Manufacturer submits plans for pioneering energy station

TYSELEY may seem like an odd place for a new industrial revolution but the area has been selected to pioneer a new low carbon energy trial that could help contribute towards a massive reduction in CO2 emissions.

Within the area is the site of wire and wire rope manufacturer Webster & Horsfall. The company has been operating since 1852 from its Hay Mills premises and is one of the mainstays of the local community.

However, the firm’s management have decided to implement changes that will allow the business to operate within a much smaller footprint.

In turn, this has enabled the release of land for the development of Tyseley Energy Park, which sits within an established industrial area between the A45 Coventry Road and the A41 Warwick Road.

New plans submitted to Birmingham City Council involve the second phase of the TEP and include proposals for an automated low carbon refuelling station, two silent revolution wind turbines and a new link road.

The site has the capacity to accommodate up to 500 vehicles a day although the number of vehicles expected to use the completed facility is significantly less than this. However, as the technology develops then more vehicles may have to be accommodated.

The benefits of the new scheme offer reduced noise and lower vehicle emissions. The wind turbines included in the plan will generate renewable electricity that will contribute towards the power requirements of the refuelling facility.

In addition to the environmental benefits offered by the proposals, the scheme could also help create a number of new jobs in what is, one of the city’s most deprived areas.

The station would produce Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which can be used as an alternative fuel for HGVs instead of diesel. A CNG station operates by extracting gas from a natural gas pipeline, compressing the gas by using on-site compressors and then dispensing it into trucks.

An intermediate pressure gas line is located alongside the TEP site adjacent to the Grand Union Canal and a new connection would be constructed to supply gas to the new facility.  

The CNG station would be used predominantly by waste collection vehicles and HGVs. The supporting statement claims that by displacing diesel with bio-CNG a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to a diesel truck could be achieved. CNG vehicles also run quieter than a conventional diesel-fuelled lorry.

The business case for the new station is based on the large numbers of HGVs passing the site along the A45. Projected volumes suggest a facility of seven islands, each with two dispensers and fuel hoses on both sides, providing eight filling positions.

The pumps will be fully automated, self-service operated through the use of a key fob.

The project forms part of a wider initiative that will act as a large-scale market test for fleets of fuel cell electric vehicles operated in real-world conditions across multiple European regions.

In particular it is intended to demonstrate that the hydrogen mobility sector can support the wider European energy system via electrolytic hydrogen production.

The model suggests that the UK could benefit from a widespread reduction in HGV emissions by 2050.

The hydrogen station includes electrolyser units to generate hydrogen on site, removing the need for hydrogen to be delivered to the site. It is expected there will be 50 cars and buses using the station by 2017.

There will also be a series of public demonstrations to highlight the technology and its benefits.

Additional fuel generated may also be used to supplement grid networks.