Carlton Power is developing green hydrogen projects to support Net Zero

Founded in 1995, Carlton Power is an experienced independent developer of low carbon and renewable energy projects in the UK. The organisation has extensive technical, planning, financing and construction expertise which has delivered more than 3.5GW of thermal and renewable generation projects over the last 25 years.

What is green hydrogen?

Hydrogen is a light and versatile fuel that can be produced by the chemical process known as electrolysis, where water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen. If a renewable energy source, such as wind or solar generated electricity is used to power the electrolyser, the resulting hydrogen is classified as green, because it has been produced without generating any carbon emissions.

The green hydrogen that is produced can be used for various applications, such as displacing natural gas in industry and home heating networks, and replacing traditional fuels in commercial and passenger vehicles. The green hydrogen can also be stored, creating a method to store excess renewable energy, which is one of the major challenges facing the national electricity network.

Our Hydrogen Portfolio

We are developing multiple green hydrogen projects across the UK. Our first phase of projects are at Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria, at Trafford in Greater Manchester and Langage, near Plymouth. All three have received contracts from the UK Government to receive financial support from its first Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR1) – this was announced in December 2023. With a capacity of 40 MW, this represents 30% of the total electrolytic hydrogen projects in the UK supported by DESNZ. In addition to Wigan Green Hydrogen, the second phase of Carlton’s projects includes a green hydrogen hub facility in Stirling, Scotland.

In May 2023, Carlton Power and Schroders Greencoat, the UK independent energy infrastructure development company, formed a new joint venture company, Green Hydrogen Energy Company Ltd (GHECO), to accelerate the development of green hydrogen projects in the UK. GHECO aims to build a project portfolio in the UK of 500 MW by 2030, substantially contributing to the UK’s leadership position in hydrogen production as well as its energy security and Net Zero ambitions.

We are working with Kraft Heinz and other major companies, including Kimberly-Clark and Imerys, to support their transition to Net Zero.

How does this tie in with net zero?

Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas emitted and the amount removed from the atmosphere. Many industries such as power generation, petrochemicals, manufacturing and travel are all carbon intensive and emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Since the industrial revolution, the natural carbon sinks of the Earth, such as forests and oceans, can no longer remove carbon from the atmosphere at the rate required to prevent global warming. As the amount of greenhouse gas emissions are reduced and carbon sinks and other methods to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are increased, net zero will be achieved once these are equal.

Green hydrogen is anticipated to play a vital role in reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and carbon intensive processes in industry and everyday life, enabling the ambitious net zero targets set by the UK Government to be achieved.