Honda opens solar-powered hydrogen production and filling station at UK factory

Honda Motor Co has opened a solar-powered hydrogen production and filling station facility capable of producing 20 tonnes of hydrogen a year at its Swindon factory, in in South West England, autocar.co.uk reported.

The hydrogen produced at the facility can be dispensed directly into fuel cell vehicles such as Honda's own FCX Clarity.

Fuel cell cars are in the development stage currently with limited number of units being manufactured.  According to Honda fuel cell expert Thomas Brachman, if over 100,000 a year or more fuel-cell vehicles were produced, the cost  could compete on price with a conventional combustion engine-driven car of today.

The hydrogen station, the first to produce commercial quantities of renewable hydrogen at the point of use was developed by a consortium of companies including the British Oxygen Corporation (BOC), with funding from the government's Innovate UK.

The plant would also supply a small fleet of bi-fuel Ford Transit vans owned by the Swindon Borough Council and two fuel cell-powered fork lift trucks in operation at the production facility.

The facility uses a sustainable process for producing hydrogen through pressurised alkaline electrolysis of water using electricity produced by a solar farm in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, Swindon Business News reports that Swindon had boosted its standing as a leading centre for innovation in low-emission motoring with the official opening of the UK's first refuelling station that producing 'green' hydrogen on site.

Hydrogen is widely seen as a fuel of the future, possibly replacing fossil-based fuels, as it is a low-carbon energy source that offers energy security, employment opportunities and economic growth.

The station would deploy BOC's hydrogen filling technology to fuel the world's first hybrid Ford Transit vans running on sustainable biodiesel and hydrogen.

The technology would also be used to fill UK's first hydrogen powered fork-lift trucks and a hydrogen fuel cell-powered education centre on the site.

The consortium hopes it would be a benchmark for other refuelling stations to follow and also reinforce the UK's attractiveness as a location for major car manufacturers for rolling out fuel cell vehicles and giving a boost to the growth of a national refueling infrastructure.

BOC director of bulk and packaged gases Nathan Palmer said at the national launch yesterday, ''This investment is proof of BOC's long-term strategy to deliver economically viable and sustainable technology solutions for our customers and society. We are extremely proud to be part of this ground-breaking programme.''