Kier is nearly halfway through a year-long trial designed to explore whether solar power with a hydrogen fuel cell backup is a viable primary power supply on an off-grid construction site.
The onsite welfare and office facilities at the Environment Agency’s Bridgwater tidal barrier scheme in Somerset were selected for the trial to see whether this approach is feasible and scalable for the demands of larger construction sites.
From the start of January to the end of April 2025, a total of 16,047 kWh has been used at the site – 6,588 kWh from solar power, 9,171 kWh from green hydrogen and 287 kWh from the back-up batteries.
When compared to an equivalent diesel generator to run the site with no additional interventions, the trial has generated estimated savings of around 20,000 litres of diesel in just four months, resulting in approximately 53,000 kg CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) avoided at the point of use.
The technology supplied to site by TCP Group aims to be zero emission at the point of use due to its combination of solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells. Incorporating a battery that integrates with solar panels allows the system to generate a continuous clean power supply.
Jo Driffield, senior engineer in the Environment Agency’s innovation tea, said: “This early trial is critical to help understand the technology. Through our innovation fund, we are supporting Kier’s trial at the Bridgwater tidal barrier scheme with its innovation, pairing solar with a hydrogen fuel cell back-up at this scale of deployment. This trial is a big step forward to help the Environment Agency realise our net zero goals and a sustainable future. Conducting trials like this will demonstrate the demand for hydrogen, especially green hydrogen, which is needed to help support the investment into the production and supply to the construction industry and other uses.”
Learnings from the planning, initial setup and real-time tracking of energy usage data monitoring have already been applied. This includes adding another fuel cell, using air conditioning units, and responding to requests from the site team to add energy usage data to site internal communication platforms as part of sharing performance and encouraging behavioural change.
TCP Group managing director Andrew Barker added: “We’re proud to be collaborating with Kier on this vital project in Somerset. As our largest-ever hybrid hydrogen solution for site welfare installed to date, it’s already proving a fantastic opportunity to collaborate and help shape energy conservation practices based on robust data monitoring.”
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