Empowering Yorkshire Farmers: Exploring the Use of Hydrogen Fuel in Agriculture
Key Ideas
- The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) and Cenex are leading a project in Yorkshire to assess the potential of hydrogen (H2) as a replacement for fossil fuels in farming.
- The project focuses on on-farm H2 production, storage, distribution for local heating, and fuelling H2 powertrains in rural settings.
- Farmers in Yorkshire can participate in online workshops to provide their input on transitioning from fossil fuels to alternative fuels like hydrogen, ensuring their voices are heard in the process.
- The goal is to make H2 and other gas fuels more accessible and affordable in rural areas without a grid connection, contributing to the aim of reaching net zero emissions.
Yorkshire farmers have been given the opportunity to play a key role in evaluating the use of hydrogen fuel in agriculture. The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) and Cenex are spearheading a project in Yorkshire to investigate the feasibility of hydrogen (H2) replacing fossil fuels on farms. This initiative will focus on various aspects, including on-farm H2 production, storage, distribution for local heating, and powering H2 vehicles in rural areas. Laura Palczynski from Innovation for Agriculture emphasized the importance of involving the farming sector early in the exploration of transitioning from fossil fuels to more sustainable alternatives like hydrogen. Online workshops are being conducted to gather feedback from Yorkshire farmers on moving away from red diesel and making hydrogen and other gas fuels more accessible and affordable in regions without grid connections. These workshops are open to all Yorkshire farmers, irrespective of their prior knowledge of H2 fuels, and are tailored to specific sectors within agriculture such as arable farming, protected horticulture, pigs and poultry, and dairy. The overall aim is to empower farmers to contribute to the shift towards cleaner energy sources and support the journey towards achieving net zero emissions.