Hydrogen Future Industries, a developer of wind-based green hydrogen production technology,
announced a collaboration in January with Tower Group, which is planning to build hydrogen hubs in
the southwest of England. Under the agreement, Hydrogen Future Industries has acquired an initial
20 percent stake in Tower and will become Tower’s preferred green hydrogen production
technology when its system has been fully developed.
Hydrogen Future Industries’ technology in development is a wind-based hydrogen production
system combined with electrolyser technologies which aims to generate hydrogen for under $2 per
kilogram – overcoming the cost of production barrier that has to date hindered the adoption of
hydrogen made from renewable energy sources.
A key element of Hydrogen Future Industries’ system is its proprietary wind turbine, which has been
designed with notably distinct features which allow the turbines to be more efficient than current
open rotor turbines and could increase the efficiency and ultimately lower the cost of hydrogen
production for future partners such as Tower.
Given the efficiency gains its turbine may offer compared to existing open rotor wind turbines in use
today, the group believes the commercial applications for the Hydrogen Future Industries turbine
may not be limited to hydrogen and could be applied to the wider wind energy sector.
A small-scale prototype system (pictured) is currently being tested in Montana, USA.
Tower is a developer of hydrogen production and distribution facilities based in the southwest of England.
The company is developing multipurpose hydrogen hubs which provide long-term energy
storage as well as hydrogen as a fuel and chemical feedstock and will look to utilise Hydrogen Future
Industries’ technology as its preferred supplier of green hydrogen.
Tower’s hydrogen hub plans include sites along the M5 motorway as well as the key A30 road,
connecting the Southwest with London.
“Hydrogen Future Industries’ system aims to produce affordable green hydrogen and so is well
placed to support companies like Tower as they develop downstream infrastructure and
partnerships to get hydrogen into vehicles and support the decarbonisation of transport,” said
Hydrogen Future Industries executive director David Ormerod.
Hydrogen Future Industries’ shares listed on Europe’s Aquis Stock Exchange in late 2021,
raising over £2 million to invest in opportunities in the so-called hydrogen economy. The group recently hired wind turbine engineer Tim Blake to lead its technology development activities centred around
lowering the cost of production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources. Its system aims to
generate hydrogen from a choice of feed stocks including waste or contaminated water, saline or
fresh water, and remediation processes, meaning it can be operated in a variety of settings,
including offshore, mining, and industrial.
In November 2022, the group began testing its 1 metre diameter prototype in Montana, USA –
selected for its consistent wind speeds and regulatory support for wind energy. The first stage of the
outdoor test programme – a 20-hour live test – was successfully completed, confirming the
aerodynamics align to the wind direction as planned, there was no distinguishing noise from the
rotor blades, and there was no fouling of the blades with the cowling.
“We intend to gather data from the 1 metre diameter prototype and plan for the next phase of
testing with a larger turbine and with hydrogen production capability integrated,” said Ormerod.
“With positive results already being achieved, I believe we are progressing to our target of producing
cheaper green hydrogen,” he added.
Daniel Maling, non-executive director of Hydrogen Future Industries, is set to join the board of
Tower following the investment and collaboration
https://hydrogenfutureindustries.com/
