
Hydrogen Yorkshire website
Rotherham

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News: Fueling Rotherham's Hydrogen Mini-Grid System

UPS Systems plc will supply and install a hydrogen fuel cell for the Environmental Energy Technology Centre (EETC) in Rotherham. Yorkshire Forward commissioned the centre located on the Advanced Manufacturing Park. Designed to be an iconic zero-carbon building, it encourages the development and commercialisation of environmental energy technologies. The main feature of the centre is its "Hydrogen Mini-Grid System" (HMGS) which has been developed by Pure Energy in the Shetlands and the energy consultancy, TNEI. The HMGS is an innovative system which supplies power to the building, enabling it to be self sufficient. It uses renewable energy produced by a 225kW wind turbine, which will produce over 500MWh each year – more than enough to power the centre. UPS Systems will be providing the EETC with a 30kW power system comprising nine inverters, three 12kW fuel cells, 240Ah batteries and supervisory software to control the system. The pioneering development is set to be largest wind-to-hydrogen power system in the UK and, if successful, could pave the way for the use of hydrogen as an alternative power source to fossil fuels. Managing Director of UPS Systems Tom Sperrey commented: "This project will prove to be important in the progression of hydrogen and fuel cell technology as viable alternative sources of energy. The Environmental Energy Technology Centre demonstrates how businesses can potentially be self sufficient by using renewable energy." Dr. Jason Stoyel, Technical Manager at TNEI added: "The HMGS is at present the largest wind-to-hydrogen installation in the UK and is the first to incorporate both the ability to dispense high pressure hydrogen for vehicle refuelling as well as a fuel cell to generate electricity. UPS Systems’ expertise in fuel cells is vital to the success of the project and will help make the EETC a truly Carbon Neutral facility."
UPS Systems website

AMP website
Rotherham

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News: Hydrogen mini-grid project begins in Rotherham

New Energy Focus reports on details of the revolutionary "hydrogen mini-grid" system at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham. The new Environmental Energy Technology Centre (EETC) should see all its power provided by a 225kW turbine and even when the wind does not blow, the turbine should be able to provide the building's power needs through a hydrogen fuel cell system. The pioneering development is set to be largest wind-to-hydrogen power system in the UK and, if successful, could pave the way for the use of hydrogen as an alternative power source to fossil fuels. Work on the foundations for the turbine started on August 4, with Wigan firm Allenbuild preparing the site for delivery of the turbine from Danish manufacturers Vestas next month. Newcastle-based consultancy TNEI is leading the hydrogen mini-grid project on behalf of Yorkshire Forward and the building should be producing its own power from January. Dr Stoyel of TNEI told New Energy Focus: "The foundations for the turbine have been laid, so that will be going up in the next few weeks, with the 225kW turbine supplying all the electricity over and above the building's needs. The excess will be turned into hydrogen and stored for use at a later date." The AMP already has two wind turbines operational, powering the AMRC and the new centre will house LIFE-IC, a "business accelerator" focused on new energy products and services.
AMP website
New Energy Focus article

UKTI article
Low Carbon Economy article
Greentech article
Rotherham

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