Scottish innovator makes in-roads with its portable hydrogen solution
AScottish firm has invented an innovative mobile hydrogen supply unit to allow trucks and buses to refuel in places where no supply of the gas is available.
The portable compression tank has been created by Logan Energy to accelerate uptake of hydrogen as a low-carbon fuel, helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions from transport and achieve Scottish and UK climate targets.
Housed in a horse box-sized trailer, the unit can be easily towed to wherever hydrogen is needed. Its automated compressor ensures a vehicle or cylinder can be filled in a single session with no manual involvement required.
Logan Energy, based at Wallyford in East Lothian, is already providing trailers, and the firm is in serial production to deploy many more to leading bus companies and HGV operators, as well as other commercial applications.
The compression trailer was unveiled this week at the All Energy 2022 conference held in Glasgow. Bill Ireland, chief executive of Logan Energy, said: “This new mobile unit is the latest innovation from Logan Energy and is in response to the market. It is a much-needed solution for companies adopting hydrogen as a low-carbon fuel for their bus or lorry fleets.
“The compression unit has been designed with safety and security in mind, using our specific hydrogen engineering expertise.
“Our aim was to build something that overcame the barriers that many companies have, getting access to hydrogen equipment where and when they need it.
“It is a great example of forwardthinking and shows how we are helping businesses and society toward a net-zero future.”
Bus firms are increasingly switching to hydrogen in their efforts to achieve net-zero, after establishing that battery-powered electric vehicles cannot meet the requirements on all routes.
Refuelling from Logan Energy’s hydrogen trailer is simple – the user connects the vehicle to the unit, presses a start button and then waits for the tank of their vehicle to be filled.
A similar process is followed to fill other systems, but different connections are used.
The launch of the unit is the latest in a series of positive developments at Logan Energy.
The firm is involved in a £3 million project at Arbikie distillery, which is working to install an onsite wind turbine and electrolyser which will generate green hydrogen to power the distiller’s whisky production at its plant in Angus.