GENCOMM will address the energy sustainability challenges of NWE communities through the implementation of smart hydrogen-based energy matrixes. The project validates the maturity of hydrogen technologies by implementing 3 pilot plants that link the 3 main northwest European renewable sources (Solar Power, Wind Power, and Bioenergy) with energy storage and the main forms of energetic demand (Heat, Power and Transportation fuels). Based on the pilot plants; integrated technical and financial simulation models will be developed. Together, both models will form a Decision Support Tool (DST) that provides a roadmap for communities to transition to renewable, hydrogen-based energy matrixes. The final goal of the project is, through the combination of sources and forms of demand, to lead NWE’s road to sustainability while granting hydrogen its position as a commercially viable energy medium for the future.
Project General Objective
GENCOMM aims to technically and financially validate the renewable H2 value chain and adapt it to a DST that leads NWE communities into sustainable, local and autonomous energy matrixes. The DST is directed to community energy stakeholders (utilities, policy-makers, and private firms in the energy sector), as the key agents to implement the proposed matrix. The project will first engage energetically and territorial remote communities to then address the rest of NWE.
Project Specific Objectives
The following chart links the Hydrogen Value Chain and the Project's work packages.
62 62 New Forge Land, Belfast,
Belfast
BT9 5NF
United Kingdom
10 Hydepark Rd, Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey
BT36 4PY
United Kingdom
1 University Road
Galway
Ireland
17 Altenkesseler Str.
Saarbrücken
66115
Germany
3 Hagdale Industrial Estate, Baltasound,
Shetland
ZE29TW
United Kingdom
6 Boulevard Maréchal Juin
Caen
14050
France
685 Avenue de l'Université - BP 08
Saint Etienne du Rouvray
76801
France
VUB Vrije Universiteit Brussel Building Z, Pleinlaan
Brussels
1050 Elsene
Belgium
52 Station Rd
Maghera
BT465EY
United Kingdom
398 Springfield Road
Belfast
BT12 7DU
United Kingdom
Lead partner
| Organisation | Address | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast Metropolitan College |
398 Springfield Road Belfast BT12 7DU United Kingdom |
paulmccormack@belfastmet.ac.uk | www.belfastmet.ac.uk |
| Name | Contact Name | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viridian Energy Supply Limited | Mark Welsh | mark.welsh@energia.ie | United Kingdom |
| Hy Energy | Ian Williamson | ian.williamson@hy-energy.co.uk | United Kingdom |
| National University of Ireland Galway | Rory Monaghan | rory.monaghan@nuigalway.ie | Ireland |
| IZES gGmbH | Bodo Groß | gross@izes.de | Germany |
| University of Luxembourg | Branca Delmonte | branca.delmonte@uni.lu | Luxembourg |
| Pure Energy Centre | Elizabeth Johnson | elizabeth.johnson@pureenergycentre.com | United Kingdom |
| ENSICAEN | Federico Azzolina-Jury | federico.azzolina-jury@ensicaen.fr | France |
| INSA Rouen Normandie | Isabelle Polaert | isabelle.polaert@insa-rouen.fr | France |
| BURN Joint Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel | Francesco Contino | fcontino@vub.ac.be | Belgium |
| TK Renewables | Kieran Mc Laughlin | kierantkr@gmail.com | United Kingdom |
The Don Quichote project (Demonstration Of New Qualitative Innovative Concept of Hydrogen Out of wind Turbine Electricity) demonstrated that the use of hydrogen as a large scale renewable energy storage solution is not “tilting windmills” anymore, but has technical and economic viability. Read More
The growing Energy Co-operative movement in the Republic of Ireland was highlighted at the recent ‘National Renewable Energy Co-operatives Ireland Conference’, in October in Tullamore, Co Offaly, with the agreement of a new government policy on community involvement in renewable energy projects. Read More
Applications from the GenComm team have been submitted recently for two notable awards. Read More
According to the United Nations, sustainable economic development depends on the availability of two resources, water and energy. Read More
Sinn Féin’s Energy spokesperson Cathal Boylan MLA, has outlined his party’s proposals on energy and its contribution to addressing Climate Change. Read More
At the recent partner meeting in Brussels Denis Thomas, EU Regulatory Affairs and Business Development Manager, Renewable Hydrogen spoke on hydrogenics. Read More
In 2018 it was confirmed that Wrightbus has been selected as the sole supplier of double deck buses in the UK for the Joint Initiative for Hydrogen Vehicles in Europe (JIVE) following a competitive tender process. Read More
The GenComm open meeting in Brussels, looked at the possibilities of hydrogen as a green energy carrier of the future under the title 'Future of Hydrogen as Energy Carrier'. Read More
Dr Rory Monaghan of NUI Galway and the EU GenComm project is hoping to use waste renewable energy electricity to create hydrogen fuel. Read More
The success of Belfast Metropolitan College in securing the first Horizon 2020 funded project for a further education college, the BIMcert project and the Interreg GenComm project are testimony to how the college and companies from the energy sector are ahead of the innovation curve. Read More
A paper by Dr. Bodo Groß and Pedro Aguilar.
A new report by Julia Machado, MSC, NUIG, Brendan Flynn, PhD, NUIG and Ian Williamson, Hy Energy Consultancy.
The national shaping of Europe's emerging hydrogen strategies.
This new report has been prepared by NUI Galway with partners Hy Energy Consultancy and DCU.
Hydrogen Exploring opportunities in the Northern Ireland Energy Transition
The new paper 'Decarbonising city bus networks in Ireland with renewable hydrogen' authored by Tubagus Aryandi Gunawan, Rory Monaghan, Ian Williamson and Diana Raine from the GenComm partners NUIG and Hy Energy respectively has been published in the Science Direct Journal.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319920344104
An INSA authored paper produced in March 2019.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0920586118313889
https://bit.ly/3oqW6A9
Proceedings from the HEEP Conference in Hungary in May 2019.
http://neu.projekt-opticharge.de/2019/05/27/heep-conference-proceedings/.
Newsletter 14-December 2020
Lead Partner on 2 work packages Management and Communication. Project lead, management and administration, skills development and training. Core link with all other partners in the work packages and also linking in with associate partners in the UK in the public sector, communities and industry.
By bringing together key national stakeholders and conducting techno-economic analyses for the use of hydrogen in many sectors, the University of Luxembourg was responsible for promoting the hydrogen economy in the country. They also collaborated closely with a local bus company to share lessons learned from GenComm for supporting the transition to a zero-emission fleet, to collect data for the Enabling Support Tool (EST), to validate the assumptions of the model, and to validate the usability of the online tool.
Energia will lead WP 7 project managing the planning, design, construction, testing and commissioning of large (500kW) hydrogen production facility pilot from wind energy. They will also have input in other work packages. Key expertise from Viridian includes renewable operations, energy trading and wind curtailment and modelling of the wind turbines.
NUI Galway will manage Work Package 8 "Long term Effects" They are the partner in charge of the delivery of the Decision Support Tool (DST). NUI Galway is a member organisation of MaREI (Marine and Renewable Energy Ireland), a €30M Research Centre backed by industry partners and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). Dr Monaghan will leverage his role as a Funded Investigator in MaREI to avail of expertise and synergies with other EU and industry-funded projects.
IZES will be the lead in WPI2 encompassing the SOLH2TRANSP route encompassing a pilot Solar-fueled H2 Refueling Station (HRS). The partner’s main role is then to examine and solve 4 different issues: [1] Validate renewable hydrogen production from solar power, [2] Quantify the power demand of a semi-autonomous HRS for hydrogen-fueled vehicles (HFCV), [3] Study the optimal capacities and operation parameters a commercial refueling station should fulfill to supply HFCVs and, [4] create the PPRM.
HYE will use this hydrogen sector expertise specifically in the verification of the data provided as input for the decision and enabling support tools working closely with NUIG. In addition, current hydrogen sector state-of-the-art will be provided for project studies and report.
Hydrogen application expertise and market knowledge will be used to develop the wider Irish hydrogen market. HYE will support Energia in the wind investment package on integrating the electrolysers and compression/trailer filling operations.
Pure Energy are the Work Package lead for WP I3 the biogas/anaerobic digester to hydrogen pilot. They will deliver the design, supply and delivery of hydrogen system at a biogas plant site in the Western Isle
Expertise in catalysis and catalytic processes development for smart hydrogen processes. Methanation pilot development, pilot scale up in WPI1, and technical process modeling in WPT1. Economical analysis of methanation, financial implications, cost benefits, carbon savings calculations in WPT2 that will serve in WPLT assisting with the delivery of Decision Support Tool.
INSA Rouen Normandie have extensive expertise in implementing a new energy-efficient technical model, hydrogen based, including renewable sources (solar, wind, biogas), hydrogen production, storage and methanation. Expertise in catalytic processes development for methanation: pilot development, pilot scale up, technical and economical process modeling. They will work as a partner in WPI3,the biogas to hydrogen plant developing the methanation process as well as working on WP1, WP2 and WP3.
TK Renewables will bring their mechanical, electrical and technical expertise to the project working with the partners. They will lead WP4 the Implementation Commercial package to develop and validate the market for the pilot plant outputs.
The BURN (comBUstion and Robust optimizatioN) joint research group is part of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and contribute to this project as a partner involved in several work packages.
NORTHERN IRELAND
www.belfastmet.ac.uk
Paul Mc Cormack, GenComm Programme Manager, +44 (0)2890 265076 PaulMcCormack@belfastmet.ac.uk
Eugene McCusker, GenComm Communications Officer, +44 (0)2890 265211
emccusker@belfastmet.ac.uk
Peter Smyth, GenComm Finance Manager, +44 (0)2890 265474 PSmyth@belfastmet.ac.uk
NORTHERN IRELAND
www.virdiangroup.co.uk
Mark Welsh, Energia
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
www.nuigalway.ie
Dr Rory Monaghan, NUI Galway
GERMANY
www.izes.de
Bodo, IZES gGmbH
ENGLAND
Hy Energy
Ian Williamson, Hy Energy, Berkshire, England
LUXEMBOURG
www.uni.lu
Branca Delmonte, University of Luxembourg
