A community power project in Fife could be the “turning point” that proves the case for hydrogen as a clean energy solution.

Edinburgh-based Logan Energy was contracted to design and install a hydrogen-based energy storage systems and two hydrogen vehicle refuelling units at Methil in Fife, as part of the wider Levenmouth Community Energy Project.

Logan chief executive Bill Ireland said the project was groundbreaking.

“At the Levenmouth Community Energy Project we have delivered what many visionaries have been talking about for some time and shown that it can be integrated into the existing energy systems for stationary power and transport needs,” Mr Ireland said.

“The drive for increasing our reliance upon renewable technologies is not new but the economic need to do so, and means to time shift energy, has never been more pertinent.

“The work we have completed at Levenmouth is a true first and highlights the power of hydrogen as a standalone multisector energy resource that also supports existing energy networks.

“This is a milestone in the energy sector and marks the practical delivery of a new hydrogen based energy era.”

The newly installed kit at Methil includes a proton exchange membrane electrolyser (PEM),a gas storage unit and a PEM fuel cell.

Coupled with a smart control system, the unit generates and stores hydrogen when there is excess renewable energy.

That hydrogen is then used to power the fuel cell to provide power to the network at times of low renewable energy availability.

Mr Ireland added: “Seeing just a snapshot of the potential of hydrogen becoming a reality here in the UK is a tremendous step forward.”