Kirkwall Airport in Orkney is set to have its heat and power decarbonised through green hydrogen as part of a new project.
On 27 January, the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) announced it is collaborating with Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) to decarbonise the airport. It will see a hydrogen combustion engine installed and demonstrated at the airport in 2021 as part of a package of initiatives. Doosan Babcock has been contracted with its combined heat and power (CHP) manufacturer, 2G, for the provision of the hydrogen combustion technology. 2G’s hydrogen-ready CHP system will be paired with the airport’s existing heating system to meet the heating and power requirements of the airport’s main buildings.
It will be deployed for an extended trial period at the airport with the CHP plant using green hydrogen supplied by EMEC to generate electricity, as well as recovering and using by-product heat to deliver an efficient, comprehensive energy solution.
Through the ReFLEX Orkney project, EMEC said it had found space and water heating demand in the airport terminal represented the biggest source of emissions, after aircraft operations. With the Scottish government setting a target for the Highlands and Islands to become the world’s first net zero aviation region by 2040, decarbonising airport groundside activities was cited as a key step in enabling HIAL to achieve that goal.
