GENCOMM: GENerating energy secure COMMunities through Smart Renewable Hydrogen


Project Summary

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

  1. Empower communities to implement hydrogen-based energy matrixes to sustainably satisfy their energy demand.
  2. Stimulate the uptake of renewable hydrogen-based technologies by successfully running 3 demonstration facilities.
  3. Establish a strong group of energy stakeholders devoted to, through the use of hydrogen, “sustainabilise” the energy matrix of the NWE region.

 

The following chart links the Hydrogen Value Chain and the Project's work packages.

GenComm animation

Project Partners

  • Viridian Energy Supply Limited

    62 62 New Forge Land, Belfast,
    Belfast
    BT9 5NF
    United Kingdom

    View partner details

  • Hy Energy

    10 Hydepark Rd, Newtownabbey
    Newtownabbey
    BT36 4PY
    United Kingdom

    View partner details

  • National University of Ireland Galway

    1 University Road
    Galway
    Ireland

    View partner details

  • IZES gGmbH

    17 Altenkesseler Str.
    Saarbrücken
    66115
    Germany

    View partner details

  • Pure Energy Centre

    3 Hagdale Industrial Estate, Baltasound,
    Shetland
    ZE29TW
    United Kingdom

    View partner details

  • ENSICAEN

    6 Boulevard Maréchal Juin
    Caen
    14050
    France

    View partner details

  • INSA Rouen Normandie

    685 Avenue de l'Université - BP 08
    Saint Etienne du Rouvray
    76801
    France

    View partner details

  • BURN Joint Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    VUB Vrije Universiteit Brussel Building Z, Pleinlaan
    Brussels
    1050 Elsene
    Belgium

    View partner details

  • TK Renewables

    52 Station Rd
    Maghera
    BT465EY
    United Kingdom

    View partner details

  • Belfast Metropolitan College

    398 Springfield Road
    Belfast
    BT12 7DU
    United Kingdom

    View partner details

Lead partner

Organisation Address Email Website
Belfast Metropolitan College 398 Springfield Road
Belfast
BT12 7DU
United Kingdom
paulmccormack@belfastmet.ac.uk www.belfastmet.ac.uk
Name Contact Name Email 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

News



Battery electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles, an analysis of alternative powertrains as a means to decarbonise the transport sector
The national shaping of Europe's emerging hydrogen strategies

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.

Hydrogen-Exploring opportunities in the Northern Ireland Energy Transition

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

Decarbonising city bus networks in Ireland with renewable hydrogen-December 2020

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

Remarkably stable & efficient Ni and Ni Co-catalysts for CO2 methanation-Mar 2019, published April 2020

An INSA authored paper produced in March 2019.

 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0920586118313889

 

 

https://bit.ly/3oqW6A9

 

 

 

 

 

HEEP Conference Proceedings, May 2019

Proceedings from the HEEP Conference in Hungary in May 2019.

http://neu.projekt-opticharge.de/2019/05/27/heep-conference-proceedings/.

Renewable smart hydrogen for a sustainable future
At what cost can renewable hydrogen offset fossil fuel use in Ireland's gas network
Techno-economic uncertainty quantification and robust design optimization of a directly coupled photovoltaic -electrolyzer system
BURN research group paper Robust Optimization
Towards techno-economic evaluation of renewable hydrogen production from wind curtailment and injection into the irish gas network
How can power to ammonia be robust ?

Events


Hydrogen & Alternative Low-Emission Fuels Seminar

, Belfast Metropolitan College - e3 Campus

A Hydrogen and Alternative Low-Emission Fuels Seminar was held at Belfast Met’s e3 Campus on November 28, 2019. The Seminar provided information on a range of zero carbon and low-emission sources of fuel related to the Clean Transport Agenda. Leading representatives from a number of companies including Energia, Translink, Molgas Energy, CNG Installations were involved in the discussion.
Read More


H2Go News-September 2023
Newsletter 23-March 2023
Newsletter 22-December 2022
Newsletter 21-September 2022
Newsletter 20-June 2022
Newsletter 19-March 2022
Newsletter 17-September 2021
Newsletter 18-December 2021
Newsletter 16-June 2021
Newsletter 15 -March 2021
Newsletter 14-December 2020

Newsletter 14-December 2020

Newsletter 14-December 2020

Newsletter 13 September 2020
Newsletter 11-March 2020
Newsletter 10-December 2019
Newsletter 9- September 2019
Newsletter 8-June 2019

Newsletter 7 - March 2019
Newsletter 6 - December 2018
Newsletter 5 - September 2018
Newsletter 4 - June 2018
Newsletter 3 - February 2018
Newsletter 2 - November 2017
Newsletter 1 -September 2017
Belfast Metropolitan College

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.

University of Luxembourg

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.

Viridian Energy Supply Limited

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.

National University of Ireland Galway

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 gGmbH

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.

Hy Energy

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 Centre

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

ENSICAEN

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

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

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.

BURN Joint Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share this

Tweet Share