Start-Up’s Plan To Convert Food Waste Into Green Fuel
The title of this post, is the same as that, of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Dark Green wants to build biogas production plants to supply local authorities and businesses
These three paragraphs give some detail to the plans.
A Nottingham-based start-up wants to become the first company to build a fleet of plants that would convert food waste into green energy in urban centres across Britain, producing an alternative fuel for businesses and local authorities attempting to shrink their carbon footprints.
Dark Green expects to submit planning applications for six biogas production plants, including one each in Birmingham and Huddersfield, with a further six in the pipeline.
The facilities, which are more usually sited on farms, will be capable of handling 60,000 tonnes of organic waste a year, saving the same amount of carbon dioxide as taking 65,000 cars off the road, the company estimates, and will produce seven megawatts of energy, capable of powering around 6,000 homes.
I have a feeling that Dark Green fit a theme, that this blog has been following for a couple of years now.
I have been commenting on a company called HiiROC.
- I first became aware of HiiROC and their new method of generating hydrogen in this news item from Centrica, which is entitled Centrica And HiiROC To Inject Hydrogen At Brigg Gas-Fired Power Station In UK First Project.
- HiiROC is a Hull-based startup-up, that is backed by Cemex, Centrica, Hyundai, Kia, Siemens and other big names.
- HiiROC can take any hydrocarbon gas from something like chemical plant off-gas, through biomethane to natural gas and split it into hydrogen and carbon black.
- HiiROC call their process thermal plasma electrolysis.
- The carbon black has uses in the manufacture of tyres and rubber products, anodes for lithium-ion batteries and other materials and in agriculture, it can be used to improve soils.
HiiROC claim that their method uses a fifth of the energy to create hydrogen, than electrolysis.
It looks to me that if you pipe Dark Green’s methane-rich gas into one of HiiROC’s thermal plasma electrolysers, you’ll get two valuable products; hydrogen and carbon black.
Centrica have also been active with an energy storage company called Highview Power recently, in the company of Goldman Sachs and Rio Tinto.
Centrica seem to have a cunning plan!
Is Dark Green going to be part of it?
Large Scale Hydrogen Storage Sites Could Reduce Customer Energy Costs By £1bn Per Year
The title of this post, is the same as this press release from Centrica.
These four paragraphs summarise the report.
Centrica and FTI report finds that hydrogen storage would help balance the UK’s energy system and reduce bills.
A net zero scenario including large scale hydrogen storage – specifically, a redeveloped Rough gas storage facility – would reduce energy costs by an additional £1bn per year by 2050.
Report also finds that a UK energy system focused on renewable generation risks high levels of intermittency without an established hydrogen market. By 2050, electricity generation from renewables could exceed total demand around 15% of the time.
Electricity generation from renewables could also rise or fall by as much as 100GW over the course of a single day. More than twice current levels of peak demand on winter evenings and the equivalent energy output from over 30 Hinkley Point C nuclear power stations.
Note.
- Hydrogen Central entitles their article about the Centrica press release Centrica Says Hydrogen Can Reduce Household Bills by £35 a Year. That’s almost a bottle of my favourite Adnams beer a week!
- I talked about the redevelopment of the Rough facility into hydrogen storage in Aberdeen’s Exceed Secures Centrica Rough Contract.
- Generating hydrogen from excess electricity and storing it until it is needed, must be an efficient way of storing electricity or powering industrial processes that need a lot of energy, if storing hydrogen makes £1bn per year!
- It should be noted that Centrica have a large interest in HiiROC, who are developing an efficient way to generate hydrogen from any hydrocarbon gas from chemical plant off-gas through biomethane to natural gas. In a perfect world a HiiROC system in a sewage works could capture the biomethane and split it into hydrogen and carbon black. The hydrogen could be used to refuel vehicles and the carbon black would be taken away to someone, who has need of it.
In some ways, it is surely sensible to have enough energy in a store, if the renewables fail. As Rough is already there and functioning, it is surely one of the easiest routes to redevelop Rough, so that it is in top-quality condition.
It should also be noted, that Rough is not far from the Aldbrough Gas Storage, which SSE are converting to a second massive hydrogen store.
So Humberside will have two of the largest hydrogen stores in the world, which Centrica and SSE will use to maxise energy security in the wider Humberside and East Yorkshire area, and I suspect to maximise their profits as well.
This video shows the structure of AquaVentus, which is a pipeline system, that the Germans are building to bring much-needed hydrogen to German industry from electrolysers in the North Sea and other countries like Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK.
I clipped this map from the video.
Note how a branch of AquaVentus makes landfall around the Humber estuary at a UK label.
Will Centrica and SSE be trading hydrogen from Rough and Aldbrough with the Germans through AquaVentus? You bet they will, as the Germans are short of both hydrogen and hydrogen storage.
The Versatile Substance That Is Carbon Black
I suspect very few of us think much about carbon black.
In an over fifty-year working life, I have only come across carbon black indirectly and no-one has actually shown me any carbon black.
This is the first sentence of the Wikipedia entry for carbon black.
Carbon black (with subtypes acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black) is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, including fuel oil, fluid catalytic cracking tar, and ethylene cracking in a limited supply of air.
It doesn’t sound the most appetising of substances and the next sentence reinforces that view.
Carbon black is a form of paracrystalline carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, albeit lower than that of activated carbon. It is dissimilar to soot in its much higher surface-area-to-volume ratio and significantly lower (negligible and non-bioavailable) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content.
The text is illustrated with what looks like a small pile of soot.
I first came across carbon black, in my first job after leaving Liverpool University at ICI Mond Division at Runcorn.
For a time, I shared an office with Peter, who was part of a number of engineers, who were trying to get a new plant, that had been purchased from BASF to make commercial quantities of acetylene. All the plant seemed to make was large quantities of soot, which it then proceeded to spread all over the town of Runcorn.
If I remember correctly, the process worked by burning ethylene in a limited supply of air and then quenching it with naphtha. The similarities between the BASF process and the method for producing carbon black lead me to believe, that ICI’s process was probably producing a lot of carbon black.
Peter was working on an instrument that measured the quantity of acetylene in the off-gas from the burners and he succeeded, but unfortunately proved that the plant was going into explosive limits. For this reason, ICI shut their process, although BASF persevered.
Ethylene is a hydrocarbon which has the formula C2H4 or two carbon and four hydrogen atoms. So if you can get them to stop tightly holding hands with no oxygen around, the hydrogen will pair off as H2 and the carbon will exist as a lot of single C atoms or carbon black.
BASF and ICI were trying to produce acetylene or C2H2, where there is a powerful triple bond between the two carbon atoms. All that energy in the acetylene makes it useful for activities like welding.
Common Uses Of Carbon Black
The Wikipedia entry for carbon black, has this summary of its uses.
The most common use (70%) of carbon black is as a pigment and reinforcing phase in automobile tires. Carbon black also helps conduct heat away from the tread and belt area of the tire, reducing thermal damage and increasing tire life. Its low cost makes it a common addition to cathodes and anodes and is considered a safe replacement to lithium metal in lithium-ion batteries. About 20% of world production goes into belts, hoses, and other non-tire rubber goods. The remaining 10% use of carbon black comes from pigment in inks, coatings, and plastics, as well as being used as a conductive additive in lithium-ion batteries.
The entry then gives a list of other uses, some of which are still being developed.
Global Production Of Carbon Black
This paragraph is from the Wikipedia entry for carbon black.
Total production was around 8,100,000 metric tons (8,900,000 short tons) in 2006. Global consumption of carbon black, estimated at 13.2 million metric tons, valued at US$13.7 billion, in 2015, is expected to reach 13.9 million metric tons, valued at US$14.4 billion in 2016.
So we have the useful paradox, that we don’t want to emit more carbon dioxide, but extra carbon black could probably be usefully used.
Conclusion
Using the HiiROC process to extract hydrogen could even give us a biproduct ; carbon black, that has uses.
HiiROC Partners With Siemens To Boost Clean Hydrogen Production
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from HiiROC.
These two bullet points, act as sub-headings.
-
HiiROC and Siemens sign a Memorandum of Understanding to provide advanced control technology and ensure the safe automation of hydrogen production.
-
HiiROC’s Thermal Plasma Electrolysis (TPE) process produces clean hydrogen and solid carbon, using significantly less electricity than water electrolysis and without creating carbon dioxide.
These five paragraphs explain the deal.
Clean hydrogen producer HiiROC, has partnered with technology company Siemens on its hydrogen production technology, helping customers to decarbonise their operations and support their Net Zero ambitions.
Under the agreement, HiiROC will leverage Siemens’ control technology and factory and automation expertise to ensure the safe, efficient automation of hydrogen production and support in scaling.
HiiROC’s proprietary Thermal Plasma Electrolysis (TPE) technology is designed to meet rising demand for low-cost, scalable solutions for clean hydrogen production at the point of use, which helps to significantly reduce costs by removing the need for specialised storage and transportation.
The TPE process disassembles gaseous hydrocarbons into hydrogen and solid carbon without creating carbon dioxide. This highly efficient process, recognised under the UK’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard, requires only a fifth of the electricity of water electrolysis.
As a key technology partner, Siemens will collaborate with HiiROC to advance product development, while its global developer support community will help in achieving the hydrogen producer’s international expansion goals. Siemens, which has ambitious commitments to decrease carbon emissions and contribute to a more sustainable society, works with organisations across sectors to decarbonise using technology.
Many chemical processes are all about brute force and very large amounts of energy. This marriage made in chemical heaven, is all about elegance and finesse.
The investors in HiiROC are not without substance and include Melrose Industries, HydrogenOne, Centrica, Hyundai and Kia.
I wrote more about HiiROC and a similar process in Centrica Partners With Hull-Based HiiRoc For Hydrogen Fuel Switch Trial At Humber Power Plant.
Construction Under Way To Double Power Station Capacity At Centrica’s Brigg Energy Park
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Centrica.
This is the sub-heading.
Four ultra-efficient engines have arrived at Centrica’s former combined cycle gas power station at Brigg, with construction work underway on an expansion of the peaking plant at the Lincolnshire site.
These three paragraphs give more details about the project.
The business is installing the four engines inside the former turbine hall at the power station, which was decommissioned in 2020, helping to create nearly 100MW of fast response assets capable of meeting demand when renewable generation is low.
The expanded power plant will be hydrogen-ready, and form part of a trial due to start in late 2024 to blend hydrogen into the gas, ramping up from a three per cent blend to 20 per cent, with a long term vision to move towards 100 per cent hydrogen and to deploy similar technology across all peaking plants.
Work at Brigg is expected to last around nine months and the plant will be fully operational in early 2025.
These are my thoughts.
Hydrogen Blend Operation
The second paragraph indicates that Centrica will be using Brigg power station to research the use of hydrogen blends.
Hydrogen blends could offer a way an easy way to cut hydrogen emissions, so it is good, that Centrica are researching their use in gas-fired power stations.
Brigg As A Peaking Plant
This paragraph from the press release, explains what Centrica means by a peaking plant.
Peaking plants only generate electricity when there’s high or peak demand for electricity, or when generation from renewables is too low to meet demand. Once connected to the grid, the engines will have the capacity to power 20,000 homes for a full day when required, which will maintain stability and deliver reliable power across the grid.
The second paragraph also says this.
A long term vision to move towards 100 per cent hydrogen and to deploy similar technology across all peaking plants.
Does this mean that all peaking plants will move to hydrogen-fired generation?
Brigg Redevelopment
This paragraph from the press release, outlines Centrica’s plans for Brigg power station.
Centrica is redeveloping the Brigg energy park which, once complete, will be home to a 50MW battery, commercial-scale hydrogen production using HiiROC technology (in which Centrica has a five per cent stake), and 100MW of gas peaking plant.
Note.
- I would assume that the battery, will be able to provide 50 MW for at least two hours, so the battery electric storage system (BESS) will be at least a 50 MW/100 MWh unit.
- The HiiROC technology is being developed on the other side of the Humber in Hull.
- HiiROC technology captures the carbon in the gas as carbon black, which has uses in its own right, in agriculture and tyre and other manufacturing.
- Both a battery and a gas peaking plant, will be used at Brigg to match generation with demand.
I wouldn’t be surprised that to use both a battery and a gas peaking plant, is the most efficient way to balance the renewable energy.
Hydrogen Production
The HiiROC technology that will be used at Brigg can extract hydrogen from a variety of sources including biomethane, chemical plant off gas or natural gas.
The HiiROC technology can be scaled to fit the application.
I feel that the versatility of the HiiROC technology, may result in using some unusual feeds to produce hydrogen.
As an example of the deployment of a small HiiROC system , one at a sewage works could provide hydrogen for the utility company’s vehicles.
The main use of the hydrogen would be to provide a clean fuel for the gas-fired peaking plant.
I also wouldn’t be surprised to see the hydrogen, sold and distributed to the local area, from an energy park, like Brigg.
Conclusion
Increasingly, backup for renewables will use a wide range of zero-carbon technologies.
Korean Hydrogen Bus Adoption Emerging To Block Low-Priced Electric Buses From China
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on BusinessKorea.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Major Korean business groups such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, and POSCO are expanding the introduction of hydrogen buses. They are more efficient than electric buses, and can run 635 kilometers on a single charge, making them suitable for long-distance commuting. Expanding hydrogen mobility, including buses, is considered the first step in building an entire hydrogen ecosystem.
SK Group is one of the most active companies in expanding hydrogen buses. According to SK Group on May 26, SK siltron has decided to replace its commuter buses for employees of its Gumi plant in North Gyeongsang Province with hydrogen buses. Additional deployments are under consideration after a pilot run in the first half of the year. In early May, SK hynix introduced three of the Universe model, Hyundai’s hydrogen bus for commuting. SK E&S recently completed the world’s largest liquefied hydrogen plant in Incheon and plans to soon expand its hydrogen refueling stations nationwide to 20.
The Korean bus seem to have developed a strategy to protect themselves from the Chinese.
I have a few thoughts.
Korea And HiiROC
Hyundai and Kia have joined Centrica in taking stakes in Hull-based startup HiiROC, which I wrote about in Meet HiiROC, The Startup Making Low-Cost Hydrogen Free From Emissions.
London’s Future Bus Fleet
There are rumours on the Internet that Sadiq Khan, will replace all London’s buses with new Chinese buses.
How will I get around, as I don’t ride in anything that was made in China?
Conclusion
We live in interesting times.
Centrica Set For Solar Boost With Acquisition Of Two Projects In South-West England
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Centrica.
These three bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Two green energy schemes adding 32MW of solar and battery capacity – enough to power 7,800 homes per year
- Site in Dorset sees construction of a 16MW solar farm and 3MW of battery storage, with a second operational site in Wiltshire adding 13MW of solar capacity
- Investment part of Centrica’s £4bn green-focused investment plan by 2028
These four paragraphs give more details of the Dorset site.
In Dorset, the business has acquired development rights for the construction of a 16MW solar farm and 3MW battery storage plant near Winterborne Whitechurch.
The project breaks ground in early 2024, with the first power exported to the grid in 2025.
The site at Winterborne Whitechurch will be a co-located asset, with the solar farm and battery storage facilities using the same connection point to the grid, helping to maximise the grid connection.
The site is able to power 4,600 homes a year, supported by the battery that can deliver two-hours of energy for a similar number of properties.
But this is no bog-standard wind farm with an attached battery.
This web site introduces Blandford Hill Eco Hub.
This is the second paragraph on the web site’s home page.
The Blandford Hill Eco Hub project consists of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station, a 15 megawatt ground-mounted solar farm and a 3 megawatt battery storage faciality on land south of the A354 at Blandford Hill, Winterborne Whitechurch near Blandford Forum in Dorset. By combining green electricity generation, storage and charging, we’re maximising the green potential with charging for up to 19 EVs at a time.
Note.
- It’s rather a coincidence that the solar farm and battery are almost the same size to those in Centrica’s acquisition.
- The site appears to have been developed by a company called the Pegasus Group, that has used the trade name of Naturalis.
- It does look to me, that Centrica have bought this electric vehicle service station site.
- Centrica get a site to charge nineteen EVs at a time, with its own solar farm and battery.
- The location close to the village means that staff from the village could walk or cycle to work.
- All plans and planning permissions have been thought through and obtained.
- The site even has a dog-walking area, so you can walk the dog, whilst charging your car.
Perhaps, Centrica have a plan to roll out lots of electric vehicle service stations and it was cheaper to buy a innovative prototype, than do the research themselves?
Pegasus Group do seem to design quality projects.
This Google Map shows the location of the site.
Note.
- The village is Winterborne Whitechurch.
- The road going South-West and North-East is the A354 road, which runs between Dorchester in the South-West and Blandford Forum in the North-East.
- The electric vehicle service station appears to be in the large field to the South of the A 354.
It looks like the service station meets the three most important properties of a development; location, location and location.
Could This Site Be Updated To Hydrogen?
Consider.
- Centrica have a substantial interest in a company called HiiROC, who use a technique called plasma electrolysis to extract hydrogen from any hydrocarbon gas.
- The HiiROC process could be used to extract hydrogen from methane, where there is a reliable electricity supply.
- If Winterborne Whitechurch is connected to the gas grid, then I’m certain, that a HiiROC system connected to the solar farm/battery system should be able to fuel passing hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Updates like this could see hydrogen-powered vehicles finally increase their market share.
The Second Site In Wiltshire
This paragraph details the Wiltshire site.
In addition, the business has also acquired the operational Roundponds Solar Farm in Wiltshire. The 13MW solar farm was commissioned in 2015 and is capable of providing energy for around 3,200 homes every year.
This looks like one of those investments, where big companies let small companies get all the permissions and build the asset, before they buy it.
Conclusion
These two projects fit into Centrica’s future development plan.
The last paragraphs, gives a few details of some of Centrica’s new assets.
The Winterborne and Roundponds projects will contribute towards Centrica’s long-term plan to deliver a portfolio of green energy transition assets. They follow the construction of an 18MW solar farm at Codford, Wiltshire which was commissioned in 2023 and a 20MW hydrogen-ready gas-fired peaking plant in Worcestershire. In addition, Centrica is delivering a 50MW battery storage project in Brigg, Lincolnshire, which is nearing completion.
It will be interesting to see what other assets Centrica acquire in the next couple of years.
National Gas To Trial Gravitricity’s H2 Storage Solution
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Engineer.
This is the sub-heading.
Gravitricity’s H2FlexiStore system for underground hydrogen storage could see a pilot built in 2025 after National Gas secured Ofgem funding to explore the technology.
There is then a graphic, which gives a good visual explanation.
The patented system uses lined geological shafts to store up to 100 tonnes of pressurised hydrogen at 220 bar, equivalent to about 3.33GWh of energy. Unlike natural storage such as salt caverns and disused gas fields, the shafts can be sited anywhere. Gravitricity has previously stated its preference for co-locating the storage near to renewable generation and potential major consumers of hydrogen such as heavy industry.
I can see that this simple system can have a lot of diverse uses.
In Centrica Completes Work On 20MW Hydrogen-Ready Peaker In Redditch, I talked about how Centrica had refurbished a decommissioned peaker plant.
One of these stores would keep a 20 MW peaker plant running for a week.
It would also work well with a HiiROC hydrogen system.
Hydrogen Start-Up Can Expand Thanks To Northern Powerhouse Fund
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Suiso’s technology for extracting clean fuel has been found to produce lower emissions and use less energy than common alternatives
These three paragraphs describe the finances and outline the their hydrogen generator.
Suiso, a South Yorkshire-based company developing a hydrogen generator, has raised £3 million from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).
The company plans to create generators as big as shipping containers that could power factories, hospitals and warehouses or be used at filling stations to fuel hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The new funds come from the asset manager Mercia’s equity finance fund, which is part of the NPIF, and Mercia’s enterprise investment scheme.
This paragraph describes the technology.
Suiso uses novel microwave technology to extract hydrogen from natural gas or biogas, capturing the carbon in the form of carbon black, which can be used to make tyres, batteries and inks. In 2023 the company was one of the winners of a government competition to provide technology to supply hydrogen energy.
These are my thoughts.
Suiso And HiiROC
Suiso are taking a similar route to HiiROC.
- The base feedstock is natural gas, which is mainly methane or CH4, with four planet-saving hydrogen atoms and a very naughty carbon one.
- Clever technology is then applied to the methane atoms and the carbon atom doesn’t like it, so they let go of the hydrogen atoms.
- It is then a matter of physically separating the carbon black from the hydrogen.
The difference between the two processes is that Suiso use microwave technology and HiiROC use plasma technology.
HiiROC claim their process will work with any hydrocarbon gas from biomethane through off-gas from a chemical plant to natural gas.
So I suspect, that as Suiso says it will work with biomethane, both technologies will work with virtually any hydrocarbon gas.
Uses Of Carbon Black
This Wikipedia entry gives a lot of information on carbon black.
There is a section, which is entitled Common Uses, where this is said.
The most common use (70%) of carbon black is as a pigment and reinforcing phase in automobile tires. Carbon black also helps conduct heat away from the tread and belt area of the tire, reducing thermal damage and increasing tire life. Its low cost makes it a common addition to cathodes and anodes and is considered a safe replacement to lithium metal in lithium-ion batteries. About 20% of world production goes into belts, hoses, and other non-tire rubber goods. The remaining 10% use of carbon black comes from pigment in inks, coatings, and plastics, as well as being used as a conductive additive in lithium-ion batteries.
Carbon black is added to polypropylene because it absorbs ultraviolet radiation, which otherwise causes the material to degrade. Carbon black particles are also employed in some radar absorbent materials, in photocopier and laser printer toner, and in other inks and paints. The high tinting strength and stability of carbon black has also provided use in coloring of resins and films. Carbon black has been used in various applications for electronics. A good conductor of electricity, carbon black is used as a filler mixed in plastics, elastomer, films, adhesives, and paints. It is used as an antistatic additive agent in automobile fuel caps and pipes.
There is another section, which is entitled Use in Lithium-Ion Batteries, where this is said.
Carbon black is a common conductive additive for lithium ion batteries as they have small particle sizes and large specific surface areas (SSA) which allow for the additive to be well distributed throughout the cathode or anode in addition to being cheap and long-lasting. Unlike graphite, which is one of the other common materials used in chargeable batteries, carbon black consists of crystal lattices that are further apart and promotes Li+ intercalation because it allows more pathways for lithium storage.
Carbon black has a low density that allows for a large volume of it to be dispersed so that its conductive effects are applied evenly throughout the battery. Furthermore, its arrangement of randomly distributed graphite-like crystals improves battery stability because of the decrease in the potential barrier of lithium intercalation into graphite, which ultimately affects the performance of cathodes.
Carbon black does seem to be very useful.
Suiso’s Web Site
This is Suiso’s web site.
The page is headed About Us and this is said.
Suiso is a developer of a low energy near zero emission microwave-driven methane cracking process for onsite generation of Hydrogen.
Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, is rapidly emerging as a sustainable solution for the decarbonisation of the economy and a key piece of the energy transition picture in UK, Europe and around the world.
The cost and practical issues with generating and distributing Hydrogen has held back its use in most economies. Suiso’s technology uses existing electrical, natural/bio gas assets and infrastructure to produce clean low cost hydrogen. By transforming stranded ‘brown’ assets into vital hydrogen infrastructure, Suiso helps reduce CO2 emissions and enables countries throughout the world to meet challenging greenhouse gas emissions targets, quickly and cost effectively.
Suiso’s technology allows its generating units to be positioned anywhere there is a supply of natural/bio gas and electricity. Being located at the point of use eliminates the costly distribution (by truck or pipe) of H2 to the customer – delivering significant cost reductions. This allows it to offer competitively priced H2 for small to medium sized applications in developed and developing countries., including:
- H2 Fueling stations
- Biomethane (H2) conversion/decarbonisation for grid injection
- Light industrial applications
- Domestic H2 supply for small communities/towns
- Demand management/System top up
- Emergency H2 supply
It will design, build and supply these generators directly or via licensees to markets throughout the world.
Conclusion
I like this company.
Centrica Completes Work On 20MW Hydrogen-Ready Peaker In Redditch
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Centrica.
This is the sub-heading.
Construction is complete on Centrica’s new 20MW hydrogen-blend-ready gas-fired peaking plant in Worcestershire, transforming the previously decommissioned Redditch power plant.
These paragraphs give more details of the project.
The plant is designed to support times of high or peak demand for electricity. Peaking plants only operate when production from renewables can’t meet demand, supporting the energy transition by maintaining a stable electricity supply. The Redditch site can power the equivalent of 2,000 homes for a full day, helping to maintain stability and reliability on the grid.
The plant is capable of using a blend of natural gas and hydrogen, futureproofing the site and supporting the UK’s transition towards a decarbonised energy system.
The Redditch peaking plant forms part of Centrica’s plans to invest between £600m – £800m a year until 2028 in renewable generation, security of supply, and its customers, including building out a portfolio of flexible energy assets. That includes the redevelopment of several legacy power stations, including the Brigg Energy Park in to a power generation and battery storage asset, and the first power station in the UK to be part-fuelled by hydrogen.
I also wrote Centrica Business Solutions Begins Work On 20MW Hydrogen-Ready Peaker In Redditch, about this project.
HiiROC
I wonder if this power station will be fitted with a HiiROC system, which will split the natural gas into two useful products; hydrogen and carbon black.
I wrote about HiiROC in Centrica Partners With Hull-Based HiiRoc For Hydrogen Fuel Switch Trial At Humber Power Plant.
I can see lots of HiiROC systems creating a hydrogen feed, to decarbonise various processes.
Whose Engines Are Used At Redditch?
Centrica still haven’t disclosed, whose engines they are using.
The Anonymous Widower 