Renewable Hydrogen Research and Development Centre
The Centre is located at the Baglan Energy Park, South Wales and is one of the first of its kind. Hydrogen produced from renewable sources and will be used in the building and for refueling vehicles.
The main functions of the Centre are to raise awareness about the various means of generating hydrogen from renewable resources and demonstrate that the energy from hydrogen can be used in everyday situations. In addition it will provide a facility for research into various renewable hydrogen topics.
The 2-storey half of the building is for research office space on the first floor and on the ground floor an exhibition and conference room for 50 people.
A brochure describing the Hydrogen Centre and its work can be downloaded as a pdf document (450kb).
One half of the building, the single story, is for the hydrogen equipment. In the 1st phase this includes electrolytic hydrogen production, compression and storage. The alkali electrolyser is to convert a combined solar photovoltaic and (simulated) wind electrical input to produce a pure hydrogen product.
The photovoltaic installation covers about 148 sq metres on the roof of the office block. It is a 21kW peak system, comprising 105 x Kyocera KC200GHT-2 modules and 4 x Fronius IG40 inverters. The expected output of the system is 16,800 kWhrs per annum, with a CO2 saving of over 9,500 kg per annum. The system supplier is Dulas Ltd.
The hydrogen produced by electrolysis will be compressed and stored, effectively storing the excess incoming renewable energy. Also included in the equipment is a 10kW single phase inverter system with a 1 hour valve regulated lead acid battery. The PEM fuel cell is based on the Hydrogenics HD module which has a warranty of 1500 hours or 1 year from delivery. The equipment is supplied by Air Liquide and UPS Systems plc. The 2nd phase, planned for later this year, will include a facility for vehicle refueling.
The Centre is completed and equipment is being installed and there is an official opening in October 2008. It will be a focal point for the dissemination of existing knowledge and a show-case to publicise new areas of research. Exhibitions will target schools, colleges, universities, local authorities and the general public.
Companies and organisations with an interest in hydrogen are invited to contact us and join our sponsors’ scheme.
