H2 news

 Research and trials on the use of hydrogen as a potential replacement for  natural gas in our homes and businesses are now moving into a new phase.  Here we look at the progress so far and at the next steps.

With the first phase of  the Hy4Heat project  now complete, having  proven successfully that it’s  technically possible, safe and  convenient to replace natural  gas with hydrogen, the next  steps are larger-scale trials in  neighborhood's and villages. This phase to develop  hydrogen as the super fuel of the  future will see 28 projects across  the UK, working across a range  of different sectors and  technologies.

Projects will be  focused on producing and  transporting hydrogen, making it  a more viable and affordable fuel  for powering industry, including  energy-intensive sectors which  rely on expensive fossil fuels. 

The government stated in its  Hydrogen Strategy, published last  autumn, that the 2020s will be  critical in preparing people to get  ready to use hydrogen, making  the caveat that it’s intended to  target those “energy users best  suited to hydrogen as a lowcarbon solution”.  

It says demonstration  competitions and trials will be  rolled out for the use of hydrogen  in road freight, shipping and  aviation; and in heating, beginning  with a hydrogen neighborhood  trial by 2023, followed by a  large hydrogen village trial by  2025, and potentially a hydrogen  town pilot before the end of  the decade. 

The strategy states: “Working  with industry, the UK’s ambition is  for 5GW of low-carbon hydrogen  production capacity by 2030.  This ambition is based on our  understanding of the pipeline of  projects that could come forward  during the 2020s, and takes  into account the challenges,  constraints and costs involved  in delivering this.  “As we work towards this  ambition, we would hope to see  the first gigawatt of low-carbon  hydrogen production capacity in  place by 2025.” 

 Into the next phase /   Choose the first hydrogen village 

Minister George Freeman has  welcomed the trials on a  hydrogen village as being vital to  gather the necessary evidence for  a wider roll-out. He says: “We  want to make sure that the trials  lay the foundation for a wider  nationwide roll-out. “

The BEIS-funded Hy4Heat  programme has shown that the  use of 100 per cent hydrogen can  be made as safe as natural gas  when used for heating and  cooking in the types of houses  that were studied.” “[The trials] are designed to  provide the government with the  necessary evidence to take big  strategic decisions on heating  within a matter of two or three  years. I know the ambition to go  further and faster is shared by the  Secretary of State, the Minister  for Energy and the Prime Minister.  

It is not lack of political will that is  holding us back.” Ellesmere Port could be home  to the UK’s first hydrogen village,  which would see 2,000 properties  in the Whitby area of the Cheshire  town use hydrogen instead of  natural gas for heating and  cooking in 2025. 

The proposal, put forward by  Cadent and British Gas, is on a  shortlist of two locations hoping  to be the first to use hydrogen on  this scale. 

If Ellesmere Port is chosen,  every property in the selected  area will get free boiler upgrades  to new hydrogen-ready versions  and, for the duration of the  two-year programme, they would  pay the same to use hydrogen as  they would for natural gas. 

Marc Clarke, head of  Hydrogen Consumer at Cadent,  says: “We already know that  Whitby has an unparalleled  geographic location for hydrogen. 

The North-west is already on track  to produce the low-carbon  hydrogen required for the scheme  from Ellesmere Port’s HyNet  project, and we have been  undertaking work over the past  few years to ensure the region’s  pipes are ready to take hydrogen.” Cadent and British Gas have  written to all residents whose  properties would be supplied  with hydrogen, to explain the  programme in more detail.  

Ellesmere Port’s Stanlow  manufacturing complex will  produce, store, and distribute  low-carbon hydrogen from the  mid 2020s, as well as capturing  and storing CO2 emissions from  industry in the region.

And in the Redcar corner Redcar is the other contender to  be the first hydrogen village.  

NGN says it aims to switch the  gas supply to hydrogen for  around 2,000 homes and  businesses in parts of Redcar  including the town centre,  Warrenby, Coatham and an area  of Kirkleatham from 2025. The plans involve producing  hydrogen in Teesside, meaning  Redcar would be self-sufficient,  generating its own hydrogen  locally, from renewable sources. 

NGN chose Redcar because it  lies within the East Coast  industrial cluster, close to  established energy infrastructure  including hydrogen production  and storage facilities. 

The varied  housing in the local area is  representative of homes  throughout rest of the UK. CEO Mark Horsley says:  “Teesside has a proud industrial  heritage and is now embracing  the green industrial revolution with  hydrogen production, bringing  skilled jobs to the area.  “Heating homes and  businesses with this home-grown  hydrogen, which will be stored  locally, is a logical step as part of  our work to bring sustainable,  affordable and secure energy  supplies to customers and  communities throughout the  north of England. 

We are  looking forward to engaging  with the people and businesses  of Redcar to develop our  proposals further.” Cllr Mary Lanigan, leader of  Redcar and Cleveland Borough  Council, adds: “The proposed  community plans are ground-breaking and I hope all people  and businesses in the areas  which will be identified will be  happy to take part if it is  approved by the government. “The work that has already  taken place on Teesside around  developing the fuels of the future  gives Teesside a great chance to  be successful in pioneering this  work. 

As a council, we are  committed to becoming carbon neutral and schemes like this have  the potential to make a significant  difference in achieving this.”