Hydrogen Future Industries PLC (AQSE:HFI) said it is preparing to start testing a prototype wind-based hydrogen production system with the aim of generating hydrogen for under US$2 per kilogram.
The system is being developed by its HESL subsidiary, led by wind turbine engineer Timothy Blake, based on his historic development work.
Using advanced aerodynamics and rotor blade design, and a smart hydraulic drive system, Blake and fellow directors believe the system will be “a smaller, quieter, safer and more efficient alternative to existing open rotor wind turbines”.
The design is seen as resulting in significant advantages, including reduced weight and cost, simplified installation and maintenance and standardised transportation, with components fitting inside shipping containers, while using a choice of feedstocks including waste or contaminated water, saline or fresh water, and remediation processes to allow it to be operated in offshore, mining and industrial settings.
HESL intends to incorporate hydrogen compression and on-demand energy storage technology, which it said would allow energy to be stored in the form of hydrogen “at a fraction of the cost of lithium-ion battery storage, solving the challenges faced by current windfarms during periods of reduced energy demand”.
Construction of an automated tower for the wind turbine has begun, HFI said, with the intention of outdoor installation later this year, with a 12-metre (m) tall prototype unit using a 1m diameter wind turbine.
Testing is anticipated to take “several months” before the first commercial scale units are built for testing and certification at or above 20m tall with a 5m wind turbine diameter.
Based on its planned design, the company stated it could deliver “constant electricity at costs up to 50% below current wind turbines, while nearly halving capital costs per megawatt of electricity generated".
David Ormerod, executive director of HFI, said: “We are making excellent progress and preparing for installation of the 1m diameter wind prototype, potentially as early as next month.
“This milestone will represent the beginning of a hugely important testing and data collection period that will feed into the construction of the first commercial scale units of 5m diameter.
“Existing renewable energy based hydrogen systems are not achieving the cost of production levels that will be required for mainstream adoption of hydrogen, particularly in the transport sector. Based on the significant development work undertaken to date, we believe HESL’s system could meet and surpass the target cost of hydrogen without the need for government subsidies.”