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Pure Energy Solutions
Since the Pure EnergyTM Centre was establishment in February 2006 it has been involved in off-grid energy projects and renewable hydrogen developments in 4 continents, has delivered specialist training in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to over 100 students, and has hosted visits, conducted workshops and delivered presentations to businesses, politicians of all parties, investors, engineers, school students, academic researchers, and public agencies.
Many of the key customers of the Pure EnergyTM Centre are grid constrained or off-grid communities seeking a renewable energy solution to local energy insecurity. This reflects the heritage and foundation of the Pure EnergyTM Centre as a community development initiative established around an operating renewable energy system which incorporates innovative energy storage, energy efficiency, effective heat management and alternative transport fuels.
PURE Promoting Unst Renewable Energy
The PURE (Promoting Unst Renewable Energy) project is a pioneering project on the windswept island of Unst, the most northerly island in the British Isles. The PURE project is a demonstration project that shows how wind power and hydrogen technology can be combined to provide the energy needs for a remote rural industrial estate. It has been commissioned by the Unst Partnership Ltd., a community development agency established by the Unst Community Council to support local economic development and regeneration. This is the first community owned renewable energy project of its kind in the world, and represents an important milestone in the development of green energy systems.
Significant differences between the PURE project and other hydrogen energy systems deployed around the world are the scale and the low budget within which it has developed. The PURE project has uniquely been developed with a comparatively small project budget of approximately £350,000. This budget also included all the engineering and consultancy works surrounding the project, as well as the hardware.
Background
The Shetland Islands have among the highest energy costs in the UK. In particular the most northerly island of Unst has recorded in excess of £1.12 for a litre of road diesel. Due to the remote northerly location of Unst the islanders are highly dependant on this fuel for energy.
A recent energy balance study completed by the Unst Partnership Ltd found that over 50% of islanders spend more than 20% of their household income on energy. The majority of this was found to be in the form of energy for heating and transportation fuel.
A separate study conducted by Garrad Hassan and Partners has also shown the Shetland Islands have some of the best renewable energy resources in Europe. Annual recorded wind turbine performance was shown to reach almost twice that of equivalent turbines else where in the UK and Denmark.
The largest barrier to harnessing the abundance of the renewable energy available within Shetland is in its effective delivery to the demand centres in central UK and Europe. The Shetland Islands are powered by one of the last major independent electrical networks in the UK. As such there is limited capacity to absorb intermittent renewable energy sources.
As a means to utilise the abundant renewable energy resource present within the islands a local development organisation, the Unst Partnership, commissioned the development of a sustainable energy system that can operate independently of the constrained electrical infrastructure. The captured energy is stored in the form of Hydrogen for use in both transportation and the generation of ‘on demand’ electrical power.
Pure Energy Solution
At present wind turbine technology offers the most cost effective method for the generation of clean electrical energy. As such this technology has been deployed as the primary power source within the PURE project system. However the PURE energy system was uniquely designed so that any type of renewable resource could be connected to it such as wave, tidal, solar, or even the grid in case green tariffs are being solicited.
The PURE project consists of two 15kW wind turbines. It has a 3.55Nm3 per hour high-pressure hydrogen electrolyser, high-pressure hydrogen storage, and a hydrogen dispensing facility to fill hydride cylinders. The cylinders are used in a fuel cell/battery hybrid vehicle and other hydrogen applications as an alternative to fossil fuels.
A back-up power supply was also installed. This takes the form of a 5kW fuel cell and an inverter. The hydrogen used by the fuel cell is produced from the electrolyser. The inverter was installed to convert the output power of the fuel cell from Direct Current (DC) into mains equivalent Alternating Current (AC).
A battery based electric vehicle was converted to run with a hydrogen fuel cell. This electric/fuel cell hybrid car is now fuelled exclusively by the PURE system, using hydrogen produced from the renewable source. This makes the electric car one of the only 100% carbon free vehicles on the British roads.
Local Weather As part of the PURE Project Unst’s first online weather system was installed. To find out what the weather conditions are like at the project site please click here
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