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We live like Kings
"You lie in bed in the dark with the batteries being charged, no engine, no generator, no fumes, no unseen pollution. Like the best digital equipment the installation does absolutely nothing apparent to the senses. No smell, no smoke, no sound.​
​Only someone entirely reliant on solar and a vast knackered diesel engine will appreciate the wonder of night time charging. Of never worrying about the batteries running down. Of the lights staying bright. Of working late at night on the plugged in computer with no warnings of limited time left. Of having the inverter on whenever necessary. Of not constantly calculating power consumption.
‘Game changer’ is an overused phrase but apt here. I feel I can see the future. It’s ‘green’ hydrogen."
Neil Trevithick - HyArk customer, Regents Canal, London
Summer boating event
Hoping the sun will appear at Church Minshull next weekend for Aqueduct Marina summer event. We will be there, joined by a group of other traders in support of the Summer Boating event. We will of course be bringing a HyArk - a power system designed to support you when the sun is not shining.
Silent Nights
As the Autumn season approaches, the sun gets lower in the sky and the solar panels produce less and less. Our fuel cell generators are near silent in operation, keeping batteries charged and the lights on as
the evenings draw in. Perhaps one day noisy generators will be a thing of the past, but for now we will keep quiet, safe in knowledge that we will be fully charged up by morning. Hydrogen - right here, right now.
Summer events
We will be at both Crick in May and the Electrika event in July this summer.
This year we have two new products to announce, one around boat propulsion using hydrogen, the other something else. We look forward to sharing more....
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Making the cut
We were delighted to be visited by David from @Cruisingthecut at Electrika boating event at Brinklow and find ourselves included in his vlog of the event. Always entertaining and very professional David - thanks for dropping by.
Aqueduct Marina - the first to stock Hydrogen
We are delighted to announce a collaboration with Tom, Rob, Hannah and the team at Aqueduct that sees their Church Minshull-based marina being the first in the UK to stock hydrogen. Breaking the "chicken and egg" issue that surrounds adopting any new fuel is key to early adoption. Stocking BOC-supplied hydrogen at the canal-side makes it easier for boaters to adopt our innovative domestic power system for boats, the first step on a path that could see hydrogen making a major contribution to decarbonisation of the UK canal and river system.
Buying the first Genie cylinder of hydrogen from the canal-side in the UK
Electrika Boating event
We will be at the Electrika event on the 3rd and 4th May. With a focus on electric and hybrid boats, Electrika is the new event in the boating calendar. Held at the Brinklow Waterside & Marina in Rugby (CV23 0JH) it will bring together early adopters, boat builders and those looking to adopt new technology to make their boat adventures more sustainable and lower carbon. Further detail available here
Towpath Talk
We are featured in Towpath Talk, the newspaper for the inland waterway community. We are mentioned in the article on sustainable boating on the second page, and towards the back where we have a longer feature article written by Phil Pickin on page 44. You can read the article here
We are on the map
The Hydrogen Energy Association have recently launched their interactive map of UK hydrogen related projects and we are included. Of course boats are mobile and the 6,500 miles of canals and navigable rivers stretches across most of the country, but Theale is our production facility and office, so there we are, just near Reading. The Green dots are green (made with renewable electricity) hydrogen production sites across the UK.
Where there is Hope
We met with Mark Tonkin of Hope Resources. Hope have developed a vacuum reforming process to turn household waste into hydrogen, capturing the carbon released for other purposes. This has the potential to turn hydro-carbons in waste, like plastics, back into their constituent elements, creating a clean, green hydrogen gas for users like us. Hope are still on a journey to develop their technology into a production plant, but it will be fascinating to see how this develops. There website can be found here:
Summer newsletter
We have produced a little newsletter that we are sharing with those we have met at events. You can find it here:
Reading Water Fest
We will be at the Reading WaterFest this Saturday. Come down to Forbury Gardens to enjoy a packed program of events, visit the stalls and see the boats. We will have our stand explaining hydrogen and the benefits of carbon-free power generation and the inland waterway journey to net zero.
Crick inland waterway boat show
We enjoyed a great bank holiday weekend at Crick. Lots of discussion about hydrogen and our HyArk unit. Good to catch up with people from last year as well as meeting new people on our stand at the corner of the boardwalk. Here is Rachel explaining the benefits of quite, reliable hydrogen-generated domestic power to some visitors.
Brunel Hydrogen Event
Enjoyed meeting the students at Brunel University in west London today. The event explored the hydrogen energy cycle from splitting water, through managing the gas, to deployment and use. A panel session with leaders in the hydrogen sector and lab tours completed a great little event introducing hydrogen to our youngest engineers.
Getting ready for Crick
We are heading back to Crick again this year, the inland boat show in the UK. Find us on the "board walk". If you have not got your tickets yet, they are still available at a discount here Crick Boat Show
Canal Cavalcade
Great to meet so many people this weekend in Little Venice, West London. Lots of discussion about hydrogen and the future, whilst listening to some laid back jazz and spending time on the water. Here is our HyArk product, this time wrapped in white, to match Gabs and Calum's beautifully fitted out wide-beam home.
Being a Hydrogen Hero
We at Hydrogen Afloat are delighted to be invited to be "Hydrogen Heros". The scheme is run by Lhyfe, a french hydrogen company that we met via the Meet4Hydrogen event in March. Hydrogen Heros is designed to promote all things hydrogen. Further details can be found at their website https://lhyfe-heroes.com/
HyArk to feature at Meet4Hydrogen HyPorts event in France
Meet4Hydrogen is one of the biggest hydrogen conference organisers in France and their HyPorts event is due to take place on the 21st and 22nd of March in Marseilles. We will be joining them remotely, presenting our HyArk product in the the Product Award category. Looking forward to seeing what is happening in the hydrogen sector in France.
Lord Alok Sharma visit
Delighted to have Alok Sharma MP visit us recently at Hydrogen Afloat Ltd. Celia Greaves from the UKHFCA joined us for our discussion about hydrogen, boating and being a small startup company in this exciting field. He shared some insights on being the COP26 Chair and listened to our plans for moving the UK canal and river users towards a zero-carbon future.
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Keeping cool
Whilst solar is great, sitting in a metal boat in full sun when the temperature is in the high 30s is no fun at all. We head for the shade and run our HyArk all night for power. In this twilight video you can hear the blackbird calling, then the HyArk giving a reassuring purge of gas. All is well, with near silent power generation. At least we know the fridge will keep the beer cool the next day!
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Hello Financial Times
We are delighted that the nice people at the Financial Times have spotted our little company and highlighted us to their legions of private investors as one to keep an eye on.
Welcome to our community of hydrogen early adopters.
You don't need a boat to be our friends.
Product Launched!
"HyArk" is now launched! We have received lots of interest and support at the Crick boat show. Here is our stand, to be found Quayside, with Katie, Rachel and Mike standing behind our domestic power system, resplendent in its corporate green livery. Looking forward to talking to many more show visitors about the benefits of hydrogen fuel cells and their application to our beautiful canals and rivers.
