Hydrogen ‘bank’ could see production advantage for Scotland

08 September 2023 2 minute read

Scientists at the University of Aberdeen are developing technology that will enable electricity generated by renewables to be ‘banked’ as green hydrogen in depleted oil and gas reservoirs alongside industrial carbon emissions.

It could also reduce constraint payments made to windfarm operators to stop generating electricity when production is too high, by allowing the excess electricity to be converted to green hydrogen and stored for use elsewhere. A recent independent report to the UK Government has highlighted issues around the ability of the National Grid to cope with increased power generation as more renewables projects come on stream, underlining the potential benefits of the current research in easing pressure on the grid.

Dr Prashant Jadhawar from Aberdeen University’s School of Engineering is leading the projects which have received support from the Net Zero Technology Centre’s (NZTC) Net Zero R&D Programme.

Ekua Osei, Project Engineer at NZTC said: “We’re excited to see innovation playing a key role in enabling and enhancing Scotland’s hydrogen production, storage and export capability. This project could evolve current practices and allow electricity from wind farms to be stored rather than production being halted.

“As we transition from a legacy energy source to new vectors and more sustainable sources, it’s important that we do so in an environmentally conscious way, whilst reusing and repurposing the existing transportation pipelines and reservoirs. These projects at the University of Aberdeen align with this.”

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