A hydrogen vision for the UK

A new publication, released by the Energy Networks Association, details how the UK can move away from fossil fuels and use hydrogen as an alternative.

The introduction to the resource is detailed below from Lawrence Slade FEI, Chief Executive of the Energy Networks Aliiance.

"Over the next 27 years all homes, businesses and industries must move away from the unabated fossil fuels that currently meet most of our energy demands to clean alternatives like renewables, nuclear and hydrogen.

This transition to clean energy will require significant change. Some of these changes, like building new offshore wind farms, may go unnoticed by consumers. Other changes will require us to adjust our behaviour; for example, shifting to electric vehicles, replacing industrial fossil fuel equipment and exchanging the natural gas boilers that heat our homes and businesses today for low carbon alternatives. The scale and pace of this change will eclipse anything seen in the sector before.

We will need a range of low carbon technologies to decarbonise our energy system. Hydrogen could play a critical part of this story, projected to provide between 20-35% of our energy demand by 2050,1 delivering our climate and security goals in a way that ensures the energy we need is affordable. This means a need for renewables, nuclear, biofuels and energy efficiency, as well as other emerging technologies such as carbon capture and storage and batteries. But without hydrogen in the mix, there can be no Net Zero.

Building our greener future will require innovation, investment and rapid infrastructure development. Yet against such challenge, there is opportunity. A clean energy system with energy security and affordability at its heart will benefit companies, communities and consumers alike. With the right commitment to change, and the right policy and regulatory framework in place, we can use this transformation to deliver economic growth, jobs and a cleaner, greener world that will be good for the UK today and for the generations that follow tomorrow.

It will need new infrastructure. We will need to repurpose today’s pipes to safely and reliably move the hydrogen we need around. We will also need new facilities to store hydrogen between when it is produced in summer to when it is needed in winter. And we will also need new appliances in industry, business and homes industry to turn the hydrogen into useable energy. The gas networks in GB and Northern Ireland are committed to playing a leading role in delivering this. They stand ready to invest £6.8bn2 by the end of the decade in hydrogen-focused projects, whilst delivering on the core role of safely and reliably moving energy around the country from where it is produced to where it is used.

This report is a vision for how to do just that, showing how the infrastructure we have today can evolve from one based on the supply of fossil fuels to one providing the backbone of a clean hydrogen system.

This decade is critical; we must move from talking about change to delivering it. The ambitious government hydrogen targets across the UK will only be met with clarity, focus and partnership. The gas networks are ready to play their part in the UK’s energy future. They have a plan, know what is needed to deliver it and are taking the necessary steps to do just that."

Sourced from: a-hydrogen-vision-for-the-uk.pdf (energynetworks.org)