Seven British companies leading the hydrogen transition
The UK has a long history of engineering excellence and is home to some of the pioneers of the clean hydrogen revolution.
The most common method for producing clean hydrogen is by splitting water into its constituent parts with an electrolyser powered by renewable energy. Not only do the inputs use very little carbon but the green hydrogen that is produced emits no carbon dioxide when burned or used in a fuel cell.
There are other ways of making hydrogen that actually remove greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial supply chain by turning waste that would otherwise go to landfill into the clean fuel. Some of the leaders in this field are also from the UK.
Then there are companies that are pioneering the use of clean hydrogen to make our environment cleaner and helping in the fight against climate change.
Atome Energy produces green hydrogen and green ammonia and has 350-MW projects in Paraguay, Iceland, and Central America. The Leeds-based company launched Atome Mobility in February 2022 aimed at providing clean energy for heavy road transport and shipping.
In May 2023, global energy services company Baker Hughes became a partner and an investor. In the same month, Atome announced that it is expanding its Villeta project in Paraguay to include green fertiliser production, which is made by combining green hydrogen with nitrogen.
JCB is a global leader in plant equipment and in recent years has pioneered the development of hydrogen internal combustion engines as it prepares for a low-carbon future for its products. In May 2021, it unveiled its first prototype hydrogen-fuelled piston engine and six months later announced an increase in the number of engineers working on the development of its hydrogen engines from 100 to 150 and a plan to invest £100 million in the technology.
Powerhouse Energy Group has developed technology that turns plastic waste into useful products including hydrogen by heating it to a temperature at which it turns into a gas. The West Yorkshire-based company is developing its first hydrogen generating plant at the Peel Plastic Park near Ellesmere Port in the northwest of England.
It has also licensed its technology to Hydrogen Utopia, which is seeking to develop a project in Poland – the EU Konin Project – turning un-recyclable plastic into hydrogen for buses and other captive fleets. Hydrogen Utopia recently hired WS Atkins as consultant for its proposed waste plastic to hydrogen facility in County Longford, Ireland.
AFC Energy specialises in hydrogen fuel cells and converting hydrogen carriers such as ammonia and methanol into clean, off-grid power solutions. The Cranleigh, Surrey-based company is focused on displacing diesel generators at off-grid locations.
In a UK-first, AFC Energy has worked with construction company Keltbray to charge its on-site electric vehicles with hydrogen-powered generators. The company also recently announced a joint venture with equipment hire group Speedy Hire to launch dedicated hydrogen powered generator plant hire business using AFC’s H-Power generators.
Ryze Hydrogen supplies clean hydrogen and hydrogen infrastructure for transport, industry and other applications, providing complete solutions including hydrogen sourcing, transport, distribution and infrastructure.
Eqtec is a bioscience energy company focused on turning waste materials into renewable resources like natural gas, hydrogen, ethanol, and methanol. Similar to Hydrogen Utopia, Eqtec uses gasification to produce hydrogen.
The London-listed company has gasification projects across Europe and one under construction in the US. Eqtec has projects in Its Southport and North Wales with anaerobic digestion specialist Anaergia and in July 2023 signed an agreement with Domi Ost to undertake projects in Ireland.
JCB is a global leader in plant equipment and in recent years has pioneered the development of hydrogen internal combustion engines as it prepares for a low-carbon future for its products. In May 2021, it unveiled its first prototype hydrogen-fuelled piston engine and six months later announced an increase in the number of engineers working on the development of its hydrogen engines from 100 to 150 and a plan to invest £100 million in the technology.
Last year, it unveiled the world’s first mobile site hydrogen refueller for its hydrogen-powered backhoe loaders and telehandlers and inn 2023 has
Wrightbus launched its first zero-emission hydrogen bus – the Streetdeck Hydroliner – in 2020 in Aberdeen, with the fleet entering passenger service in January 2021. The Hydroliner bus emits only water from its tailpipe, with no harmful emissions.
Wrightbus launched its first zero-emission hydrogen bus – the Streetdeck Hydroliner – in 2020 in Aberdeen, with the fleet entering passenger service in January 2021. The Hydroliner bus emits only water from its tailpipe, with no harmful emissions.
Earlier this year, hydrogen buses built by the Northern Ireland-based firm completed 3 million miles on the roads, preventing a 5,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions entering the atmosphere compared to journeys made by an equivalent diesel bus.
Ryze Hydrogen supplies clean hydrogen and hydrogen infrastructure for transport, industry and other applications, providing complete solutions including hydrogen sourcing, transport, distribution and infrastructure.
The Oxford-based company is developing hydrogen projects with heavyweight partners including Northern Gas Networks and Centrica. Ryze’s Bradford hydrogen production project with NGN has been shortlisted for government funding.
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