Countdown to 2020
Countdown to 2020
The UK’s first hydrogen bus refuelling station has been officially opened in Aberdeen. The depot at Kittybrewster uses a 1MW electrolyser to produces hydrogen from electricity, and provides the clean fuel for a fleet of ten green buses which are now operational.
This project led by Aberdeen City Council puts Aberdeen at the forefront of hydrogen technology, with Europe’s biggest fleet of hydrogen buses on two popular routes. First Aberdeen and Stagecoach have teamed up with government, energy and transport bodies to introduce the 10 buses to the city. Four of the buses will run on the First X40 commuter route between the Kingswells and Bridge of Don Park and Ride sites, and the other six will operate Stagecoach X17 route between the city centre and Westhill.
Aberdeen City Council’s leader Jenny Laing said at the launch ‘As a leading energy city determined to anchor the renewables industry in the north east, the success of the Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project is a real coup. We not only have Europe’s largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses running on the streets of Aberdeen, but we also have the UK’s first and largest hydrogen production and bus refuelling station. We have a very clear hydrogen strategy for the future and are on the cusp of realising our aspiration of becoming a world-leading city for low carbon technology, while maintaining our position as a leading world energy city. The Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project is a very important demonstration scheme which will help to inform the growth and development of hydrogen technologies and the hydrogen industry. The benefits of this project will be felt locally, nationally and internationally.’
Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: “The Scottish Government is supporting the introduction of cleaner and greener transport options across Scotland. Aberdeen’s new fleet of zero emission hydrogen buses is one of the most exciting of these. The public will welcome the smoother and quieter journeys these buses bring, which will undoubtedly add to the attractiveness of this mode as a travel choice. This means the project isn’t just good news for transport - it also demonstrates how we can use hydrogen as energy from renewables, which integrates our energy and transport sectors, as well as making the most of Scotland’s vast renewable energy resources.”
Nigel Holmes, chair of Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group’s Transport sub-group added: “Todays launch of Aberdeen’s hydrogen bus fleet clearly shows the way forward for Renewables in Scotland to play a key part in delivering low carbon transport. This project also shows how hydrogen fuel cell buses can give enduring benefits with both improved air quality and reduced carbon emissions.”
The £19m scheme has been backed by both the EU and the UK and Scottish Governments. The project has been co-funded by Scottish, UK and European partners: the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK (£2.4million); Scottish Government (£1.7million); Scottish Enterprise (£1.7million); Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) through the High V.LO-City and HyTransit projects (£8.3million); Aberdeen City Council (£2million); First (£1million); Stagecoach (£1million); Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution £750,000; and Scotland Gas Network £200,000. BOC has invested £1million in the hydrogen production and refuelling station.
The project draws on the skills and expertise of a range of public and private sector partners. Industrial gases specialist BOC Linde produce the hydrogen, Scottish & Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD) will use a specially designed control system in conjunction with network monitoring to gain valuable learning on hydrogen’s impact on the grid, and Scotia Gas Networks (SGN) is working with SSEPD on grid balancing. Bus and coach manufacturer Van Hool of Belgium is supplying the 10 fuel cell buses for the project, with Ballard Power Systems providing the hydrogen fuel cells for the buses. The Aberdeen buses are operated by First Group and Stagecoach.
John Lidderdale, Chairman of the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association said ‘I am delighted to see Aberdeen and Scotland taking the lead. This project will demonstrate how hydrogen and fuel cell technologies can deliver real benefits in practical and economic terms at a local level. Scotland is now rightly being recognised as a leading location in Europe for innovative hydrogen and fuel cell deployment. This achievement is underpinned and supported by skills and experience from within the growing SHFCA membership.’
The refuelling station will also be used to supply hydrogen-powered vans, and in the future can also fuel cars and motorbikes. Instead of running on fuel, the new buses have a fuel cell that converts hydrogen to electricity through a chemical reaction. They will be quieter and smoother for passengers, and emit water vapour instead of fumes.
Link : http://www.aberdeeninvestlivevisit.co.uk/News1131.aspx