Fife Council's hydrogen plans

Fife Council, Scotland’s third largest Council, shares its plans to introduce green hydrogen vehicles into the fleet, along with green hydrogen refuelling stations.

Fire Council employs approximately 17,000 employees who provide 900 different services to over 365,000 people.

The services it provides range from education, social work, housing, and community services to transportation, looking after the environment and developing the economy. Fife continues to build on previous successes ensuring that Fife remains a top performing Council in Scotland. A Council priority is to introduce Green Hydrogen vehicles into the fleet along with Green Hydrogen refuelling stations.

This innovative partnership project aims to demonstrate that green hydrogen can tackle two of Scotland’s biggest energy challenges - energy storage and low carbon transport.

The project will also play a pivotal role in the regeneration of a former mining community, in an area of significant deprivation and provide future educational and economic opportunities for young people and businesses to benefit from the growth of the renewable energy sector, allowing Levenmouth to achieve its ambition of becoming a leading centre for renewable energy.

The project has three principle partners:  Fife Council, Bright Green Hydrogen and Toshiba and was one of six projects to be successfully awarded funding through the Scottish Government’s Local Energy Challenge Fund from a total of 114 applications. 

Fleet Operations have introduced duel fuelled diesel and green hydrogen vehicles. There will be 5 Ford Transits and 2 Mercedes Econic Refuse Collection Vehicles. The RCV's will probably be world firsts because of its motion and compaction engine mapping. Bankhead Central Glenrothes and the hydrogen centre in Methil will have green hydrogen refuelling stations commissioned by early next year.

Project partner Bright Green Hydrogen, based at The Hydrogen Office in Methil, was established to develop, demonstrate, research and educate in connection with renewable energy and energy storage. The new hydrogen production and refuelling facilities located at The Hydrogen Office allow for hydrogen production, storage and dispensing. This site is then able to support the refuelling facilities at Fifes Bankhead Central depot in Glenrothes. Dispensing will be for 350bar vehicles and production capacity likely to be 100-120kW. Bright Green Hydrogen are also leasing out a fleet of 10 Renault Kangoo vans that have been converted to run on hydrogen fuel cell technology, by Symbio Fuel Cell. These vans are available on lease to local businesses in the area.

The production of a dual-fuel refuse collection vehicle is particularly exciting and replicable, when you consider the number of such vehicles in the country. The Council currently has 1496 vehicles in its fleet, including 185 HGVs and the annual fuel bill is. £4.8m.