Siemens Energy is claiming a construction world-first with a hydrogen fuel cell supplying zero carbon electricity and heat to the team building the world’s longest interconnector.
On 3 September, Recharge News said the hydrogen system will deliver off-grid, clean energy to construction operations at the UK onshore end of the 765km, 1.4GW Viking Link interconnector with Denmark. This will remove the need for temporary diesel generators during work to build a converted station, with Siemens Energy stating it shows hydrogen to be a “viable alternative”.
The fuel cell will supply 250kVA of power for 20 cabins being used in the construction village at the site in Lincolnshire, with any waste heat used to provide hot water to a drying room at the site. A 216kWh battery will ensure uninterrupted supply. Siemens Energy is in the process of sourcing green hydrogen from renewables to take over from conventional generation sources. Once in place, it will cut CO2 emissions at the site by a ton a week. Steve Scrimshaw, Vice President at Siemens Energy UK and Ireland, said: “In order to get the hydrogen economy moving we need to create a market, and it is small projects, such as this, which will increase the demand for green hydrogen, providing a pipeline of work for the supply chain. We have 30 years to reach net zero and at that point, we won’t be able to use things like diesel to power a generator.”
