Scotland Making Significant Strides in the Hydrogen Energy Sector
Scotland is emerging as a force within the hydrogen energy sector, as evidenced by recent developments across the country. With significant investments in new hydrogen energy startups and an impending hydrogen hub in Oban, Scotland shows great dedication to harnessing the potential of hydrogen energy and positioning itself as a leader in the European hydrogen scene.
Glasgow-based ‘Clyde Hydrogen’ have secured over £1 million in pre-seed funding.
The company is a spinoff from The University of Glasgow’s School of Chemistry. Their mission statement reads, “We are an innovative technology company building breakthrough systems for green hydrogen production at scale.”
The majority of the £1 million in funding, equity and grants came from start-up friendly, mission-driven investing company ‘Zinc’, the University of Glasgow and other angel investors.
Scottish Hydrogen-Energy startup secures 1 million GBP investment
Clyde Hydrogen is “thrilled” to be in collaboration with the University of Glasgow as this allows them to access first-rate research facilities and help from experts on renewable energy.
Clyde Hydrogen’s decoupled electrolyser technology aims to deliver high-pressure green hydrogen at scale and a reduced cost. The company stated, “This innovation has the potential to align renewable energy with hydrogen production more efficiently than current methods, addressing a longstanding challenge in the industry.”
Dr Jos Trehern, chairman of Clyde Hydrogen added, “This funding not only provides a financial boost but also validates our vision to make green hydrogen accessible and cost-effective.
With the backing of Zinc, Uni of Glasgow, and angel investors, we are poised to accelerate our research and developmental efforts and bring our innovative solutions to the market.”
In a statement, Paul Kirby, co-founder and CEO of Zinc commented, “Clyde Hydrogen represents exactly the kind of disruptive technology we seek to support – a solution that has the potential to revolutionise the energy landscape and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. We’re thrilled to be part of Clyde Hydrogen’s journey.”
In the near future, Clyde Hydrogen will use the funding to facilitate the growth of its research and development team, increase the speed of technology development and foster strategic partnerships within the energy sector.
Hydrogen Hub in Oban receives approval for construction
Scottish independent green-energy company ‘GreenPower’ has received the go-ahead to continue with its plans to set up a green hydrogen production and distribution centre at Glenshellach Industrial Estate.
The hub would be named, ‘The Argyll Hydrogen Hub”. GreenPower has stated that it would have the potential to help local ferries, HGVs, buses, trains, factories and heating technology to switch from fossil fuels to zero-carbon energy.
The hydrogen produced would be via electrolysis of water powered by renewable energy. This is the gold standard in the hydrogen industry as it is zero-emission, thus called “green hydrogen”
If all goes well, GreenPower, which currently operates a wind farm near Kilchrenan, will look to expand its hydrogen production to other sites, with Barachander Wind Farm being named as a possibility.
“It is an exciting time for the new hydrogen market in the UK and with this planning consent for the Argyll Hydrogen Hub, they are putting Oban and the region on the UK green hydrogen map,” commented Paul Minto, director of green hydrogen at GreenPower
“In Argyll, there are several sectors currently dependent on fossil fuels. Fuel-switching could radically reduce carbon emissions, and jobs can be created through local production and use of green hydrogen. We expect our green hydrogen facility to begin production by the end of 2025”, he adds.
GreenPower CEO, Rob Forrest, noted, “We can see a future where all heavy road transport and shipping is powered by green hydrogen, and where any industry using heating oils or gas can switch fuels to run on environmentally friendly green hydrogen.”
This spells exciting times for the Scottish hydrogen industry and will add to the encouraging surge in the hydrogen energy sector throughout Scotland.
Byline: Sonny Riddell
