Region’s first green hydrogen plant promises sustainable energy shift

The first green hydrogen plant in the West of England has opened for business.

The fuel is touted as the key to decarbonising sectors such as aviation, shipping and heavy-duty transport.

But it is expensive to produce and currently accounts for only 1% of all hydrogen produced globally.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris officially opened the IAAPS green hydrogen plant in February – photo: WECA

The new plant, based at the engineering and innovation centre of IAAPS – a commercial subsidiary of the University of Bath – in Emersons Green, has received £2.5m funding from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).

Hydrogen is used to fuel the chemical, steel and cement industries, as well as transport and space travel. Hydrogen vehicle refuelling stations can be found in Germany, South Korea and the US.

The majority of the world’s hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels. But when produced to official Green Hydrogen Standard, by renewable energy-powered electrolysis – the process of extracting oxygen from water – the fuel is said to be “truly near-zero emissions” with significant potential as a climate-friendly energy supply.

Tom Scott, Professor in Materials at the University of Bristol, said the fuel “could fundamentally change the energy landscape as we know it.”

It could sustainably power carbon-heavy transport too large to run on electric batteries such as planes, cargo ships and lorries.

Bristol University Professor David Fermin says unless the UK wholeheartedly adopts wind and solar energy – the key to green hydrogen – we can “kiss goodbye” to net zero – photo: David Fermin

“Currently the majority of hydrogen production comes from fossil fuel sources. This is a big concern when trying to tackle climate change,” explained David Fermin, Professor of Electrochemistry at the University of Bristol.

“As a whole, green hydrogen can have a massive impact on areas extremely difficult to decarbonise, such as transport, food, manufacturing and heating. My view is you either make hydrogen work in transport or we will never decarbonise that sector completely.”

Professor Fermin said the difficulty lies in producing green hydrogen at scale.

“Hydrogen is an energy vector, not an energy source like solar and wind. For hydrogen to be green, it needs to be generated by renewable energy sources. As we scale operations up to communities, cities, or regions, that challenge grows exponentially.

“As scientists and engineers, we look for developing solutions on how to make systems more efficient and lower cost. But ultimately, as a society, we need to embrace green power generation at its full potential. Communities needs to decide whether they want either a 5MW solar farm or a 5MW onshore wind farm.

“If we don’t do this, then we are not going to have any green hydrogen at all and we can kiss goodbye to net zero.”

James Sterling (centre) helped to launch Bristol City Leap’s community energy fund last year, which aims to bolster community energy and decarbonisation projects – photo: Bristol City Leap

The plant was opened by WECA mayor Dan Norris who said: “Green hydrogen is one really important solution to the world’s climate problems – it’s powerful and there’s lots of it. The potential when it comes to slashing emissions in those hard-to-decarbonise sectors like transport is huge.

“Our region’s first ever green hydrogen plant could really help lead to green hydrogen being much more widely used globally.”

Professor Chris Brace, executive director of IAAPS, added: “Green hydrogen represents a pivotal shift towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible energy landscape, offering immense potential as a clean alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

“At IAAPS, we recognise the transformative power of green hydrogen technologies.

“Our new hydrogen production plan and research facilities provides us with the tools we need to accelerate this transition. It’s not only a regional beacon, but also a national asset, crucial in actively addressing the challenges of climate change.”

The news was welcomed by other members of Bristol’s alternative energy community.

James Sterling of Bristol City Leap, the consortium behind a large investment into decarbonising Bristol’s energy system, said: “The development of the green hydrogen research facility in Emersons Green is another positive step in our region’s net zero journey and will be welcome news for local communities and businesses.

“Bristol and the surrounding area is playing a leading role in the green revolution and having renewable projects like this on our doorstep demonstrates the city’s commitment to delivering on our decarbonisation ambitions.”

This piece of independent journalism is supported by the Bristol24/7 public and business membership.

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