Major new Scottish facility to harness wind and solar power to produce green hydrogen
The UK's fast-expanding hydrogen sector took another step forward today, with the unveiling of plans to build what would be the country's largest electrolyser at a site near the Whitelee onshore wind farm in Scotland.
ScottishPower, which also operates the wind farm, submitted planning applications for both the green hydrogen facility and a combined solar and battery energy storage scheme at the same site.
The 20MW electrolyser is expected to produce up to eight tonnes of green hydrogen a day, while the new solar array is to boast 40MW of capacity and the battery storage system is expected to deliver a further 50MW of capacity.
The green hydrogen facility is the first proposed by the Green Hydrogen for Scotland partnership between ScottishPower, BOC, and ITM Power.
Located on the outskirts of Glasgow, the new facility is expected to both support the region's goal to deliver the UK's first net zero city by 2030 and provide a showcase for the potential of green hydrogen at the upcoming COP26 Climate Summit in the city.
The companies said the project is hoping to secure a planning decision this autumn with a view to it being able to supply green hydrogen to the commercial market before 2023. They touted the potential for hydrogen from the project to supply fuel cell buses, bin lorries, and other heavy duty vehicles across the region.
"With all eyes set to be on Glasgow later this year as the city hosts the UN's 26th climate change conference, COP26, it's fantastic to be making this next important step towards delivering green hydrogen for Glasgow," said Barry Carruthers, ScottishPower's hydrogen director. "Whitelee keeps breaking barriers, first the UK's largest onshore wind farm, and soon to be home to the UK's largest electrolyser. The site has played a vital role in helping the UK to decarbonise and we look forward to delivering another vital form of zero carbon energy generation at the site to help Glasgow and Scotland achieve their net zero goals."
Green hydrogen is a zero carbon energy source which can be used by industries and companies that cannot fully electrify their operations to help them lower their emissions, for example, heavy duty transport like buses and bin lorries.
Carruthers added that the project was a key part of a wider green hydrogen sector that "has a vital role to play in Scotland and the wider UK's journey to Net Zero emissions providing a sustainable energy source that can provide clean, renewable energy for industries, heavy transport and companies for decades to come".
The planning application is the latest in a string of new hydrogen project proposals that are being developed ahead of the UK's government's much-anticipated hydrogen strategy.
In recent weeks plans for major new blue hydrogen facilities that produce hydrogen using fossil gas and carbon have bene put forward by BP and a partnership between SSE and Equinor. Meanwhile, a number of leading renewables developers are also exploring plans for new green hydrogen facilities that produce hydrogen using electrolysers and renewable power.
The fast-expanding pipeline of projects has sparked a fierce debate over which hydrogen production technique should dominate, with environmental campaigners warning that developing a blue hydrogen industry could prop up demand for gas and hamper the development of green hydrogen plants that could prove more cost effective as renewables costs continue to fall. However, advocates of blue hydrogen counter that it could deliver hydrogen at lower cost while freeing up renewables capacity to be used elsewhere across the economy.