A new project in Scotland aims to enhance hydrogen production using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen and Intelligent Plant, in partnership with the European Marine Energy Centre, will develop a Decision Support System using explainable AI (XAI) to address production challenges.

The project, funded by the Scottish Government’s Emerging Energy Technologies Fund, aims to help Scotland achieve its target of 5GW of installed hydrogen production by 2030.

The production of green hydrogen, derived from renewable sources, poses logistical complexities due to the variability of renewable energy generation.

Traditional decision support systems lack transparency and user trust.

To overcome this, the researchers will utilize XAI, enabling operators to interact with the system, seek explanations, and adjust strategies accordingly.

Professor Nir Oren from the University of Aberdeen said: “A hydrogen production facility must balance myriad demands, particularly when operating using intermittent renewable energy, and consideration must be given to current and future forecasts for storage, consumption, energy availability and cost.

“An AI-based decision support system aims to take these multiple factors into account to optimise hydrogen production, but the system is only as good as the data it receives – so it is critical that decisions made by the system are explainable, that it can justify its decisions, and that the factors leading to the decisions can be understood and modified.”