Discover the achievements of the 2014-2020 NPA projects
Seven years of cooperation between people, communities, and organisations across thousands of kilometres made a difference in the Northern Periphery and Arctic regions.
Browse the NPA map of results to discover our stories of cooperation. Pick a dot from the map and scroll down to read about people who have met similar minded colleagues and together found solutions for their shared challenges.
Use the +/- buttons in the top left corner of the map to zoom in/out or click on the regions to display the NPA project stories.
Hydrogen fuelled ferries to the Aran Islands
One step closer to become a fossil fuel free community
The Aran Islands are one of many communities in the Northern Periphery and Arctic that despite being challenged by their peripheral location and sparse population have abundant renewable energy resources available locally. Since the excess energy produced by renewable sources such as wind or solar can be stored in hydrogen fuel cells, the HUGE project explored the options of using hydrogen in maritime and road transports and house heating in remote cold climate communities.
As part of the efforts to make the Aran Islands free from fossil fuels, the local energy company benefitted from the HUGE project to determine the indicative payback time if hydrogen fueled ferries were to be employed; to assess the available supply chain and economic sustainability; to map the existing and planned actors involved; and prepared a business model. The conclusion of the study was that the revenue streams from hydrogen-fueled boats would not differ significantly from existing ones.
From the community perspective, building a hydrogen supply chain seem to bring multiple opportunities beyond just fuel for boats. Thus, hydrogen produced on islands can be used as temporary storage as well as a fuel for local transport and possibly for heating. The Aran Islands case was also featured in Interreg Highlights series of articles.
Dermott Crombie
Ferry Transport to Aran IslandsThe HUGE project has helped us focus efforts and make connections we would otherwise have been slower to make. As a result, we have begun research of alternative green fuels for their existing internal combustion engines. We are also looking at the longer-term use of hydrogen as a ferry energy vector. To this end we are engaged with fuel cell suppliers worldwide with knowledge and experience in the very harsh and demanding marine environment.