Project Status - Ongoing
- Start Date: January 2022
- End Date: December 2026
- Growing Places Fund Loan allocation: £3,000,000
- Awarded to: Canford Renewable Energy
Green hydrogen production facility, Dorset Green H2, is a flagship project in the region and a catalyst for the hydrogen economy in the South West. Overall, this project has benefited from a £6.5 million funding package to enable Poole-based Canford Renewable Energy Ltd to generate hydrogen fuel from on-site, renewable sources.
Unlike many other hydrogen projects which may use fossil fuels to produce the fuel, the Dorset Green H2 facility will use only renewable energy generated by on-site solar and landfill gases to make green hydrogen, a clean, zero-emission fuel.
The site, previously used for landfill, has been used to generate electricity by harnessing naturally occurring methane gases from landfill since 1996. This legacy will be continued through this exciting project.
Green hydrogen power will play an important role in moving polluting, energy-intensive industries and heavy transport like shipping, HGV lorries and trains, away from fossil fuels. It is recognised by the government as an emission-free fuel for use in vehicles, homes and much more. Producing only water vapour and oxygen as by-products, green hydrogen is a central part of the UK government’s plan to reach net zero, outlined in the UK Hydrogen Strategy published in August 2021.
Hydrogen fuel is recognised as being superior to battery-electric power when it comes to large vehicles, particularly in terms of range and time to re-charge and re-fuel, taking minutes rather than hours. As the green hydrogen economy develops, there may be opportunities to decarbonise large vehicle fleets in Dorset.
Expected project outputs:
- Installation of a 5-Megawatt (MW) ground-mounted array of solar panels to supplement electricity produced from the site’s existing landfill gas to power the hydrogen facility
- Purchase and installation of a 0.87MW electrolyser which will produce up to 120,000kg of green hydrogen fuel each year to be compressed, stored, and sold for local and regional use as a carbon free fuel.
Expected project outcomes:
- 12 permanent safeguarded jobs
- Four businesses supported
- 120,150 sqm commercial/industrial space constructed
- Up to 120,000 kgs annualised green hydrogen production from October 2023, onwards
- 3,500 tonnes reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per annum from 2023/24 (from solar pv).
This project will help to realise ambitions to achieve net zero in Dorset, and aligns with the Dorset Low Carbon Opportunities document.
