SHARE: Sustainable hydrogen for agriculture and rural environments

This project identifies and analyses the key factors that determine how distributed sustainable hydrogen generation can help decarbonise agriculture and bring the rural environment into the hydrogen economy.
The analytical approaches used will systematically explore different scenarios and research questions:
-what scale of hydrogen generation is economically viable, in comparison to other hydrogen and low carbon fuel options?
-can distributed hydrogen generation using renewable energy be viable in rural environments?
-can rural hydrogen generation be usefully linked to other rural processes such as manure management and food waste?
-is solid state storage preferred over pressurised gas, considering system complexity, cost, safety, and efficiency?
-how does viability vary with progress in competitor technologies such as batteries?
-the viability of distributed hydrogen generation as a buffer against world events
The rapidly changing global environment means that the work seeks to understand the impact of different factors, so that specific scenarios can be analysed, making the understanding gained widely applicable. An important part of the work is direct engagement with stakeholders to understand their priorities. The project will make use of the centre's existing networks as well generating new contacts in agriculture and rural communities. Engagement with stakeholders will be used to inform the project of any additional factors and priorities and is expected to produce further questions to be considered.
Deliverables
-Scalable techno-economic and life cycle assessment model of distributed hydrogen production and storage
-Comparative analysis of low carbon fuel alternatives for rural and agricultural environments
-Establishment of links with rural hydrogen stakeholders for future collaborative funding applications.