‘Dorset Green H2’ is Canford Renewable Energy’s (CRE’s) first green hydrogen project and also the first facility of this type in the South-West region and one of the first in the UK.
The 5MW solar park in Wimborne, near Poole, was energised in October 2022 and feeds electricity into a co-located hydrogen electrolyser to produce renewable green hydrogen. The installation has a design lifetime of 30 years.
Solar modules were installed across the 26-acre former Whites Pit landfill site. The electricity generated from the solar park feeds into a 0.9 MW electrolyser to produce circa 120,000kg of green hydrogen per year. When electricity from the solar farm is not available the electrolyser will be supplemented with green electricity generated from CRE’s 2.5MW landfill gas power station. This ensures the hydrogen production can continue day and night powered by on-site renewable power generation.
This first project has significant expansion potential with the already consented second electrolyser and battery storage. Additional solar and an on-site hydrogen refuelling facility may be the next challenge on this exciting project. CRE is also considering other similar project opportunities in the South and South-West of the UK.
Nathan Ross, CRE’s Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to be able to put this old landfill site to further use producing renewable energy and zero emission green hydrogen. This will benefit the Dorset economy and further reduce its carbon footprint. The Dorset Green H2 project is also a catalyst for the development of a hydrogen economy in the South-West.”
Ethical Power were the EPC contractor for the solar park. Their scope of work included development consultancy and due diligence, civils and reinstatement work and technical due diligence throughout the construction phase. Ethical Power have also been awarded the early-stage operations and maintenance (O&M) contract.
Neil Buck, Managing Director of Ethical Power Ltd said, “The Whites Pit solar farm was our first project delivered for Canford Renewable Energy. Our collaborative approach and partnership with the CRE team were essential to the project’s success and allowed us to complete on time and to the highest standard. A reliable, high yield and high-performance solar park will now ensure CRE can maximise the value of their investment”.
Logan Energy designed, built, and commissioned the hydrogen production facility alongside Green Hydrogen Systems who supplied and commissioned the 0.9MW electrolyser. Logan Energy have been awarded the early-stage operations and maintenance (O&M) contract.
Max Ogilvie from Logan Energy said, “It has been a fantastic project collaborating with industry leading suppliers to build a system for CRE to fill Hydrogen Trailers. Canford will be the one of the first companies in the UK to produce Green Hydrogen and we couldn’t be happier to have delivered this system”.
SG Financial Limited co-ordinated the funding package for this project. The project was funded via a combination of loan funding from Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership’s Growing Places Fund and NatWest, plus a £1.5 million grant from Low Carbon Dorset and equity funding from CRE.
Shaun Gomm, Managing Director of SG Financial said, “It is anticipated that this innovative project will be the catalyst for the development of the hydrogen economy in the South-West. The project combines two sources of renewable on-site generated electricity, from base load generation from landfill gas together with solar power, to produce green hydrogen and increased green electricity generation.”
Using funding from the EU, Dorset Council established the Low Carbon Dorset programme to accelerate the decarbonisation of Dorset’s economy, supporting the adoption of renewable energy generation and energy efficiency measures as well as creating opportunities for Dorset businesses to innovate. Low Carbon Dorset’s grant of £1.5m for the Dorset Green H2 facility was their largest investment.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, and Low Carbon Dorset Board member, said: “Decarbonising parts of the economy such as use of heavy goods vehicles will be a challenge without cleaner, sustainable fuels. Canford Renewable Energy had the vision, experience and location to realise this project for Dorset, and is now well placed to promote the uptake of green hydrogen for a range of uses. We will need a mix of heat, power and fuel solutions to meet urgent carbon reduction targets, and this project is an important step forward in unlocking the supply and demand challenge for green hydrogen.”