Aberdeen could have Scotland's first hydrogen powered homes

The developers behind the plans for Cloverhill have secured a commitment from Panasonic to trial the use of hydrogen fuel cells to heat and power a proportion of the proposed 550 homes at Cloverhill, in what would be a first for the city and Scotland. The planning application is subject to a pre-determination hearing on 15th of January at Aberdeen City Council.

The Aberdeen Hydrogen First project is a pilot aiming to test the performance of micro-CHP (combined heat and power) technology against the manufacturer’s claims that households could lower their CO2 emissions by up to 30%, lower their fuel consumption by up to 40% and save up to £378 per year.

Initially, thirty of the homes at the site would be fitted with fuel cells which transform the same natural gas, that powers most homes, into hydrogen that will then be used to generate electricity and heat. If the benefits of the technology are proven, there is potential for it to be retrofitted in homes connected to the gas grid to reduce emissions of existing housing stock.

Hydrogen power is a fast-growing sustainable alternative to traditional power sources and is being implemented in developments across the globe including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Village.

Nigel Munro of HBD said: “Our vision at Cloverhill is to create an attractive, inclusive and sustainable new community that will be low carbon. This hydrogen project would offer residents a unique opportunity to try a new way of powering their homes that would save money and reduce their carbon footprint. Aberdeen has become a trail-blazer in hydrogen and this pilot would make the city a national first in the race against climate change.

“With the government’s ambitious emission reduction targets and an increasing appetite amongst consumers for sustainable alternative source of power, the scheme could pave the way for both future developments and existing homes across Scotland to switch to hydrogen energy.”