From World Maritime News yesterday:
‘Ferguson Marine and its European partners won a bid for EU funding support that would enable the building and launch of the world’s first sea-going car and passenger ferry fuelled by hydrogen. The supported development is expected to cost around EUR 12.6 million (around USD 14.6) of which EUR 9.3 million has been awarded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation fund.’ The vessel’s fuel will be produced from renewable electricity marking a paradigm shift towards entirely emissions-free marine transport, the companies said in a joint statement. Employing Ballard technology, the initial objective is to construct and prove the vessel’s modular drive train onshore, testing for stress and durability under conditions employing real-world data from existing vessels. The successful test will allow a vessel to be constructed. The vessel is planned to operate in and around Orkney – which is already producing hydrogen in volume from constrained – and hence otherwise wasted – renewable energy.’
Scotland has a number of innovations relating to the use of hydrogen power already underway. See these:
Aberdeen 20: Dundee 12? The competition for Europe’s largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses
It’s a gas, gas, gas?
Talking-up Scotland 
Hopefully lessons learned from our Aberdeen hydrogen bus project (which also uses Ballard fuel cells) will help make this ferry project a success.
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Ooooo, a hydrogen fuelled ferry, lots of research and innovation – and everyone will want one! – very exciting.
I notice the SNP are putting together a draft bill for further land reform – a public register of land ownership, which will identify the trusts and overseas land owners – about time!?
Also found this link on Peter A Bell’s Twitter:
https://spice-spotlight.scot/2018/06/19/what-do-the-latest-hmrc-regional-trade-statistics-tell-us-about-scotlands-exports-2017-18/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
Is that good? Exports by Scotland up by 12% or something along those lines (with the usual caveats) – I will leave others to decide if it’s a positive.
There are a few consultations going about from glasgow city council regarding planned improvements – I know of Byres Road and Woodside/Garscube Road – certainly glasgow could do with lots of renovation, and it’s a shame that the labour council have left the place to rot all these decades – but there is so much to do I expect disruption for a long time to come! One key thing is that they are having open consultations, and people are allowed to contribute, so I hope they are all successful – make yourself heard now (if relevant, obviously).
Apart from that, and the improvements in schools attainment gap significantly improving etc, I think it’s all doom and gloom.
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Thanks for these extra boosts.
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