This week EHA member ITM Power launched its first public access hydrogen refueling station, located at the Advanced Manufacturing Park, just off the M1, Junction 33 in South Yorkshire.. It is totally wind-powered, and the irst of its kind in the UK. The project was founded by InnovateUK. Installation consists of a 225kW wind turbine coupled directly to an electrolyser, 220kg of hydrogen storage, a hydrogen dispensing unit and a 30kW fuel cell system capable of providing backup power generation for nearby buildings. The facility has been upgraded as a showcase for ITM Power’s world-class hydrogen generation equipment and is used to provide retail hydrogen fuel services. The M1 motorway was highlighted as a key route for the early deployment of hydrogen refuelling in the UK in the published UK H2Mobility Phase 1 Report.

The station currently offers hydrogen gas at 350bar which was a specification of the Island Hydrogen (formally known as Eco Island) project. The station will be upgraded early 2016 to provide hydrogen at 700bar as a result of funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), this will provide the fuel cell vehicles with a longer range of between 350 – 400 miles and extend the reach of clean emission transportation in South Yorkshire to hydrogen refuelling stations elsewhere in the UK, including London.

Source: Press-release of ITM Power by Rebecca Markillie. Image: ibid.