This article is based on a talk Neil gave to the Scottish Energy Forum on 24 October, 2024.
Scotland is at a pivotal moment in its energy transition, with hydrogen widely promoted as a cornerstone of future decarbonisation strategies.
There is no doubt green hydrogen will have a role to play – in industry and in decarbonising those ‘hard to reach’ parts of the economy – but it is not a solution for everything.
It is not easily transported or stored, and it lacks the density of liquid fuels that some end users require – aviation, for example.
However, with the correct processes, green hydrogen can be combined with CO2 to produce a synthetic aviation fuel indistinguishable from the original.
This new green fuel is extremely valuable as it is energy dense, can be relatively easily transported, and requires minimal engine and refuelling infrastructure modifications – offering a major opportunity for Scotland.
This is not theoretical. It has already been done, in Orkney, and the fuel has been used by the RAF in a Guinness world-record flight.
Developing a zero-fossil carbon aviation fuel is a major goal for industrial nations – and home-grown synthetic fuels can offer a genuine green option that plays to Scotland’s strengths, both in the production of green hydrogen and in the use of CO2.
We are experts in both.
In Orkney, we have a long tradition of innovation. We were home to the UK’s first onshore wind turbine, and more recently to pioneering wave and tidal energy projects.
However, as an island, we have long lacked the grid infrastructure that will allow us to export the green electricity we produce, and so necessity has allowed us to develop alternatives – including green hydrogen.
Orkney has been a pioneer in the development of green hydrogen – with our first production using tidal energy in 2017 – and this early exposure has enabled us to explore where this ‘wonder gas’ can best be used.
In the years since, we have led a number of green hydrogen projects – such and ‘Surf ‘n’ Turf – to harness wind and tidal energy for hydrogen production, Hyspirits – exploring the feasibility of hydrogen for distilling, and HyDIME – looking at hydrogen as a fuel in marine transport.
One of the most promising however, has been in the production of synthetic fuel for aviation.
Synthetic innovation
In 2021 EMEC supported IGTL Technology Limited with Zero Petroleum in demonstrating the creation of synthetic hydrocarbon gasoline for use in the aviation sector on behalf of the Royal Air Force.
A synthetic gasoline demonstration plant was installed on a temporary basis onshore at EMEC’s Billia Croo wave test site. The plant used hydrogen produced by EMEC from water by electrolysis as feedstock.
The synthetic fuel created by Zero Petroleum at EMEC’s site was then used by the Royal Air Force in a demonstration flight as part of their Project MARTIN, securing the Guinness World Records title of first aircraft powered by synthetic fuel.
Crucially, in the test lab, the fuel was indistinguishable from normal fossil gasoline, and in flight its performance was identical.
Of course, the mass production of synthetic aviation fuel would require significant scale up, but it plays to Scotland’s strengths – we have an abundant wind resource with GWs due to come onstream in the decades ahead, yet we have a grid infrastructure that will struggle to transport that electricity to where it is required.
The production of green hydrogen – in places such as Orkney – is a possible alternative. But again, there is no simple or cheap way to transport the gas to the industrial centres in the south.
It therefore makes sense to use that valuable feedstock and combine it with CO2 to make a highly valuable fuel which can be more easily moved.
From there, it is not a big leap to imagine repurposing some of Scotland’s existing oil and gas infrastructure – for example the Flotta oil terminal – to the production of sustainable synthetic aviation fuel.
None of the routes to a fossil free future is simple or straightforward but synthetic fuel plays to Scotland’s strengths and is an idea I believe we should pursue.
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