ERM receives UK Government funding for low carbon hydrogen projects

Sustainability and engineering advisory ERM has won major funding from the UK Government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 Competition. The firm receives more than £8 million for its Dolphyn project, which looks to develop large-scale, low carbon hydrogen production from floating offshore wind, and additional funding for hydrogen storage projects.

Hydrogen is a unique and versatile fuel perfect for a low carbon economy. When hydrogen combusts it only produces water vapour making it a zero-emission fuel. The lack of carbon emissions makes it a core component of a cleaner energy future worldwide. However, the fuel source has historically faced problems of processing and distribution which have seen it take a back-seat in the renewable energy debate.

ERM claims that its Dolphyn initiative can change all that. The ERM Dolphyn project aims to produce green hydrogen at scale by utilising moored floating substructures; each moored structure hosts an offshore wind turbine and localised hydrogen production facilities, producing hydrogen from seawater with offshore wind as its energy source. According to ERM’s website, hydrogen from ERM Dolphyn alone has the potential to replace 50% of gas by 2065.

The Energy Security Strategy of the UK Government sets out plans to increase the proportion of electricity coming from renewables – and this includes measures to support the growth of the UK’s hydrogen economy. With the UK Government having committed to double the UK’s low carbon hydrogen production targets to up to 10GW by 2030 – with at least half of this being green hydrogen – the state is also committed to research and build new models for the transportation and storage of hydrogen.

The UK is at a critical point when it comes to its energy strategy, and its production of hydrogen, then. As a result, ERM has received £8.62 million in funding to further develop Dolphyn.

Steve Matthews, ERM’s Director for Hydrogen Ventures said: “We’re delighted to receive this support from the UK Government for these innovative projects, which we believe will help transform the UK’s hydrogen landscape. We believe that low carbon hydrogen has a critical role to play on the journey to creating an energy system that is not only secure and efficient, but also capable of hitting our net zero targets in an affordable way.”

The UK Government’s Energy Minister Greg Hands meanwhile added that “the exciting efforts of companies like ERM” could help the UK become a world-leader in hydrogen fuel. With the government support the firm has received, Hands said it had gained a boost to “the development of hydrogen as the clean, affordable, homegrown super fuel of the future.”