Green hydrogen project will focus on remote rural locations

_{A new project will increase the amount of hydrogen produced from the energy provided by solar panels.}

A project which aims to produce hydrogen efficiently for use in remote rural locations such as farms and forestry operations has been awarded nearly £130,000 from the Scottish Government.

The Remote Rural Hydrogen Production project, led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), will increase the efficiency of the solar energy used to power the hydrogen production process, as well as investigating the use of rainwater or wastewater in place of deionised water.

With the drive to decarbonise land management practices, hydrogen will become the fuel of choice for many operators of large machines such as tractors, harvesters and forwarders in the land-based sector. 

The project will address the significant gap in the various technologies either already developed or being developed that, when combined, will provide a zero-carbon solution to food production in the agricultural sector and for forestry operations.

It will do this by developing an algorithm to ensure the maximum amount of hydrogen is produced from the energy provided by the solar panels.

Another innovative aspect of the project is investigating the use of all types of water to feed into the electrolyser, easing any pressures on a local water system.

Lead researcher Professor Nick Sparks, Dean of SRUC’s South and West Faculty, said: “This proof-of-principle project aims to deliver an economic and sustainable way of generating green hydrogen, at the point of use, for farming and forestry operations. 

“Working with commercial, academic and NGO collaborators, SRUC researchers are working on a wide range of projects, all focussed on reducing the carbon footprint of land management operations and generating economic benefit for rural communities. This project will make a key contribution to this programme of work.”

The project is being run in partnership with Locogen, a leading specialist in the renewable energy sector, and is one of 32 projects awarded funding under the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme.

For more information visit: https://www.gov.scot/news/investing-in-green-hydrogen/.

Posted by SRUC on 16/05/2023