Shell and ITM Power open their fifth Hydrogen refuelling station in the UK
The hydrogen refuelling station – the first ‘under the canopy’ in the UK – at Beaconsfield Services on the M40
Shell has announced the opening of a new hydrogen refuelling station at Shell Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire. Supplied by ITM Power, this opening follows the launch of the first fully branded and public hydrogen refuelling site in the UK at Shell Cobham in February 2017.
Shell Beaconsfield on the M40 will be the first site in the UK to bring hydrogen under the same canopy as petrol and diesel, providing drivers with a range of fuel choices to co-exist with traditional transport fuels. The hydrogen is generated on-site using an electrolyser that requires only water and electricity to generate the hydrogen gas.
ITM Power manufactures integrated hydrogen energy solutions with rapid responses and that too with a constant high pressure that meets the criteria for grid balancing and energy storage services and also for the production of clean fuel for transport, renewable heat and chemicals.
Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles convert hydrogen into electricity to power the engine and produce only heat and water when driven. They can travel up to 700 kilometres on a single tank and can be refuelled in a few minutes.
Mike Copson, Hydrogen Business Development Manager at Shell, said, “Bringing hydrogen under the canopy for the first time is a fantastic step towards making it a convenient and viable fuel choice for UK drivers.”
The hydrogen station at Beaconsfield is the fifth hydrogen refuelling site in the UK to be supplied by ITM Power and will be the first to be opened as part of the H2ME project (Hydrogen Mobility Europe project). The initiative has been partially funded by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), and the UK’s Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) is a unique public-private partnership supporting research, technological development and demonstration activities in fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies in Europe.
Graham Cooley, CEO of ITM Power, said, “We look forward to working alongside Shell to deploy further stations and grow the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in the UK.”
FCH JU Executive Director Bart Biebuyck said, “The opening of this new station at the Beaconsfield forecourt proves that hydrogen is getting more acceptance as the fuel of the future, and is ready to offer an everyday green solution to citizens. We need to continue building on these achievements, and enable the transition towards a low-carbon transport system.”
Apart from the hydrogen station, Shell is also looking forward to the launch of Shell ReCharge, Shell’s on-forecourt rapid electric vehicle charging service; an agreement with charging network operator IONITY to offer charge points across ten European countries; and the acquisition of NewMotion, one of Europe’s largest electric vehicle charging networks.
In addition to two hydrogen sites in the UK, Shell has a growing number of hydrogen sites in California and is part of a joint venture in Germany which aims to open a network of up to 400 hydrogen sites by 2023. Shell is a founding member of the Hydrogen Council, announced at Davos in January 2017.
Source: autocarpro.in
