The UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has granted ERM funding for three energy innovation projects through its Net Zero Innovation Portfolio Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 Competition. ERM is the world’s largest sustainability advice firm.
The BEIS-funded ERM innovation projects are the following:
- Dolphyn — Continued development of large-scale, low-carbon hydrogen production from offshore floating wind farms
- At existing oil terminals, conduct feasibility studies on the bulk storage of hydrogen utilizing Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHC).
- Design & Development of a Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) Tank System to lower the footprint and storage cost of hydrogen
These projects aim to create low-cost, safe, and carbon-neutral hydrogen solutions that can be deployed at scale, allowing the United Kingdom to take the lead in the fast emerging hydrogen economy.
This declaration follows the launch of the “British Energy Security Strategy” by the UK government last month, which expands on its “Ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution” and its “Net Zero Strategy.” The new policy aims to expedite the transition away from fossil fuels and provide the United Kingdom with a sustainable, cheap, and secure energy supply.
The Energy Security Strategy outlines the United Kingdom’s objectives to raise the share of power derived from renewable sources, including measures to encourage the expansion of the country’s hydrogen industry. The UK Government has committed to doubling the UK’s low carbon hydrogen production ambitions to up to 10GW by 2030, with at least half of this amount being green hydrogen. Additionally, the UK Government will conduct research and develop innovative models for the transportation and storage of hydrogen.
Steve Matthews, ERM’s Director for Hydrogen Ventures said: “We’re delighted to receive this support from the UK Government for these innovative projects, which we believe will help transform the UK’s hydrogen landscape. The UK is at a critical point when it comes to our energy strategy, and we believe that low carbon hydrogen has a critical role to play on the journey to creating an energy system that is not only secure and efficient, but also capable of hitting our net zero targets in an affordable way.”
The UK Government’s Energy Minister Greg Hands said: “The UK is truly leading the world in hydrogen innovation thanks to the exciting efforts of companies like ERM.”
“The government support which they have received today will help to boost the development of hydrogen as the clean, affordable, homegrown superfuel of the future.”
ERM Dolphyn – generation of green hydrogen from floating offshore wind
On a floating wind platform, the award-winning ERM Dolphyn solution combines electrolysis, desalination, and hydrogen production for the first time.
The green hydrogen created by ERM Dolphyn is returned to shore via pipeline and can be used for power generating, transportation, industrial applications, and heating. At the moment of application, ERM Dolphyn-produced hydrogen is carbon-free. It will be developed at various places on a multi-GW scale and potentially supply up to 25 percent of the United Kingdom’s future low-carbon hydrogen requirements.
ERM has been working on the design as part of the UK Government’s Hydrogen Supply Competition (2016-2021) and has been awarded about £8.62 million in further funding through the Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 competition to build on the success of previous delivery phases.
At current oil terminals, the feasibility of bulk hydrogen storage using Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHC)
BEIS has given ERM about £210,000 to examine the technical and economic viability of repurposing existing oil terminals for hydrogen storage using LOHC.
Large amounts of hydrogen may be held within the molecular structure of LOHC, which has the same hydrogen density as liquid hydrogen. Unlike liquid hydrogen, however, it may be handled and stored at atmospheric pressure and temperature and hence does not require highly insulated and pressured containment.
The research will investigate the feasibility of storing the liquid in traditional oil storage tanks, transporting it through oil pipelines, and transporting it in bulk using conventional maritime or rail tankers. In addition, the feasibility of transporting LOHC by road in normal road tankers and storing it on-site for industrial or commercial use will be determined.
Design & Development of a Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) Tank System to lower the footprint and storage cost of hydrogen
ERM has been granted around £168,000 to further develop the design of a single “cascade” tank system that has the potential to drastically lower the footprint and expense of hydrogen storage.
Hydrogen can be released on demand from LOHC and used for a variety of applications. The LOHC is now stored in enormous tanks, which must be provided for both the “active” LOHC and the depleted LOHC once the hydrogen has been withdrawn. This empty LOHC is then returned to the supplier in order to be refilled with hydrogen.
The technology from ERM will replace two separate tanks with interconnected tank compartments within a single tank that can be sequentially filled and emptied. This strategy could have a substantial effect on the commercial use of LOHC for numerous hydrogen applications where space is limited.
