NEWS : Off-Grid Construction Site Taps Into Hydrogen Fuel Cell Tech To Power Operations

The kit for the fuel-cell is stored within a shipping container. Siemens Energy

A building site for a major infrastructure project in the U.K. has started to use a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell for heat and power, removing the need for diesel generators.

Siemens Energy said the hydrogen fuel cell system would be used on a site in the county of Lincolnshire, England, which serves the Viking Link Interconnector project.
The site was not due to be connected to the grid “for at least six to eight months,” the company said, and so required an off-grid system. The new technology “provide(s) enough heat and power for the construction village during that time, removing the need for diesel generators.”
Installed in August 2020 by Siemens Energy, the system’s kit is contained in a shipping container. Reusable pipes have been installed to carry hot water from the module to areas of the site where it’s needed, while a battery storage system is also in place to help boost efficiency and “smooth the peaks in power demand.”
The plan is for the fuel cell to eventually use “green hydrogen,” a term that refers to hydrogen produced from renewable sources.
Siemens Energy added that the fuel cell’s sole by-product from producing power from hydrogen was water, which would prevent the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other particulates.
“This project shows that zero emission power generation has reached a point where it can viably replace off grid diesel generation and remove these health risks to the benefit of all.”

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