Tag: #hydrogen

Microsoft announces pioneering green hydrogen pilot project with ESB

Microsoft announced today that it has entered into an agreement with ESB that will see its data centre power control and administration building in Dublin be powered by zero emissions green hydrogen power. The landmark pilot project is the first time that Hydrogen Fuel Cells will be used to provide electricity to a Microsoft data centre in Europe, supplying up to 250kW of clean energy to Microsoft’s Dublin campus over an eight-week period.

ESB’s zero-emission Hydrogen Fuel Cells convert stored green hydrogen to electricity, with the only by-product being pure water. Designed to replace diesel generators, Hydrogen Fuel Cells produce no carbon emissions or harmful local air pollutants such as particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, which can have significant health and environmental impacts.

The groundbreaking pilot is part of a series planned by ESB in 2024 and 2025 to showcase the versatility of hydrogen fuel cell technology in different power applications.  The pilot is the first step in demonstrating the potential impact that hydrogen energy can have in helping to decarbonise the strategically important data centre sector in Ireland.

Commenting on the launch of the pilot, Eoin Doherty, Vice President, EMEA Regional Leader, Microsoft Cloud Operations + Innovation, said: “The green hydrogen project we’re launching with ESB is a pioneering first for Microsoft in Europe, demonstrating how zero-emissions hydrogen can be harnessed to power our digital lives. If scaled successfully, it could provide new ways of advancing sustainability in our sector and beyond.”

Lavinia Morris, General Manager, Microsoft’s EMEA Data Centre Operations, commented further: “This pilot project is another important step in our journey to transition to carbon-free electricity supply for our data centres, buildings, and campuses around the world. As we look to advance a more sustainable future, we hope to build on the success of this pilot project and continue to find innovative ways to decarbonise our operations.”

Jim Dollard, ESB Executive Director, Generation and Trading, commented: “ESB believe green hydrogen will play an important role in the net zero energy system of the future. We’re delighted to be working with Microsoft on this innovative pilot project that will showcase the potential for green hydrogen as part of zero emission electricity generation for data centres.” 

Microsoft’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell pilot project, in collaboration with ESB, is aligned with the ‘Principles for Sustainable Data Centre Development’ set out by Government in its 2022 policy statement by supporting the development of data centres that make efficient use of the electricity grid and delivering renewable energy.

Today’s announcement to harness green hydrogen is one of many steps and innovations that Microsoft is bringing to the data centre sector to ensure the sustainability of its existing and future cloud and AI infrastructure. In 2020, Microsoft announced an ambitious set of goals, encompassing all global infrastructure and operations, to be a carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste company that protect ecosystems by 2030.

As well as investing in innovative technologies, Microsoft is playing a key role in helping to decarbonise the electricity grid. In November 2022, Microsoft announced new renewable energy contracts related to the development of more than 900 megawatts of onshore wind and solar energy projects in Ireland alone. The projects will see Microsoft significantly contribute to the Irish Government’s 2030 corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) target.

This pilot project also builds upon Microsoft’s ongoing testing and innovation in the area of hydrogen power, more of which is detailed here.

Source Galileo and Lhyfe join forces for green hydrogen production in Ireland and the UK

Source Galile, a Dublin based European renewable energy developer, and European green and renewable hydrogen producer and supplier Lhyfe today announced their joint agreement to develop commercial-scale green and renewable hydrogen production units in Ireland and the UK.

The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the goal of deploying production facilities powered by renewable energy, providing a boost to the net zero emissions goals of both countries.

Under the agreement, Source Galileo and Lhyfe will combine their expertise to generate and supply the environmentally friendly gas to a variety of customers across industry and transport, helping them decarbonise their operations.

The partnership will see Source Galileo and Lhyfe collaborate to establish commercial-scale green hydrogen production. The energy firms are exploring opportunities in Ireland, focusing on identifying consumers and assessing factors such as grid availability, power supply, land accessibility, and planning requirements. Plans are already underway for multiple plants in the UK.

By working together, Source Galileo and Lhyfe believe that their economies of scale can accelerate the roll-out of green hydrogen, meeting the increasing demand from companies aiming to reduce their reliance on natural gas and other fossil fuels.

Initially, the companies will focus on using electricity from onshore renewable sources. However, in the longer term, they could harness the enormous offshore wind potential in Ireland and the UK, which would help overcome electricity grid constraints.

Green hydrogen can support deep decarbonisation, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy industry, including chemicals and steelmaking. It can also be used for heavy transport, including buses, trucks, construction or logistics vehicles, etc. Green hydrogen, produced from water and electrolysis, can also in the long term replace the more than 3000 TWh of hydrogen currently produced from oil, gas and coal throughout the world.

The Irish Government published its National Hydrogen Strategy in July 2023, outlining plans to develop 2GW of hydrogen production from offshore wind farms in the country by 2030. The UK Government has doubled its low-carbon hydrogen production target from 5GW to 10GW by 2030, with at least half of this coming from green hydrogen.

Source Galileo was founded to accelerate the roll-out of large-scale renewable energy projects as part of the energy transition. It has a pipeline of approximately 10GW of offshore wind and hydrogen projects under development in Ireland, the UK and Norway. The company is also developing onshore battery storage and solar projects.

Lhyfe (EURONEXT: LHYFE) is one of the world’s pioneers in producing green and renewable hydrogen by using water and wind or sun to power electrolysers. The France-based multinational’s first plant at Pays de La Loire has been operating since the second half of 2021, with two more sites inaugurated in Occitanie and Brittany in December 2023. An additional five sites are currently under construction or extension throughout Europe.

Since launching its UK operation in 2022 to support regional decarbonisation, Lhyfe has established offices in Newcastle and Sheffield. Lhyfe aims to achieve a green hydrogen production capacity of 200MW by the end of 2026 and an ambitious goal of 3GW by the end of 2030.

Kevin Lynch, CEO of Source Galileo, said: “We believe the development of a hydrogen economy alongside electricity is critical to the energy transition. Both the UK and Ireland have hydrogen strategies. The UK has committed to deploying 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, and Ireland is expected to develop at least 20GW of offshore wind by 2040, with an initial target of 2GW of hydrogen production from offshore wind by 2030. Our partnership with Lhyfe provides an onshore and offshore platform and a major step forward from which to assist in delivering government hydrogen targets.”

Stirling Habbitts, Director Hydrogen Business Development at Source Galileo, said: “With Lhyfe, we are geared towards decarbonising challenging sectors, particularly industrial processes, through the use of green hydrogen. Hydrogen’s role as an energy carrier will be pivotal in overcoming emerging constraints in current electricity grids, ensuring a supplemental and additional supply of clean energy to industries beyond the electricity grid’s current capabilities.”

Taia Kronborg, Chief Business Officer at Lhyfe, said: “We are pleased to announce this agreement with Source Galileo, which represents an exciting opportunity to drive forward the clean energy transition with large-scale green hydrogen production. At Lhyfe, we are moving at pace to enable decarbonisation in our communities and unleash the extraordinary potential of renewable energy across Ireland and the UK. Green hydrogen is one of the key solutions to reaching net zero, and the good news is it’s available to be deployed today, improving national energy security while turbo-charging local economies.”

Bord Gáis Energy welcomes National Hydrogen Strategy as a keystone to Ireland becoming a green-energy powerhouse

Bord Gáis Energy today welcomed the publication of the Government’s National Hydrogen Strategy paper which sets out Government’s vision for how hydrogen will be produced and used in Ireland. The plan outlines how green hydrogen can help Ireland become a zero-carbon, secure energy system and an energy exporter. A key objective of the strategy was to provide certainty to investors and industry as to how hydrogen will be deployed in the Irish energy system. Bord Gáis Energy welcomed the signals to industry in the report.

Bord Gáis Energy, which was purchased by Centrica in 2014, strongly believes that green hydrogen is a keystone to Ireland becoming a clean, green-energy powerhouse, and is investing €300m in the construction of two hydrogen-capable power generation plants, which will be ready to support the grid at the end of 2024.

Speaking today, Emma Burrows, Legal, Regulation and Corporate Affairs Director at Bord Gáis Energy said:

“We welcome the government’s significant efforts to embrace green hydrogen as a safe and secure energy solution. Ensuring that industry is provided with the necessary certainty to inform future investment strategies is vital if Ireland is to unlock the potential that green hydrogen presents. 

“At Bord Gáis Energy we plan to deploy our significant expertise in engineering, innovation, and energy to support these plans. Centrica’s UK trials in the hydrogen sector bring significant learning opportunities and have enabled our teams to identify the areas where this technology can be effectively implemented in Ireland. 

“We are working with other like-minded investors seeking to deliver Ireland’s net zero ambitions to create an indigenous cluster that will use Ireland’s natural resources off the southwest coast to provide an abundant, flexible, and secure zero carbon energy source that can be used across Irish society and beyond. Indeed, Government’s recent Joint Declaration of Intent on cooperation in the field of green hydrogen with Germany demonstrates that green hydrogen has the potential to meet not just Ireland’s but Europe’s growing green-energy needs. 

Gillian Kinsella, Senior Policy Manager, Bord Gáis Energy and Co-Chair, Policy & Advocacy Working Group, Hydrogen Ireland said:  

“The publication of the Government’s ‘National Hydrogen Strategy’ today outlines the strategic pathway for hydrogen’s role in decarbonising our economy, enhancing our energy security and creating industrial and export market opportunities. It will enable investment, increase skills, support regionally balanced economic growth and system resource efficiencies, thus providing a crucial pathway for delivering a future that will benefit the Irish people for generations to come.” 

Sustainable e-fuels could meet half of Ireland’s future aviation demand, create 10,500+ jobs and reduce CO2 emissions

A new report from leading representative body, Hydrogen Mobility Ireland (HMI), has today made recommendations on how the development of a domestic hydrogen ecosystem can facilitate the production of sustainable e-fuels for use in aviation and shipping transport. The report was launched by Minister Simon Coveney at ESB’s headquarters in Dublin.

According to the report, the process of creating sustainable aviation fuels derived from hydrogen (e-SAF) for use in commercial aircraft has the potential to create more than 10,500 jobs across Ireland by 2050 – equivalent to a total Gross Added Value (GVA) of up to €230 million per annum, increasing to more than €2.1 billion through allowing Irish businesses to tap into the global market.

The report makes a number of recommendations to enable Ireland to develop a domestic e-fuels sector, to include:

 

  • Feedstock security: Sufficient supply of renewable energy must be sourced to secure the hydrogen required to produce e-fuels, which could be leveraged through Ireland’s significant wind generation capacity.
  • Revenue certainty: The Government must provide clear and committed e-fuels policy commitments to reassure private investors and project developers.
  • Technology de-risking: To safeguard future investment, planned hydrogen and e-fuels projects must receive sufficient funding to ensure their viability.

Across Europe, there is broad consensus on the central role of e-fuels in transport decarbonisation efforts with France, Germany, Sweden and Norway all fully committed to an alternatively-fuelled future – and this has been supported by strong policy signals from the European Parliament.

Aviation and maritime provide essential connectivity for Ireland, inward and outward. HMI contends that planning and action for the full decarbonisation of these sectors must start now. Alternative liquid fuels (e.g. biofuels and e-SAF), electrification and gaseous fuels (e.g. direct use of hydrogen in fuel cells) will all play roles in the full decarbonisation of the transport sector.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney T.D. said: “Developing green hydrogen production at scale has clear and obvious benefits for Ireland – from creating a network of highly-skilled jobs, to decarbonising key sectors of our economy and society and building a resilient energy system. I welcome this report, which notes the potential for e-fuels to contribute to Ireland’s economic development, while stimulating crucial inward investment. Going forward, Ireland is uniquely positioned to export as both a net producer of green hydrogen, and as a producer of renewable fuels derived from hydrogen. It is therefore imperative that Ireland’s hydrogen potential is fully realised – and the Government is taking important steps to achieve this”.

Jonathan Hogan, Business Manager at Hydrogen Mobility Ireland said: “I am pleased to be joined by Minister Simon Coveney T.D., to mark the publication of HMI’s report on the role of e-fuels in aviation and maritime, and to discuss the economic and investment opportunities that lie ahead. Through strong policy commitments from both the European Parliament and across the Member States, it is evident that e-fuels produced from hydrogen will contribute significantly to decarbonisation efforts in both the aviation and shipping transport sectors.

Ireland must now signal its own intent in this regard through concrete actions; leveraging the country’s significant wind energy capacity to facilitate the production of e-fuels, allocating sufficient funding to planned and future e-fuels projects and committing to a defined strategy to meet EU e-fuels targets. Doing so, will enable the growth of a domestic hydrogen and an e-fuels ecosystem which collectively, can create thousands of jobs, decarbonise transport and other industries, and open up access to a thriving global marketplace”.

Hydrogen development must be ramped up in line with EU policy

One of the country’s leading hydrogen experts says now is the time to realise the wide-ranging benefits offered by the versatile carbon free gas.

Speaking at the launch of the inaugural Hydrogen Ireland Conference today, Gas Networks Ireland Hydrogen Programme Manager, Dr Andrea Ahern, said current events affecting Ireland’s climate and economy mean now is the time to act.

“Hydrogen can reduce carbon emissions across a number of key sectors while also enhancing Ireland’s energy security and diversity,” Dr Ahern said.

“Ireland’s national gas network is one of the safest and most modern renewables-ready gas networks in the world. It’s a ready-made decarbonisation solution that can be leveraged to accommodate biomethane made from farm and food waste and hydrogen produced from offshore wind.”

Hydrogen can be made from renewable electricity through a process known as electrolysis and stored until needed, making it an attractive option to decarbonise the Irish energy system.

It is also a strong example of how greater integration between Ireland’s gas and electricity networks can support a low carbon economy.

With Ireland’s significant onshore and offshore wind resources, the potential for Irish made green hydrogen is very high.

“We can enable national decarbonisation at size and scale by connecting indigenously produced hydrogen with customers and markets across the island of Ireland, but we must act now in line with national and EU policy,” Dr Ahern said.

Minister for the Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan TD, will be the keynote speaker at the Hydrogen Ireland Conference which will take place at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Dublin, on November 22 and 23.

The event is being launched just days after the government announced 2GW of hydrogen production from offshore wind and launched of an eight-week public consultation period as part of the process of developing a National Hydrogen Strategy.

Hydrogen Ireland is an all-island organisation which works to promote the role of hydrogen and fuel cells as key components of a future low carbon economy.

Chairperson Paul McCormack said he is looking forward to seeing the Government’s vision.

“Given the heat extremes seen just this month, the rising cost of living and the pressures on supply because of international factors and our reliance on imports, it has never been more important to realise and maximise the potential offered by hydrogen,” Mr McCormac said.

For more details on the conference, check out www.h2irl.com.

 

Hydrogen fuel cells are being dubbed the fuel of the future. So how does a hydrogen car work? #Motoring #Hydrogen

Hydrogen cars are being called the fuel of the future. So how do they work? 

Unlike gasoline-powered cars, hydrogen vehicles (H2) use hydrogen fuel to power the motor. This hydrogen fuel is produced through a REDOX process that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. 

Similar to a gas-powered car, hydrogen vehicles can be refueled in about 5 minutes and can travel 300-400 miles before they need to be refueled. Because the hydrogen cells emit only water and heat, driving a hydrogen vehicle eliminates concerns around air pollutants and greenhouse gases. 

Because hydrogen vehicles will need their own refueling stations, the biggest obstacle facing mass production is infrastructure. Despite these hesitations, major automobile manufacturers such as Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, and Mercedes are investing big in the technology. By 2030, the U.S. plans to have 1 million hydrogen vehicles on the road.  

To learn more about hydrogen fuel cell stacks generate electricity, check out this visual from The Zebra below! 

https://www.thezebra.com/resources/driving/how-do-hydrogen-cars-work/