RGU gets Scottish government support for hydrogen test center

May 11, 2023
The Scottish government has awarded Robert Gordon University (RGU) £1.2 million ($1.5 million) of funding to form a hydrogen testing facility at the National Subsea Centre in Aberdeen.

Offshore staff

ABERDEEN, UK – The Scottish government has awarded Robert Gordon University (RGU) £1.2 million ($1.5 million) of funding to form a hydrogen testing facility at the National Subsea Centre in Aberdeen.

The money falls under the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, designed to support the development of renewable hydrogen technologies as the government targets 5 GW installed hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

The planned Hy-One facility will provide testing and demonstrations for hydrogen storage systems and prototypes, supporting the development of small-to-large-scale compressed hydrogen storage vessels and their accessories.

In addition, RGU will use the part of its funds for two feasibility studies. The first, "Hybrid Hydrogen Storage and Distribution Vessels," aims to identify low-cost, lightweight hydrogen storage and distribution vessels that can be used by multiple industries on a global scale.

The second, "H2Gen Hydrogen Fuel Cell UPS," concerns development of hydrogen power generation to serve as a backup uninterrupted power supply in place of Li-Ion or Lead-acid batteries and diesel generators that are currently used as domestic and commercial UPSs.

Professor James Njuguna, School of Engineering Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange at RGU and RSE Fellow, said, “Hy-One will fast track the availability of local testing and support services on storage materials, accessories and products to acceptable industrial standards. As a result of this, research and development costs will be lower and design time to commercialization routes will shorten.

“We envisage that the certification process will provide third-party confidence in quality assurance of the tested components while also supporting academic research, job creation and training on green hydrogen.”

05.11.2023