Energy Hubs: Fill the Backbone

At a glance

The European hydrogen market is expanding rapidly, and the time for Scotland to act is now. By leveraging its abundant renewable energy resources and accelerating hydrogen production through large-scale energy hubs, Scotland can secure its place as a leading producer and exporter of hydrogen. 

Phase one of the Scottish government funded Energy Hubs project provides recommendations to achieve this ambition. It examines the infrastructure, long-term investment and technological innovations needed to establish commercially viable and efficient energy hubs across Scotland.

Key recommendations include: 

Rapid investment targeted at next generation technologies and manufacturing processes to accelerate floating offshore wind 

Innovations in electrolyser technologies to improve the efficiency of hydrogen production while reducing system costs 

Development of highly efficient energy storage facilities with GWh capacities

Optimising the integration of energy vectors within Energy Hubs, along with exploring further opportunities in alternative fuels and byproducts

Rapid investment targeted at next generation technologies and manufacturing processes to accelerate floating offshore wind 

Innovations in electrolyser technologies to improve the efficiency of hydrogen production while reducing system costs 

Development of highly efficient energy storage facilities with GWh capacities

Optimising the integration of energy vectors within Energy Hubs, along with exploring further opportunities in alternative fuels and byproducts

 The Energy Hubs project compliments NZTC’s Hydrogen Backbone Link project, which demonstrates the feasibility of exporting 0.9 million tonnes of hydrogen per year from Scotland to Europe via a new dedicated hydrogen pipeline. 

Green hydrogen is a rapidly expanding sector, with no large-scale production facilities currently operating globally

The anticipated surge in demand, combined with limited supply in the near to mid-term presents huge opportunities for Scotland if it can scale up production in time. Key technologies to enable low-cost floating offshore wind must be accelerated to unlock these opportunities. 

An Energy Hub is a specific geographic location which will host all facilities necessary for the large-scale production of hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives such as e-fuels

Several possible Energy Hub locations exist across Scotland, each with a different mix of energy vectors available. To estimate the resource available, the project assessed the current installed, future planned, and potential renewable energy at five hubs across Scotland.