Work starts on £2.7 million Hydrogen Office
Once complete, the £2.7 million energy efficient development, which is being constructed at Methil in Fife, will be a state-of-the-art demonstration centre powered by a unique renewable energy and hydrogen fuel cell integrating other renewable technologies such as solar, wind and geothermal heat pumps.
The centre will form part of Fife's flagship Energy Park offering which is expected to become one of Europe's leading locations for innovation and development of renewable energy solutions.
The project, which is joint funded by Scottish Enterprise, Alsherra Investments and the European Regional Development Fund from the East of Scotland Programme, will work towards meeting the Scottish Government's ambitious targets which will see half of Scotland's electricity generated from renewable energy sources by 2020.
Jim Keiller, director of developer Alsherra Investments Ltd, said: "This 11000 sq ft modern construction forms part of the proposed office and business unit developments planned for the Methil Dock Business Park and Fife Energy Park. It has been designed by Sinclair Watt Architects Ltd to meet the growing requirements of the energy related business sector who have indicated their desire to locate to Fife and help build on the process started by the Hydrogen Office."
Willie Johnston, director at Scottish Enterprise in Fife commented: "The Hydrogen Office and Demonstration Centre is a key component of the wider development of Fife's Energy Park which is anticipated to become a hub for innovation, research and development for Scotland's energy storage industries.
"We are confident that the Hydrogen Office and Demonstration Centre will not only offer a potential solution to the challenge of power storage facing the renewables sector but will provide an environment conducive to further research and development in the field."
It is hoped that the Hydrogen Office project will result in considerable economic benefits for the Scottish economy over the next 25 years with potential creation of up to £81 million in gross value add (GVA) through the emergence of new businesses further developing, manufacturing and installing hydrogen and renewable energy powered office facilities.
About the Hydrogen Office
In the Hydrogen Office, hydrogen will be generated by passing an electric current through water (electrolysis) to break it down into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen will then be stores in gas cylinders until it is needed to supplement wind power at times of low wind and high energy demand.
The Hydrogen Office will meet its core energy need through renewable energy sources (wind, solar and ground source heat pumps) and store surplus energy as hydrogen during times of high renewable resource availability, and then convert the hydrogen into heat and power through a fuel cell system when energy demand exceeds supply.
It will provide invaluable testing facilities for fuel cell technology developers and build confidence in investors and purchasers in the safety and performance of hydrogen and fuel cells systems whilst proving the safety and reliability of the energy source and that the technology has the potential to deliver all the energy needs of a modern office building.