Aran and Mallorca to share plan on climate
MALLORCA and the Aran Islands may not share the same climate but a new energy project could see them sharing the same climate action.
Researchers at NUI Galway are taking part in a venture on the Mediterranean island with a view to replicating it on its Atlantic cousins and other Irish islands.
The ‘Green Hysland’ project aims to add hydrogen to the mix of energy providing Mallorca’s electricity, heat and transport using entirely renewable sources.
Green hydrogen is created by using electrolysis to split water molecules and release their hydrogen components. In Mallorca, the power for the electrolysis will come from solar parks but it could equally come from wind.
Hydrogen can take gas or liquid form and be used for home heating, power and fuel for vehicles, replacing fossil fuels with a carbon-free alternative.
Green Hysland aims to bring together the solar power generators who will produce the hydrogen, the gas grid operators who will distribute it, and the bus companies, car-hire firms, homes, businesses and hotels who will use it.
Chemist Dr Pau Farràs Costa, engineer Dr Rory Monaghan, and economist Dr Thomas van Rensburg of NUI Galway are combining their expertise to assess the impact on Mallorca and the potential for other island communities, including Aran and Valentia.
“It will be the first opportunity to demonstrate how green hydrogen holds the key to island decarbonisation and energy independence,” said Dr Farràs Costa.
The Programme for Government commits to investing in green hydrogen and some small-scale projects are under way, mainly involving hydrogen for buses and other heavy vehicles where conversion to electric is not practical.
Green hydrogen is also a solution to the problem of renewable energy wastage at times when excess electricity is produced by wind or solar.
Green Hysland is a five-year, €50m project, part-funded by the European Commission and backed by firms including Spanish gas company, Enagás. It aims to have at least 300 tonnes of hydrogen in use annually, cutting carbon emissions by the equivalent of 2,300 homes.