Triple green building raises the bar on sustainability

A new standard for green buildings in the UK was set today, after a building in Yorkshire installed a recycled wind turbine to help it generate the electricity it needs to produce hydrogen to power fuel cell vehicles.

The £8.7m Environmental Energy Technology Centre (EETC) in Rotherham, which promises to combine the concepts of recycling, renewable energy and low carbon vehicles at one site, will be the first building in the UK to generate its own hydrogen when production begins next month.

The building operates its own mini grid that sees energy from the wind turbine stored and used to power the building, as well as giving it the ability to dispense high pressure hydrogen for vehicle refuelling.

Its founders want to kick start the adoption of hydrogen as an sustainable alternative to hydrocarbon fuels.

Jason Stoyel, technical manager with energy consultancy TNEI, who have been involved with the project, said the project would aim to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen as fuel. "This development is a real life Tomorrow's World style project, which will demonstrate to the wider energy community how hydrogen can be used in a commercial setting," he added.

The 225KW wind turbine will generate in excess of 500MWh a year and the electricity will be used to power the electrolysers that are used to produce hydrogen.

Jim Farmery, assistant director of business at development agency Yorkshire Forward, which helped fund the centre, said it will be a world example of a hydrogen fuel economy.

"The EETC will not only be a cutting edge hub for businesses leading the way in environmental technologies, it is also an example of excellence in sustainable building," he said. "The introduction of a wind turbine to the site only adds to its credentials."