BIG HIT
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BIG HIT

Building Innovative Green Hydrogen Systems in Isolated Territories

About the Project

BIG HIT will create a hydrogen territory in the  Orkney Islands of Scotland by implementing a fully integrated model of hydrogen production, storage, transportation and utilisation for heat, power and mobility. 

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Project Partners

Twelve partners from Denmark, France, Italy, Malta, Spain and the UK are participating in this collaborative project. Learn more about the project partners here.

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News and Updates

Read about the project progress and be kept up to date with the latest news in the industry.

 

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News and Events

Featured
First Scottish Government 'Future of Energy in Scotland' Strategy Released
First Scottish Government 'Future of Energy in Scotland' Strategy Released

Scotland's first Energy Strategy ‘The Future of Energy in Scotland’ was released on 20th December 2017, and sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for the future energy system in Scotland. It sets two new and ambitious targets for the Scottish energy system by 2030:

•  The equivalent of 50% of the energy for Scotland’s heat, transport and electricity consumption to be supplied from renewable sources

•  An increase by 30% in the productivity of energy use across the Scottish economy

The Strategy aims to double Scotland’s renewable electricity capacity from 9GW to 17GW by 2030, and also considers two indicative scenarios for the low carbon energy system in Scotland in 2050: an electrified future; and a hydrogen future. Both scenarios are consistent with Scotland’s climate targets, and show how low carbon electricity and hydrogen could be used to meet demand across the industry, services, residential and transport sectors.

The new Energy Strategy includes specific references to current hydrogen and fuel cell demonstration projects such as the FCH-JU supported Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project, and also to local energy system projects in the Orkney Islands such as the European-funded ‘BIG HIT’ project which build on the Surf ‘n’ Turf project in Orkney by producing hydrogen from renewable sources for transport and heating.

Official opening of Surf 'n' Turf hydrogen project in Orkney Islands
Official opening of Surf 'n' Turf hydrogen project in Orkney Islands

The official launchof the Surf 'n' Turf hydrogen project took place on 27th September in Kirkwall, the Orkney Islands. 70 guests travelled from across the UK and Europe to attend the launch and view the installations at Kirkwall Pier and on the island of Eday. Surf ‘n’ Turf is a pioneering project that uses hydrogen generated from the tidal and wind energy to overcome the electricity grid limitations in Eday, and make better use of renewable energy sources.

World’s first tidal-powered hydrogen generated at EMEC in Orkney Islands
World’s first tidal-powered hydrogen generated at EMEC in Orkney Islands

BIG HIT partner EMEC (The European Marine Energy Centre) has produced tidal-powered hydrogen from their electrolyser on Eday, in the Orkney Islands. This tidal-powered hydrogen was generated by EMEC on Friday 25th August 2017, and is the first time that hydrogen has been created from tidal energy anywhere in the world.

Events
All-Energy 2018
May 2
All-Energy 2018

the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy event takes place in Glasgow on 2nd & 3rd May 2018. Join to hear from 400+ experts from across all sectors and etwork with 7,500+ renewable energy professionals over the two days.

BIG HIT Opening Launch
May 15
BIG HIT Opening Launch

The official opening of the FCH-JU funded BIG HIT project  takes place in Kirkwall, the Orkney Islands, Scotland on Tuesday 15th & Wednesday 16th May 2018. This will be a high profile event to celebrate the official opening of the BIG HIT project as it moves into the operational phase. The hydrogen project activities in the Orkney Islands include the Surf ‘n’ Turf (0.5MW) and BIG HIT project (1MW) both using constrained wind energy to produce green hydrogen by electrolysis of water. The BIG HIT project has been recognised as one of the leading ‘Hydrogen Valleys’ projects for Europe.

World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2018
Jun 17
World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2018

The WORLD HYDROGEN ENERGY CONFERENCE is the opportunity for international and Brazilian communities to strengthen their global efforts on the path to sustainability. The dissemination of knowledge on hydrogen energy will foster the interest for the new scientific and technological activities.