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ENERGY SOURCES


Hydrogen fuel cells: an ideal technology for the NHS?


With growing interest in alternative energy sources amid growing pressure for economies worldwide to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, Eric Thomas, a former head of Environmental Management and Engineering at NHS Wales Shared Services, Specialist Estate Services division, and Guto Owen, a specialist in hydrogen and fuel cells, discuss the potential for wider adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology as a source of power in NHS buildings, and in associated transport applications.


Fuel cells have been around for many years, dating back to 1838, when a Welsh scientist, William Robert Grove, published a paper on the basic principles of the science relating to the possibility of a fuel cell, and in 1839 developed the Grove Voltaic Cell. This basic fuel cell consisted of a number of tubs of oxygen and hydrogen, together with a platinum foil and an electrolyte. The cell generated electricity, and he called it a gas voltaic battery. It was some time before fuel cells were used commercially, and a great step forward was made in 1932 by Francis Bacon with the basic principles of the hydrogen fuel cell as we know it today, and the possibility of other types of fuel cells using different fuels. The alkaline fuel cell, in particular, had considerable success in the space sector from the 1960s to the present day, powering many types of satellites and space vehicles.


In recent times the development of fuel cells has been taken forward at a considerable pace – in particular against the backdrop of the need to look at alternative technologies to traditional combustion technologies and their detrimental carbon and pollution effects. This has spurred on the evolution of basic hydrogen fuel cells into viable resilience back-up electrical systems, together with tri-generating units that utilise the heat generated by the fuel cell to heat, cool via absorption chillers, and supply electrical power.


Use in transport sector


Alongside their application in buildings, hydrogen fuel cells are being developed for use in transport, and in particular for heavy goods vehicles, trains, commercial vehicles, agricultural machines, and in construction. Manufacturers such as Hyundai and JCB have produced a number of prototypes and production machines which have a considerable advantages over pure electrically


42 Health Estate Journal January 2021


cells can deliver resilient, zero emission power and heat because they do not rely on combustion. Air pollution is a public health crisis which places a huge burden on health budgets. Alarmingly, there is growing evidence that implicates air pollution in both increased susceptibility to, and damaging effects from, COVID-19. A twin-track approach is required which involves technologies which not only reduce carbon, but also reduce air pollution, such as fuel cells.


powered equivalents, in that they can be quickly refueled, and do not require a long re-charge time for their batteries. In Germany, Bosch has produced a fuel cell derivative for trucks, and is aiming for mass production by 2022.


So, why is the future widespread use of hydrogen fuel cells such an ideal and attractive proposition for the NHS in estates applications? The answer is that they have many attributes – for example their intrinsic resilience, their mechanical durability, and perhaps in the current climate their positive environmental credentials.


Taking resilience first, ultra-reliable and highly efficient fuel cells can fundamentally change the relationship between healthcare premises and utility services, in particular with regard to the electricity grid. Instead of relying on the grid for electricity and using diesel generators (or other technologies) for essential electrical back-up supplies, on-site fuel cells can deliver highly efficient primary power, plus heating and cooling, with the utilities grid providing the back-up.


Non-reliant on combustion This is becoming even more relevant with the introduction of government constraints and directives that limit, or even negate, the use of diesel and gas combustion-based technologies. Fuel


What happens to our embedded emergency standby diesel-powered generator sets and conventional powered CHP units when they need to be replaced, while keeping in place the existing engineering infrastructure they are interconnected with? This is a fundamental question, since without a reliable electrical standby option there is nowhere to go should electrical supply be lost if the supply grid goes down. The replacement of these units with hydrogen fuel cells is a very practical solution to this dilemma.


There is the opportunity to completely reverse the relationship between the electricity grid and a site, by generating electricity using adequately sized fuel cells to supply the site and using the grid as a back-up facility. This would deliver a high resilience outcome by using highly dependable fuel cells that can be used in a modular format to match demand, and introduce some redundancy for any maintenance and resilience requirements.


Providing heating and cooling It does not end there, as not only can fuel cells provide electrical power to a site, but there is the opportunity to provide heating and cooling from these units. Fuel cells can therefore be used as CHP units, and can be provided in modular form, giving the opportunity for a whole site solution, where a number of appropriately-sized units are combined into one system. They can also be


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