One of the excavators converted under the Element 1 project has been deployed for the first time at the BAM Victoria North project in Manchester. At a demonstration day held for all project partners and additional guests, visitors could see the machine successfully being used and refueled in a live construction environment.
Element 1 is a cross-industry consortium which will develop the use of hydrogen as a supplement to lower diesel usage on construction sites following the approval of a £4,872,653 grant through the UK Government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP).
The project has now converted all four excavators with dual-fuel capability and a predicted diesel displacement of 30% by using the hydrogen fuel system, significantly lowering carbon emissions. At Victoria North, guests were also able to see the on-site hydrogen storage and dispensing.
In addition to fueling the Element 1 CAT 320 dual fuel excavator, supplied by Flannery, that is working on the site, the hydrogen storage and dispensing system supplied by GeoPura is also powering one of the site offices and welfare facilities using electricity generated by our hydrogen power unit. This means the site can switch off one of its diesel generators, highlighting the holistic carbon reduction results Element 1 can deliver.
With guests on the demonstration day, including Element 1 project partners and DESNZ (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) representatives, displaying the technology in action on a live site was a huge success. The highlight is the realisation of the project with the hybrid excavator in action, demonstrating how easy they are to operate and refuel in a real-world project, with no extra training required.
So, what’s next?
Work continues with the hydrogen bowser which is in its final stages of assembly and testing by ULEMCo. Once completed, it will provide a hydrogen fuel delivery solution for the remaining three hybrid excavators, two from Plantforce and an additional machine from Flannery, which in turn will be deployed on different construction sites within travelling distance from the GeoPura green hydrogen production facility near Doncaster, with project logistics partner, Reynolds completing all hydrogen movements.
The Element 1 project has made huge progress so far in demonstrating the feasibility of converting existing diesel plant to hydrogen dual-fuel, resulting in a significant reduction in diesel consumption. The data from the holistic results demonstrated at the Victoria North site and the other live imminent deployments on additional BAM sites, which will be monitored and reported by project partner BRE.
About the NZIP:
The Department for Energy Strategy provides funding for low carbon technologies and systems through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. This is to help enable the UK to end its contribution to climate change.
