Scottish researchers generate world’s first “tidal hydrogen”
Researchers in Scotland have successfully generated the world’s first “tidal hydrogen” – hydrogen produced using electricity from tidal energy.
The tidal hydrogen was generated at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney at the end of August.
Researchers at the site believe it is the first time tidal power has produced hydrogen anywhere in the world.
Traditional production of hydrogen is very energy intensive, negating much of the carbon gains of using the fuel instead of petrol or diesel in cars, or using hydrogen instead of natural gas in heavy industries. Producing hydrogen using clean power sources therefore opens a route for the fuel’s widespread use in transport and industry.
The team used power from the tidal energy test site at Orkney to fuel an electrolyzer provided by hydrogen firm ITM Power, which uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The project was bankrolled with £3million in funding from the Scottish government.
Neil Kermode, managing director of EMEC, said the production of hydrogen marked a “tremendous milestone” for the team involved.
“One of the most promising uses of hydrogen is as a fuel for transport as it emits no carbon when it is consumed and, providing it’s generated by clean renewable energy sources, it becomes a carbon neutral fuel source” he said. “Therefore, we could see green hydrogen, over time, replace polluting fuels in our cars, vans and ferries.”
The team now hopes to build a “hydrogen economy” in Orkney.
The electrolyzer will be used in a “Surf ‘n’ Turf” project in the next months, where electricity from the EMEC tidal array and a community wind turbine will be used to produce clean hydrogen.
The fuel will be sent to the nearby town of Kirkwall on the Scottish mainland, where a fuel cell installed on the pier will convert the hydrogen back to electricity to power ferries docked in the harbor overnight.
The ultimate goal is to power the inter-island ferries permanently on hydrogen.