The Arbikie Highland Estate Distillery near Montrose is one step closer to becoming net zero thanks to a £3 million government grant awarded to UK renewable energy company Locogen in collaboration with hydrogen technology specialist Logan Energy.
Phase 2 funding is provided by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through its Green Distilleries Competition. This will include the duo collaborating with Arbikie to install an on-site wind turbine and electrolyser that will generate green hydrogen – in place of the harmful oil now used to generate steam for the distillation process.
The Green Distilleries Competition aims to assist distilleries in reducing CO2 emissions by one million tonnes, thereby contributing to Scotland’s and the United Kingdom’s national targets of carbon neutrality by 2045 and 2050, respectively, with each distillery implementing innovative green solutions to accomplish these lofty goals.
Because hydrogen combustion produces no carbon dioxide, the Arbikie project represents a low-carbon alternative to current processes. The project will demonstrate the technological viability of using hydrogen as an alternative fuel in distillation and other process heat applications and will be highly replicable across industry, acting as a catalyst for green hydrogen potential in the wider Angus area.
Andy Lyle, CEO of Locogen, said: “This is a fantastic result for Arbikie and presents a great opportunity to demonstrate how distilleries, and the wider process industries, can use new technologies to create cleaner, sustainable businesses.”
Bill Ireland, CEO of Logan Energy, said: “With the demand to switch to net zero technologies greater than ever, this project is a further example of the innovative ways hydrogen can meet the energy-solution challenges, like commercial heating, faced around the world – starting at home with one of Scotland’s most renowned exports.”
Iain Stirling, Director at Arbikie Distillery, said: “We are delighted to have won through to Phase 2 with Locogen and Logan Energy. We aim to be one of the world’s most sustainable distilleries so being able to use green hydrogen power will be another significant step in our sustainable journey.”
The Arbikie project will comprise a single 1MW wind turbine on Arbikie’s farmland, which will export the electricity generated to a green hydrogen hub via a dedicated private wire. Arbikie Distillery will host the green hydrogen hub, which will include an electrolyser, compressor, and storage.
The electrolyser will produce green hydrogen, and a direct pipe will transport the hydrogen from the storage vessel to the current plant room. After that, a burner and boiler compatible with hydrogen combustion will be used to generate steam, which will provide the heat required for distillation.
This will take the place of the gas oil that is currently utilized to heat the distillery’s steam.
