New ‘green’ facility opens at Loughborough University

Loughborough University has unveiled its new hydrogen refuelling station, underlining its commitment to the development and support of green technologies.

The facility, one of only two currently operational in the UK, will enable the University to drive forward its research in this area, as well as provide a refuelling service to hydrogen vehicles used by campus-based organisations. One of the main benefits of hydrogen-powered vehicles is that they only emit water vapour into the atmosphere and not environmentally damaging carbon dioxide. Loughborough’s ultimate goal is to transfer its own service fleet over to hydrogen.

Based at Holywell Park, the facility is part of a cluster of hydrogen refuelling stations being set up across the region by the British Midlands Hydrogen Forum. Known as the Midlands Hydrogen Ring, the stations will be at the heart of hydrogen fuelling infrastructure planned throughout the UK.

The University’s Chief Operating Officer Will Spinks officially opened Loughborough’s refueller. Speaking about the new facility Mr Spinks said: “At Loughborough sustainability is key. The opening of this new refueling station underlines our commitment to operating in an environmentally friendly way and to the development of new technologies that support this goal.”

The refueller has been funded by Loughborough University in partnership with the East Midlands Development Agency (emda), and was manufactured by Air Products. Initially, gas for the facility will be provided by an external supplier, but the University is investigating ways of creating its own hydrogen through the use of green technologies on campus.

Loughborough – winner of the coveted University of the Year title in this year’s Sunday Times University Guide – is world renowned for its development of green technologies. The University was also one of the first in the country to begin using 100% green power back in 2002, and this year was ranked fifth in the People and Planet Green League and awarded a First Class degree for its solid environmental performance.