A North Staffordshire University has launched a pioneering new Green Hydrogen Generation Hub which uses excess renewable energy for hydrogen production.

Senior leaders in energy policy, climate science, and industry were among the guests at the launch of Keele University's innovative new Green Hydrogen Generation Hub on Tuesday (13th January).

The university has been a leader in hydrogen and low carbon energy research and innovation for many years, from conducting the first pilot of blending hydrogen into a live gas grid on campus with the HyDeploy trial, to leading the HyDEX project to prepare the Midlands for the hydrogen economy. 

Now, Keele's ambitions have taken another step forward with the launch of new facilities on campus for generating hydrogen from excess renewable energy generated on campus, allowing researchers to develop and test the next generation of materials and infrastructure that uses this form of energy storage. 

Dr Charlie Creissen, Senior Lecturer in Electrochemistry and leader of the HyDEX project at Keele, said: "The launch of the new Green Hydrogen Generation Hub (GH2) marks a major milestone on the path to a more sustainable future.

A hydrogen-fuelled Toyota Mirai at Keele University's Low Carbon Energy Generation Park, which generates the renewable electricity needed to power the hydrogen-producing electrolyser (image via Keele University)

"By demonstrating how green hydrogen can be produced from excess renewable electricity, our facilities offer critical insights into how hydrogen can be deployed at a national scale to reduce emissions across multiple sectors." 

Keele University explained that hydrogen has great potential to replace fossil-based processes in multiple sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The hydrogen at Keele is generated from an electrolyser on the university campus, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules, with the oxygen released into the atmosphere while the hydrogen is stored for future use. 

Crucially the hydrogen being generated at Keele is "green" hydrogen; meaning it creates little or no environmental impact in the generation process, with the electrolyser powered by excess renewable electricity generated on Keele's campus by two wind turbines and 12,200 solar panels at Keele's on-site renewable energy generation park via Keele's Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND). 

This means the hydrogen is being generated and distributed using on-site infrastructure, with others having to import or transport their hydrogen from other sources to conduct similar research. 

The hydrogen is already being used to fuel two hydrogen-powered cars; two Toyota Mirais, which have been added to the university's fleet of vehicles, and the hydrogen-generating electrolyser will also allow new research into hydrogen technologies which could play a crucial role in future efforts to reduce carbon emissions. 

(Left to Right) Professor Raphael Hirschi, Professor Tasnim Munshi, Baroness Berger, Ash Hulme, and Dr Charlie Creissen refuel the hydrogen car at the green hydrogen generation hub on Keele University's campus (image via Keele University)

Professor Mark Ormerod OBE, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at Keele, said: "The launch of GH2 on our campus is a really exciting development for the University.  

"The integration of our on-site campus renewable energy park with the electrolyser producing green hydrogen through our Smart Energy Network Demonstrator, provides a unique research and innovation facility for researching hydrogen and its role in climate action and the transition to a more sustainable low carbon society." 

An official launch event on campus to showcase the electrolyser and Keele's hydrogen ambitions was held this week, with representatives from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, politicians including former Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change Baroness Luciana Berger, manufacturers like JCB, Toyota, Mueller and Lucideon, and leading climate scientists all attending.  

Baroness Luciana Berger, Chair of the Energy Storage Association and former Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change, added: "I'm really impressed by the ambition of the team here at Keele, and the exciting potential that this project shows for hydrogen generated from renewable sources to create a more sustainable world.

"Innovation like this is desperately needed globally if we are to tackle the climate crisis. With research and infrastructure like this the UK can play a major role to help us all to transition to a lower-carbon future." 

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