The lead partner behind Levenmouth Community Energy Project has awarded its first contract, just months after securing £4million of Scottish Government funding to kick start the innovative hydrogen scheme.
Bright Green Hydrogen has appointed Logan Energy to deliver three key components of the project which will place Levenmouth at the global forefront of the clean energy revolution through developing the Hydrogen Office in Methil into a world-class demonstrator of hydrogen applications generated from renewable sources.
George Archibald, chief executive at Bright Green Hydrogen, which is leading the project consortium, said: “Making such major progress already puts us in a good position on the critical path to developing the project and demonstrates the partners’ commitment to seeing the scheme up-and-running. The team at Logan Energy, who are highly experienced with an established track record, have an integral role to play in helping the project partners to bring this cutting-edge development to fruition and we welcome them on board.”
The scope of work for Edinburgh-headquartered Logan Energy, market-leading specialists in delivering energy solutions that incorporate fuel cells and hydrogen technologies, involves supplying and installing a 60kW alkaline electrolyser and a 60kW PEM electrolyser – both at 60kW and including storage and dispensing – as well as the balancing system for the micro-grid.
Bill Ireland, chief executive officer at Logan Energy, said: “As world leaders in the deployment of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in commercial applications, Logan Energy is pleased to bring our experience to help deliver the Levenmouth Community Energy Project. This is a very exciting development and we are delighted to be awarded the contract for the two refuellers and energy storage system with Bright Green Hydrogen and its project partners.
“This project is an important initiative for the renewables industry as a whole and a major step forward in supporting the Scottish Government’s renewable energy objectives – confirming Scotland’s position at the forefront of innovation in the sector.”
Logan Energy maintains the current Hydrogen Office system which consists of a 750kW wind turbine, 30kW electrolyser, 10kW hydrogen fuel cell and a geothermal source heat pump. The facility also houses a 5kW hydrogen boiler, which provides space heating in the nearby Fife Renewables Innovation Centre, and has a public electric vehicle charging station available onsite.
Levenmouth Community Energy Project comprises Bright Green Hydrogen Ltd along with project partners Fife Council and Toshiba along with Leven Valley Development Trust; Fife College; BOC (for hydrogen transport); Green Business Fife; Community Energy Scotland; and the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (SHFCA).
The project is the most complex hydrogen project outside Japan to date that Toshiba has become involved with and will see the company implement the hydrogen energy management scheme at site by providing the overarching control system, which will control the operation of the scheme, as well as seeking opportunities to build upon project learning.
The Levenmouth project promotes the potential of storing surplus renewable energy as hydrogen for a range of on-demand applications that require reliable, quiet clean energy sources.
Hydrogen will be stored at the Methil site and reconverted to electricity at times when onsite wind and solar generation is low. This will help offset the intermittency of renewable generation and as a result, improve the business park’s ability to be energy self-sufficient. In addition, this approach will demonstrate how more renewable energy can be connected to the grid nationally by alleviating the network export constraints that are becoming all too common in areas such as Scotland in times of peak renewable generation.
Under the scheme, Levenmouth will also become home to one of Europe’s largest fleet of hydrogen dual-fuel vehicles (up to 25) including Ford Transits (10), Renault Kangoo vans (10), and refuse collection vehicles (2). Hydrogen refuelling is to be installed at both the Hydrogen Office and at Fife Council’s vehicle depot at Bankhead in Glenrothes.
Earlier this month (July), Levenmouth marked another major milestone after Fife Council awarded a contract worth around £1.5million for the supply of nine refuse collection vehicles (RCV) to local manufacturer Heil Faird.
Two of the vehicles are to become part of the Levenmouth project and will be converted to run on diesel and hydrogen which is believed to be a world-first of their kind.
Levenmouth Community Energy Project will bring significant economic benefits to the area and is widely considered as a valuable demonstration of how hydrogen can decarbonise heating applications in Scotland and help secure future energy supplies for generations to come.
Picture caption: The Hydrogen Office at the centre of the Levenmouth Community Energy Project
Ends (29.7.15)
Issued on behalf of Levenmouth Community Energy Project by The BIG Partnership. For more information, please contact Karen Grant on + 44 7805 436 957.
Levenmouth Community Energy Project
Levenmouth Community Energy Project received £4million funding in March, 2015, under the Scottish Government’s Local Energy Challenge Fund. This Government scheme awarded a total of £20m to a number of projects in Scotland and it is a condition of award that expenditure on projects is completed by March, 2016.
· Bright Green Hydrogen, in conjunction with Bright Green Business, and the Mid and East Lothian Chamber of Commerce (MELCC) is part of the wider company, The Business Partnership Ltd. Bright Green Hydrogen was, until April 2013, known as the Hydrogen Office Ltd.
· The key project partners in the Levenmouth Community Energy Project are: Bright Green Hydrogen Ltd (lead partner), Fife Council and Toshiba. Six further project partners include: the Leven Valley Development Trust; Fife College; BOC (for hydrogen transport); Green Business Fife; Community Energy Scotland; and the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (SHFCA).
· Hydrogen vehicles are the latest form of technology deployed in the effort to decarbonise the use of energy in Scotland. Hydrogen refuelling has been installed in London, Swindon and Aberdeen but Levenmouth Community Energy Project involves developing the largest concentration of vehicles in the UK. The only emission that occurs from these vehicles is water vapour.
Hydrogen heating is highly innovative, and subject to further economic work, may form part of the Levenmouth Community Energy Project going forward.
Logan Energy
Logan Energy designs, installs, commissions and maintains energy centres across the UK and Europe. Its clients are forward thinking and understand the benefits that fuel cells and hydrogen technologies can offer. To date, it has installed, commissioned and maintains more than 1MWe of fuel cells. The company utilises fuel cells and hydrogen technologies, ranging in size from kWe to MWe, and offer a full turnkey service – delivering system design, integration, installation, maintenance and finance.
Logan Energy’s portfolio of clients spans leading commercial developers and Government agencies.
