Hydrogen produced renewably can help to solve the energy problems of the 21st Century, providing a carbon-free fuel. The Renewable Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Centre, due to be completed by July 2008, will demonstrate the viability of hydrogen production from a range of indigenous renewable energy sources and evaluate the benefits of using hydrogen as an energy storage medium for these intermittent renewables.
This project follows on from H2Wales, which was part-funded through ERDF Objective 1. The project has now been funded, again in part through ERDF Objective 1, and the contract was received on 24th November 2006. The Centre is located at Baglan Energy Park, South Wales. The initial ERDF funding finishes at the end of June 2008 but the Centre has longer term funding guaranteed by the University of Glamorgan.
Half of the building is designed to house equipment such as an electrolizer, hydrogen compression and storage facilities etc. The other half will accommodate offices and a display, demonstration, educational area.
Hydrogen will initially be produced renewably by electrolysis and later biologically and will be used in stationary fuel cells and in vehicles. The electricity will come from photovoltaics and from remote wind turbines via a data link to demonstrate energy savings through peak-lopping. It is anticipated that the Centre will link in with other production facilities throughout South Wales to form the 'hydrogen highway'. See the CORDIS web site (newsletter 277 page 23) for a press release.A leaflet describing the project can be downloaded (size 596 kb).
Research projects will be on a variety of technical, social and economic aspects of moving towards a hydrogen economy.
