Costain and hydrogen industry start-up Hydrologiq have trialled the use of a hydrogen-powered fuel cell generator on the Preston Western Distributor Road project in England.
The generator, a GEH2 electro-hydrogen unit made in France by French company EODev (Energy Observer Developments), was set up in Costain’s compound along the M55 motorway to power the compound’s services. The €241 million Preston Western Distributor Road is the biggest new road programme in the City of Deal.
The EODev GEH2 fuel-cell and battery integrated generator runs extremely quietly and emits water as the sole by-product from electricity (see end of article). It powered the entire compound, comprising offices, a canteen, drying room, toilets and two battery electric vehicle charging stations.
Moving from diesel to green hydrogen on a similar compound could save up to 11 tonnes CO2e per month, according to Costain and Hydrologiq, based near London.
Hydrologiq funded the trial through an innovation grant from the UK’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy which aims to support the deployment of hydrogen generators on real-world sites throughout the UK.
Costain’s ambition is to become a net-zero business by 2035. “By 2023, every solution delivered by Costain for our clients will propose low carbon options,” said Tara McCracken, project environment manager at Costain. “We are looking forward to seeing more hydrogen-powered generators on our projects in the future.”
EODev says that its GEH2 electro-hydrogen unit recently obtained the Origine France Garantie certification after a complete audit by the France’s independent AFNOR certification body. The OFG is the only certification that attests the French origin of a product and assures consumers of the traceability of a product by giving a clear and objective indication of origin.
To obtain OFG label, the GEH2 had to demonstrate that it was designed in France and that over half of the unit cost price is French. To this end, it is assembled in the Essonne region of France, near Paris, at EODev’s partner Eneria's production site in Montlhéry, using components that come mostly from France. Eneria is a subsidiary of the Monnoyeur Group.
The GEH2 in a few figures:
Dimensions – 3300mm x 1100 mm x 2252mm
Mass - 3.4 tonnes
Power – 100-110kVA / 80-88kW
Output voltage – 400-480 Volts AC
Frequency output - 50 Hz - 60 Hz
Protection index - IP43
