United Kingdom

Heating and hot water within buildings account for almost a quarter of global energy consumption. Approximately 90% of this heat is derived directly from the combustion of fossil fuels primarily natural gas leading to the unabated emission of carbon dioxide. This paper assesses the environmental sustainability of a range of heating technologies and scenarios on a life cycle basis. The major technologies considered are natural gas boilers air source heat pumps hydrogen boilers and direct electric heaters. The scenarios use the UK as an example due to its status as a major economy with a legally-binding net-zero carbon target for 2050; they consider plausible future electricity and natural gas mixes including the potential growth of domestic shale gas. The environmental impacts are estimated using ReCiPe 2016. Current gas boilers have a climate change impact of 220 g CO₂ eq./kWh of heat which could fall to 64 g CO₂ eq./kWh for boilers fuelled by hydrogen derived from natural gas with carbon capture. Heat from electric air source heat pumps or hydrogen from electrolysis can achieve net zero with a decarbonised electricity mix but electrolysis has the highest energy demand of all options which leads to the highest impacts across 17 of the 19 categories. Despite their high carbon emissions gas boilers remain the lowest impact option across 12 categories as they avoid the impacts related to electricity generation including metal depletion toxicities and eutrophication. By 2050 the best performing scenario sees the climate change impact of the heating mix fall by 95%; this is achieved by prioritising electric air source heat pumps without hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants alongside demand reduction. The results show that if infrastructure and financial challenges can be overcome there are several viable decarbonisation strategies for heating with heat pumps offering the most environmentally sustainable option of those considered here. However increased renewable electricity demand may worsen some environmental impacts compared to natural gas boilers.

One of the most attractive routes for the production of hydrogen or syngas for use in fuel cell applications is the reforming and partial oxidation of hydrocarbons. The use of hydrocarbons in high temperature fuel cells is achieved through either external or internal reforming. Reforming and partial oxidation catalysis to convert hydrocarbons to hydrogen rich syngas plays an important role in fuel processing technology. The current research in the area of reforming and partial oxidation of methane methanol and ethanol includes catalysts for reforming and oxidation methods of catalyst synthesis and the effective utilization of fuel for both external and internal reforming processes. In this paper the recent progress in these areas of research is reviewed along with the reforming of liquid hydrocarbons from this an overview of the current best performing catalysts for the reforming and partial oxidizing of hydrocarbons for hydrogen production is summarized.

The transition to low carbon energy and transport systems requires an unprecedented roll-out of new infrastructure technologies containing significant quantities of critical raw materials. Many of these technologies are based on general purpose technologies such as permanent magnets and electric motors that are common across different infrastructure systems. Circular economy initiatives that aim to institute better resource management practices could exploit these technological commonalities through the reuse and remanufacturing of technology components across infrastructure systems. In this paper we analyze the implementation of such processes in the transition to low carbon electricity generation and transport on the Isle of Wight UK. We model two scenarios relying on different renewable energy technologies with the reuse of Lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles for grid-attached storage. A whole-system analysis that considers both electricity and transport infrastructure demonstrates that the optimal choice of renewable technology can be dependent on opportunities for component reuse and material recycling between the different infrastructure systems. Hydrogen fuel cell based transport makes use of platinum from obsolete catalytic converters whereas lithium-ion batteries can be reused for grid-attached storage when they are no longer useful in vehicles. Trade-offs exist between the efficiency of technology reuse which eliminates the need for new technologies for grid attached storage completely by 2033 and the higher flexibility afforded by recycling at the material level; reducing primary material demand for Lithium by 51% in 2033 compared to 30% achieved by battery reuse. This analysis demonstrates the value of a methodology that combines detailed representations of technologies and components with a systemic approach that includes multiple interconnected infrastructure systems.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will question experts on the role of batteries and fuel cells for decarbonisation and how much they can contribute to meeting the net-zero target.

Tuesday’s evidence session will be the first of the committee’s new decarbonisation inquiry which was launched on Wednesday 3 March and is currently accepting written evidence submissions.

The session will give an overview of battery and fuel cell technologies and their applications in transport and other sectors. The Committee will ask how battery manufacture can be scaled up to meet wide-scale deployment of electric vehicles and whether technical challenges can be overcome to allow batteries and fuel cells to be used in HGVs and trains. The Committee will also investigate the wider use of batteries and fuel cells in various sectors including integration into power grids and heating systems.

Inquiry Role of batteries and fuel cells in achieving Net Zero

Professor Nigel Brandon Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Imperial College London

Professor Mauro Pasta Associate Professor of Materials at University of Oxford

Professor Pam Thomas CEO at Faraday Institution and Pro Vice Chancellor for Research at University of Warwick

Mr Amer Gaffar Director of Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University



Possible questions

What contribution are battery and fuel cell technologies currently making towards decarbonization in the UK?

What advances do we expect to see in battery and fuel cell technologies and over what timeframes?

How quickly can UK battery and fuel cell manufacture be scaled up to meet electrification demands?

What are the challenges facing technological innovation and deployment in heavy transport?

Are there any sectors where battery and fuel cell technologies are not currently used but could contribute to decarbonisation?

What are the life cycle environmental impacts of batteries and fuel cells?

Parliament TV video of the meeting​​​

This is part one of a three part enquiry.

Part two can be found here and part three can be found here.

Hydrogen could be used as a ‘cleaner’ cooking fuel particularly in communities that rely on biomass and fossil fuels to reduce local pollution and related health effects. However hydrogen must be produced using sustainable feedstocks and energy sources to ensure that local impacts are not reduced at the expense of other impacts generated elsewhere in the life cycle. To this end this paper evaluates life cycle environmental impacts of renewable hydrogen produced in a proton-exchange membrane electrolyser using solar energy. The aim of the study is to find out if hydrogen produced in this system and used as a cooking fuel is environmentally sustainable in comparison with conventional cooking fuels typically used in developing countries such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) charcoal and firewood. The results suggest that hydrogen would reduce the climate change impact by 2.5–14 times to 0.04 kg CO₂ eq./MJ compared to firewood (0.10 kg CO2 eq./MJ) and LPG (0.57 kg CO₂ eq./MJ). Some other impacts would also be lower by 6%–35 times including depletion of fossil fuels summer smog and health effects from emissions of particulates both locally and across the rest of the life cycle. However some other impacts would increase by 6%–6.7 times such as depletion of metals and freshwater and marine ecotoxicity. These are mainly due to the solar photovoltaic panels used to generate power for the electrolyser. In terms of the local impacts the study suggests that hydrogen would reduce local pollution and related health impacts by 8%–35 times. However LPG is still environmentally a better option than hydrogen for most of the impacts both at the point of use and on a life cycle basis.

A key component of the Government's recently announced ‘Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’ is 'Driving the Growth of Low Carbon Hydrogen'. The plan outlined a range of measures to support the development and adoption of hydrogen including a £240 million 'Net Zero Hydrogen Fund'. Noting this and the further £81 million allocated for hydrogen heating trials in the 2020 Spending Review the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee is today launching a new inquiry into the role of hydrogen in achieving Net Zero.  

Following recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change that the Government develop a strategy for hydrogen use and should aim for largescale hydrogen trials to begin in the early 2020s the Committee seeks to ensure that the Government's intended plan will be suitable and effective. The Committee will also assess the infrastructure required for hydrogen as a Net Zero fuel and examine progress made so far internationally to determine the viability of hydrogen as a significant contributor to achieving Net Zero.

All documents are in the Supplements tab above.

There is a need for alternative fuels in the shipping sector for two main motivations: to deliver a reduction in local pollutants and comply with existing regulation; and to mitigate climate change and cut greenhouse gas emissions. However any alternative fuel must meet a range of criteria to become a viable option. Key among them is the requirement that it can deliver emissions reductions over its full life-cycle. For a set of fuels comprising both conventional and alternative fuels together with associated production pathways this paper presents a life-cycle assessment with respect to six emissions species: local pollutants sulphur oxides nitrogen oxides and particulate matter; and greenhouse gases carbon dioxide methane and nitrous oxide. While the analysis demonstrates that no widely available fuel exists currently to deliver on both motivations some alternative fuel options have the potential if key barriers can be overcome. Hydrogen or other synthetic fuels rely on decarbonisation of both energy input to production and other feedstock materials to deliver reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly bio-derived fuels can be an abatement option but only if it can be ensured that land-use change whilst growing biomass does not impact wider potential savings and the sector is able to compete sufficiently for their use. These examples show that crucial barriers are located upstream in the respective fuel life-cycle and that the way to overcome them may reside beyond the scope of the shipping sector alone.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will hear from leading researchers about anticipated developments in batteries and fuel cells over the next ten years that could contribute to meeting the net-zero target.

The Committee continues its inquiry into the Role of batteries and fuel cells in achieving Net Zero. It will ask a panel of experts about batteries hearing about the current state-of-the-art in technologies that are currently in deployment primarily lithium-ion batteries. It will also explore the potential of next generation technologies currently in development and the challenges in scaling them up to manufacture.

The Committee will then question a second panel about fuel cells hearing about the different types available and their applications. It will explore challenges that need to be overcome in the development of the technology and will consider the UK’s international standing in the sector.

Meeting details

At 10.00am: Oral evidence

Professor Serena Corr Chair in Functional Nanomaterials and Director of Research Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at University of Sheffield

Professor Paul Shearing Professor in Chemical Engineering at University College London

Dr Jerry Barker Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Faradion Limited

Dr Melanie Loveridge Associate Professor Warwick Manufacturing Group at University of Warwick

At 11.00am: Oral evidence

Professor Andrea Russell Professor of Physical Electrochemistry at University of Southampton

Professor Anthony Kucernak Professor of Physical Chemistry Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College London

Professor John Irvine Professor School of Chemistry at University of St Andrews

Possible questions

• What contribution are battery and fuel cell technologies currently making towards decarbonization in the UK?
• What advances do we expect to see in battery and fuel cell technologies and over what timeframes?
• How quickly can UK battery and fuel cell manufacture be scaled up to meet electrification demands?
• What are the challenges facing technological innovation and deployment in heavy transport?
• Are there any sectors where battery and fuel cell technologies are not currently used but could contribute to decarbonisation?
• What are the life cycle environmental impacts of batteries and fuel cells?

Parliament TV video of the meeting

This is part two of a three part enquiry.

Part one can be found here and part three can be found here.

This Discussion Paper was commissioned by Zukunft ERDGAS to contribute to the debate concerning the deep decarbonisation of the European energy sector required to meet the Paris Agreement targets. Previous discussion papers have put forward decarbonisation pathways that rely heavily on ‘All-Electric’ solutions. These depend predominantly on renewable electricity to deliver decarbonisation of all sectors. This paper offers an alternative to an ‘All-Electric’ solution by building an alternative pathway that allows the inclusion of gas based technologies alongside the ‘All-Electric’ pathway technologies. The new pathway demonstrates that hydrogen from natural gas can be an essential complement to renewable electricity. The pathway also considers the benefits of utilising methane pyrolysis technology in Europe to produce zero carbon hydrogen.

Read the full report at this link

The quality of the hydrogen delivered by refuelling stations is critical for end-users and society. The purity of the hydrogen dispensed at hydrogen refuelling points should comply with the technical specifications included in the ISO 14687:2019 and EN 17124:2022 standards. Once laboratories have set up methods they need to verify their performances for example through participation in interlaboratory comparisons. Due to the challenge associated with the production of stable reference materials and transport of these which are produced in hydrogen at high pressure (>10 bar) interlaboratory comparisons have been organized in different steps with increasing extent. This study describes an inter-laboratory comparison exercise for hydrogen fuel involving a large number of participants (13 laboratories) completed in less than a year and included eight key contaminants of hydrogen fuel at level close to the ISO14687 threshold. These compounds were selected based on their high probability of occurrence or because they have been found in hydrogen fuel samples. For the results of the intercomparison it appeared that fully complying with ISO 21087:2019 is still challenging for many participants and highlighted the importance of organising these types of exercises. Many laboratories performed corrective actions based on their results which in turn significantly improved their performances.

In response to the UK Government’s commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 a range of research and demonstration projects are underway to investigate the feasibility of using hydrogen in place of natural gas within the national transmission and distribution system. In order for these projects to achieve their full scope of work a mechanism for performing hazardous area classification for hydrogen installations is required. At present IGEM/SR/25 is used to undertake such assessments for natural gas installations but the standard is not currently applicable to hydrogen or hydrogen/natural gas blends.<br/>This report presents updated data and a summary of the recommended methodologies for hazardous area classification of installations using hydrogen or blends of up to 20% hydrogen in natural gas. The contents of this report are intended to provide a technical commentary and the data for a hydrogen-specific supplement to IGEM/SR/25. The supplement will specifically cover 100% hydrogen and a 20/80% by volume blend of hydrogen/natural gas. Reference to intermediate blends is included in this report where appropriate to cover the anticipated step-wise introduction of hydrogen into the natural gas network.<br/>This report is divided into a series of appendices each of which covers a specific area of the IGEM standard. Each appendix includes a summary of specific recommendations made to enable IGEM/SR/25 to be applied to hydrogen and blends of up to 20% hydrogen in natural gas. The reader is encouraged to review the individual appendices for specific conclusions associated with the topic areas addressed in this report.<br/>In general the existing methodologies and approaches used for area classification in IGEM/SR/25 have been deemed appropriate for installations using either hydrogen or blends of up to 20% hydrogen in natural gas. Where necessary revised versions of the equations and zoning distances used in the standard are presented which account for the influence of material property differences between natural gas and the two alternative fuels considered in this work.

Although energy-intensive industries are often seen as ‘hard-to-decarbonise’ net-zero megaprojects for industrial clusters promise to improve the technical and economic feasibility of hydrogen fuel switching and carbon capture and storage (CCS). Mobilising insights from the megaproject literature this paper analyses the dynamics of an ambitious first-of-kind net-zero megaproject in the Humber industrial cluster in the United Kingdom which includes CCS and hydrogen infrastructure systems industrial fuel switching CO2 capture green and blue hydrogen production and hydrogen storage. To analyse the dynamics of this emerging megaproject the article uses a socio-technical system lens to focus on developments in technology actors and institutions. Synthesising multiple megaproject literature insights the paper develops a comprehensive framework that addresses both aggregate (‘outside-in’) developments and the endogenous (‘inside-out’) experiences and activities regarding three specific challenges: technical system integration actor coordination and institutional alignment. Drawing on an original dataset involving expert interviews (N = 46) site visits (N = 7) and document analysis the ‘outside-in’ analysis finds that the Humber megaproject has progressed rapidly from outline visions to specific technical designs enacted by new coalitions and driven by strengthening policy targets and financial support schemes. The complementary ‘inside-out’ analysis however also finds 12 alignment challenges that can delay or derail materialisation of the plans. While policies are essential aggregate drivers institutional misalignments presently also prevent project-actors from finalising design and investment decisions. Our analysis also finds important tensions between the project's high-pace delivery focus (to meet government targets) and allowing sufficient time for pilot projects learning-by-doing and design iterations.

The deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) is critical to achieve zero emissions. A key parameter influencing FCEV performance and durability is hydrogen fuel quality. The real impact of contaminants on FCEV performance is not well understood and requires reliable measurements from real-life events (e.g. hydrogen fuel in poor-performing FCEVs) and controlled studies on the impact of synthetic hydrogen fuel on FCEV performance. This paper presents a novel methodology to flow traceable hydrogen synthetic fuel directly into the FCEV tank. Four different synthetic fuels containing N2 (90–200 µmol/mol) CO (0.14–5 µmol/mol) and H2S (4–11 nmol/mol) were supplied to an FCEV and subsequently sampled and analyzed. The synthetic fuels containing known contaminants powered the FCEV and provided real-life performance testing of the fuel cell system. The results showed for the first time that synthetic hydrogen fuel can be used in FCEVs without the requirement of a large infrastructure. In addition this study carried out a traceable H2 contamination impact study with an FCEV. The impact of CO and H2S at ISO 14687:2019 threshold levels on FCEV performance showed that small exceedances of the threshold levels had a significant impact even for short exposures. The methodology proposed can be deployed to evaluate the composition of any hydrogen fuel.

Hybrid renewable hydrogen energy systems could play a key role in delivering sustainable solutions for enabling the Net Zero ambition; however the lack of exact computational modelling tools for sizing the integrated system components and simulating their real-world dynamic behaviour remains a key technical challenge against their widespread adoption. This paper addresses this challenge by developing a precise dynamic model that allows sizing the rated capacity of the hybrid system components and accurately simulating their real-world dynamic behaviour while considering effective energy management between the grid-integrated system components to ensure that the maximum possible proportion of energy demand is supplied from clean sources rather than the grid. The proposed hybrid system components involve a solar PV system electrolyser pressurised hydrogen storage tank and fuel cell. The developed hybrid system model incorporates a set of mathematical models for the individual system components. The developed precise dynamic model allows identifying the electrolyser’s real-world hydrogen production levels in response to the input intermittent solar energy production while also simulating the electrochemical behaviour of the fuel cell and precisely quantifying its real-world output power and hydrogen consumption in response to load demand variations. Using a university campus case study building in Scotland the effectiveness of the developed model has been assessed by benchmarking comparison between its results versus those obtained from a generic model in which the electrochemical characteristics of the electrolyser and fuel cell systems were not taken into consideration. Results from this comparison have demonstrated the potential of the developed model in simulating the real-world dynamic operation of hybrid solar hydrogen energy systems for grid-connected buildings while sizing the exact capacity of system components avoiding oversizing associated with underutilisation costs and inaccurate simulation.

As Europe moves towards decarbonising its energy infrastructure new measurement needs will arise that require collaborative efforts between European National Metrology Institutes and Designated Institutes to tackle. Such measurement needs include flow metering of hydrogen or hydrogen enriched natural gas in the gas grid for billing quality assurance of hydrogen at refuelling stations and equations of state for carbon dioxide in carbon capture and storage facilities. The European metrology network for energy gases for the first time provides a platform where metrology institutes can work together to develop a harmonised strategy prioritise new challenges and share expertise and capabilities to support the European energy gas industry to meet stringent EU targets for climate change and emissions reductions

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of hydrogen. The country has adopted a domestic strategy that targets significant growth in hydrogen consumption and production. Given the importance of hydrogen in the low-carbon energy transition it is critical to understand China’s hydrogen policies and their implementation as well as the extent to which these contribute to the country’s low-carbon goals.<br/>Existing research has focused on understanding policies and regulations in China and their implications for the country’s hydrogen prospects. This study aims to improve our understanding of central-government initiatives and look at how China’s hydrogen policies are implemented at the local level. The paper examines the three cities of Zhangjiakou (in China’s renewable-rich Hebei province) Datong (in the country’s coal-heartland of Shanxi province) and Chengdu which is rich in hydropower and natural gas. To be sure the three cities analysed in this paper do not cover all regional plans and initiatives but they offer a useful window into local hydrogen policy implementation. They also illustrate the major challenges facing green hydrogen as it moves beyond the narrow highly subsidized field of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). Indeed costs as well as water land availability and technology continue to be constraints.<br/>The hydrogen policies and road maps reviewed in this paper offer numerous targets—often setting quantitative goals for FCVs hydrogen refuelling stations hydrogen supply chain revenue and new hydrogen technology companies—aligning with the view that hydrogen development is currently more of an industrial policy than a decarbonisation strategy. Indeed hydrogen’s potential to decarbonise sectors such as manufacturing and chemicals is of secondary importance if mentioned at all. But as the cities analysed here view hydrogen as part of their industrial programmes economic development and climate strategies support is likely to remain significant even as the specific incentive schemes will likely evolve.<br/>Given this local hydrogen development model rising demand for hydrogen in China could ultimately increase rather than decrease CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels in the short run. At the same time even though the central government’s hydrogen targets (as laid out in its 2022 policy documents) seem relatively conservative Chinese cities’ appetite for new sources of growth and the ability to fund various business models are worth watching.

With the growing demand for green technologies hydrogen energy devices such as Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells and water electrolysers have received accelerated developments. However the materials and manufacturing cost of these technologies are still relatively expensive which impedes their widespread commercialization. Additive Manufacturing (AM) commonly termed 3D Printing (3DP) with its advanced capabilities could be a potential pathway to solve the fabrication challenges of PEM parts. Herein in this paper the research studies on the novel AM fabrication methods of PEM components are thoroughly reviewed and analysed. The key performance properties such as corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement resistance of the additively manufactured materials in the PEM working environment are discussed to emphasise their reliability for the PEM systems. Additionally the major challenges and required future developments of AM technologies to unlock their full potential for PEM fabrication are identified. This paper provides insights from the latest research developments on the significance of advanced manufacturing technologies in developing sustainable energy systems to address the global energy challenges and climate change effects.

In this podcast David Ledesma engages in a conversation with Alex Patonia and Rahmat Poudineh on their recent paper focusing on hydrogen storage for a net-zero carbon future. The podcast delves into the various types of hydrogen storage options highlighting their relative strengths and drawbacks.

In order for a hydrogen economy to be established several key factors must be addressed including efficient and decarbonized production adequate transportation infrastructure and the deployment of suitable hydrogen storage facilities. However hydrogen presents unique challenges when it comes to storage and handling. Due to its extremely low volumetric energy density under ambient conditions hydrogen cannot be efficiently or economically stored without undergoing compression liquefaction or conversion into other more manageable substances.

At present there exist several hydrogen storage solutions at different levels of technology market and commercial readiness each with varying applications depending on specific circumstances.

Additionally the podcast explores the primary barriers that hinder investment in hydrogen storage and the essential components of a viable business model that can address the primary risks to which potential hydrogen storage investors are exposed.

The podcast can be found on their website.

Hydrogen (H2) usage was 90 metric tonnes (Mt) in 2020 almost entirely for industrial and refining uses and generated almost completely from fossil fuels leading to nearly 900 Mt of carbon dioxide emissions. However there has been significant growth of H2 in recent years. Electrolysers' total capacity which are required to generate H2 from electricity has multiplied in the past years reaching more than 300 MW through 2021. Approximately 350 projects reportedly under construction could push total capacity to 54 GW by the year 2030. Some other 40 projects totalling output of more than 35 GW are in the planning phase. If each of these projects is completed global H2 production from electrolysers could exceed 8 Mt by 2030. It's an opportunity to take advantage of H2S prospects to be a crucial component of a clean safe and cost-effective sustainable future. This paper assesses the situation regarding H2 at the moment and provides recommendations for its potential future advancement. The study reveals that clean H2 is experiencing significant unparalleled commercial and political force with the amount of laws and projects all over the globe growing quickly. The paper concludes that in order to make H2 more widely employed it is crucial to significantly increase innovations and reduce costs. The practical and implementable suggestions provided to industries and governments will allow them to fully capitalise on this growing momentum.

With the current trends of wind energy already playing a major part in the Scottish energy supply the capacity of wind farms is predicted to grow exponentially and reach further depths offshore. However a key challenge that presents itself is the integration of large producing assets into the current UK grid. One potential solution to this is green hydrogen production which is being heavily researched in industry with many concepts being investigated for large-scale purposes. However the operations and maintenance (O&M) costs and availability of green hydrogen systems need to be quantified to ensure economical and technical viability which is sparse in the available literature. The study presented in this paper investigated the availability and O&M costs of coupled wind–hydrogen systems by attempting to quantify the failure rates repair times repair costs and number of technicians required for key green hydrogen components. This study also utilised an O&M model created by the University of Strathclyde which uses Monte Carlo Markov chain simulations to produce the O&M outputs. A number of assumptions were made throughout the study in relation to the O&M model inputs and the baseline availability for the coupled wind–hydrogen system was 85.24%. Whilst the wind turbine still contributed a major part to the downtime seen in the simulations the combined hydrogen system also contributed a significant amount a total of 37% which could have been due to the technology readiness levels of some the components included in the hydrogen system.

Grid-scale underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is essential for the decarbonization of energy supply systems on the path towards a zero-emissions future. This study presents the feasibility of UHS in an actual saline aquifer with a typical dome-shaped anticline structure to balance the potential seasonal mismatches between energy supply and demand in the UK domestic heating sector. As a main requirement for UHS in saline aquifers we investigate the role of well configuration design in enhancing storage performance in the selected site via numerical simulation. The results demonstrate that the efficiency of cyclic hydrogen recovery can reach around 70% in the short term without the need for upfront cushion gas injection. Storage capacity and deliverability increase in successive storage cycles for all scenarios with the co-production of water from the aquifer having a minimal impact on the efficiency of hydrogen recovery. Storage capacity and deliverability also increase when additional wells are added to the storage site; however the distance between wells can strongly influence this effect. For optimum well spacing in a multi-well storage scenario within a dome-shaped anticline structure it is essential to attain an efficient balance between well pressure interference effects at short well distances and the gas uprising phenomenon at large distances. Overall the findings obtained and the approach described can provide effective technical guidelines pertaining to the design and optimization of hydrogen storage operations in deep saline aquifers.

The European Commission has identified hydrogen as a key part of its decarbonisation strategy. The 2022 REPowerEU Strategy set a target of 20MT consumption of renewable hydrogen by 2030. The Commission is keen to promote a single European market in hydrogen similar to the current one for natural gas. To this end it has published proposals on the regulation of  future European hydrogen infrastructure (pipelines storage facilities and import terminals). The European Council (representing Member States) and the European Parliament are finalising their amendments to the Commission proposals prior to ’trilogue’ negotiations and final agreement later this year. The paper ‘The EU Hydrogen and Gas Decarbonisation Package: help or hindrance for the development of a European hydrogen market?’ examines the European Commission proposals and their suitability for a developing  hydrogen market.

This is a summary report of a study which aimed to understand the safety feasibility cost and impacts for 7 industrial sites to switch from natural gas to 100% hydrogen for heating. The volunteer industrial sites:<br/>♦ are located away from industrial clusters<br/>♦ use natural gas to meet most of their energy demand<br/>♦ will likely be most impacted by decisions on the future of the natural gas grid<br/>We have published the report in order to share its findings with other industrial sites and wider industry in particular those considering hydrogen as an option for decarbonisation.<br/>Note that:<br/>♦ some work was carried out on a non-hydrogen alternative energy source but to a lesser level of detail and not to determine the optimal decarbonisation solution<br/>♦ the findings do not apply to other end user environments because of differences between these environments and the consumption of gas<br/>The study was commissioned in 2022 by the former Department for Business and Energy and undertaken by AECOM and their safety sub-contractor ESR.<br/>The evidence will inform strategic decisions in 2026 on the role of low carbon hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas heating.

In this podcast David Ledesma talks to Martin Lambert and Abdurahman Alsulaiman about the potential hydrogen import market particularly focusing on the EU which currently holds the largest and earliest hydrogen target. The podcast explores the emerging hydrogen trade market and considers numerous possibilities for its open up providing better clarity on policy statements and balance them against project announcements.

Throughout the podcast Martin and Abdulrahman delve into various key points – they shed light on the primary areas of focus for projects set to be completed by or before 2030 as well as the distinction between announcements and tangible progress such as projects currently at the Final Investment Decision stage or under construction.

Additionally they explore the EU’s role as one of the few countries to have publicly announced its requirements for hydrogen imports and its ambitious hydrogen import target. The EU is currently establishing a benchmark for the future hydrogen market. However in order for the EU to succeed in establishing future hydrogen supply lines with future trade partners it will be crucial to engage in open dialogues covering a wide range of topics.

Join us in this podcast as we uncover the potential of the hydrogen import market with a specific focus on the EU and discuss the necessary steps for its success.

The podcast can be found on their website.

Policy Connect Carbon Connect and sector and Parliamentary experts have collaborated to present options for the gas grid to play a useful role in the UK’s transition to a low carbon energy system through the widespread use of low carbon gas. The report calls on Government to support the transition to a more flexible gas grid that uses various forms of gas including low carbon gases such as hydrogen and biomethane.