United Kingdom

The world-wide sustainability implications of transport technologies remain unclear because their assessment often relies on metrics that are hard to interpret from a global perspective. To contribute to filling this gap here we apply the concept of planetary boundaries (PBs) i.e. a set of biophysical limits critical for operating the planet safely to address the optimal design of sustainable fuel supply chains (SCs) focusing on hydrogen for vehicle use. By incorporating PBs into a mixed-integer linear programming model (MILP) we identify SC configurations that satisfy a given transport demand while minimising the PBs transgression level i.e. while reducing the risk of surpassing the ecological capacity of the Earth. On applying this methodology to the UK we find that the current fossil-based sector is unsustainable as it transgresses the energy imbalance CO2 concentration and ocean acidification PBs heavily i.e. five to 55-fold depending on the downscale principle. The move to hydrogen would help to reduce current transgression levels substantially i.e. reductions of 9–86% depending on the case. However it would be insufficient to operate entirely within all the PBs concurrently. The minimum impact SCs would produce hydrogen via water electrolysis powered by wind and nuclear energy and store it in compressed form followed by distribution via rail which would require as much as 37 TWh of electricity per year. Our work unfolds new avenues for the incorporation of PBs in the assessment and optimisation of energy systems to arrive at sustainable solutions that are entirely consistent with the carrying capacity of the planet.

Hydrogen storage is one of the energy storage methods that can help realization of an emission free future by saving surplus renewable energy for energy deficit periods. Utilization of depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs for large-scale hydrogen storage may be associated with the risk of chemical/biochemical reactions. In the specific case of chalk reservoirs the principal reactions are abiotic calcite dissolution acetogenesis methanogenesis and biological souring. Here we use PHREEQC to evaluate the dynamics and the extent of hydrogen loss by each of these reactions in hydrogen storage scenarios for various Danish North Sea chalk hydrocarbon reservoirs. We find that: (i) Abiotic calcite dissolution does not occur in the temperature range of 40-180◦ C. (ii) If methanogens and acetogens grow as slow as the slowest growing methanogens and acetogens reported in the literature methanogenesis and acetogenesis cannot cause a hydrogen loss more than 0.6% per year. However (iii) if they proceed as fast as the fastest growing methanogens and acetogens reported in the literature a complete loss of all injected hydrogen in less than five years is possible. (iv) Co-injection of CO2 can be employed to inhibit calcite dissolution and keep the produced methane due to methanogenesis carbon neutral. (v) Biological sulfate reduction does not cause significant hydrogen loss during 10 years but it can lead to high hydrogen sulfide concentrations (1015 ppm). Biological sulfate reduction is expected to impact hydrogen storage only in early stages if the only source of sulfur substrates are the dissolved species in the brine and not rock minerals. Considering these findings we suggest that depleted chalk reservoirs may not possess chemical/biochemical risks and be good candidates for large-scale underground hydrogen storage.

The Heads of Terms for the Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement sets out the government’s proposal for the final hydrogen production business model design. It will form the basis of the Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement the business model contract between the government appointed counterparty and a low carbon hydrogen producer.<br/>The business model will provide revenue support to hydrogen producers to overcome the operating cost gap between low carbon hydrogen and high carbon fuels. It has been designed to incentivise investment in low carbon hydrogen production and use and in doing so deliver the government’s ambition of up to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

Combined heat and power (CHP) in a single and integrated device is concurrent or synchronized production of many sources of usable power typically electric as well as thermal. Integrating combined heat and power systems in today’s energy market will address energy scarcity global warming as well as energy-saving problems. This review highlights the system design for fuel cell CHP technologies. Key among the components discussed was the type of fuel cell stack capable of generating the maximum performance of the entire system. The type of fuel processor used was also noted to influence the systemic performance coupled with its longevity. Other components equally discussed was the power electronics. The thermal and water management was also noted to have an effect on the overall efficiency of the system. Carbon dioxide emission reduction reduction of electricity cost and grid independence were some notable advantages associated with fueling cell combined heat and power systems. Despite these merits the high initial capital cost is a key factor impeding its commercialization. It is therefore imperative that future research activities are geared towards the development of novel and cheap materials for the development of the fuel cell which will transcend into a total reduction of the entire system. Similarly robust systemic designs should equally be an active research direction. Other types of fuel aside hydrogen should equally be explored. Proper risk assessment strategies and documentation will similarly expand and accelerate the commercialization of this novel technology. Finally public sensitization of the technology will also make its acceptance and possible competition with existing forms of energy generation feasible. The work in summary showed that proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEM fuel cell) operated at a lower temperature-oriented cogeneration has good efficiency and is very reliable. The critical issue pertaining to these systems has to do with the complication associated with water treatment. This implies that the balance of the plant would be significantly affected; likewise the purity of the gas is crucial in the performance of the system. An alternative to these systems is the PEM fuel cell systems operated at higher temperatures.

This study aims to help the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) determine whether the government should intervene to enable or require hydrogen-ready industrial boiler equipment. It will do this based on information from existing literature along with qualitative and quantitative information from stakeholder engagement. The study draws on evidence gathered through BEIS’ Call for Evidence (CfE) on hydrogen-ready industrial boilers. The assessment will advance the overall understanding of hydrogen-ready industrial boilers based on four outputs: definitions of hydrogen-readiness comparisons of the cost and resource requirement to install and convert hydrogen-ready industrial boiler equipment supply chain capacity for conversion to hydrogen and estimates of the UK industrial boiler population.

Increased consumption of low-carbon hydrogen is prominent in the decarbonisation strategies of many jurisdictions. Yet prior studies assessing the current most prevalent production method steam reformation of natural gas (SRNG) have not sufficiently evaluated how process design decisions affect life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This techno-economic case study assesses cradle-to-gate emissions of hydrogen produced from SRNG with CO2 capture and storage (CCS) in British Columbia Canada. Four process configurations with amine-based CCS using existing technology and novel process designs are evaluated. We find that cradle-to-gate GHG emission intensity ranges from 0.7 to 2.7 kgCO2e/kgH2 – significantly lower than previous studies of SRNG with CCS and similar to the range of published estimates for hydrogen produced from renewable-powered electrolysis. The levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) in this study (US$1.1–1.3/kgH2) is significantly lower than published estimates for renewable-powered electrolysis.

Morocco despite its heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels which made up 68% of electricity generation in 2020 has recognised its significant renewable energy potential. The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitment is to reduce emissions by 45.5% from baseline levels with international assistance and abstain from constructing new coal plants. Moreover the Green Hydrogen Roadmap aims to export 10 TWh of green hydrogen by 2030 as well as use it for local electricity storage. This paper critically analyses this Roadmap and Morocco’s readiness to reach its ambitious targets focusing specifically on an energy trilemma perspective and using OSeMOSYS (Open-Source energy Modelling System) for energy modelling. The results reveal that the NDC scenario is only marginally more expensive than the least-cost scenario at around 1.3% (approximately USD 375 million) and facilitates a 23.32% emission reduction by 2050. An important note is the continued reliance on existing coal power plants across all scenarios which challenges both energy security and emissions. The assessment of the Green Hydrogen Scenarios highlights that it could be too costly for the Moroccan government to fund the Green Hydrogen Roadmap at this scale which leads to increased imports of polluting fossil fuels for cost reduction. In fact the emission levels are 39% higher in the green hydrogen exports scenario than in the least-cost scenario. Given these findings it is recommended that the Green Hydrogen Roadmap be re-evaluated with a suggestion for a postponement and reduction in scope.

Reversible solid oxide fuel cell (RSOFC) is an energy device that flexibly interchanges between electrical and chemical energy according to people’s life and production needs. The development of cell materials affects the stability and cost of the cell but also restricts its market-oriented development. After decades of research by scientists a lot of achievements and progress have been made on RSOFC materials. According to the composition and requirements of each component of RSOFC this article summarizes the research progress based on materials and discusses the merits and demerits of current cell materials in electrochemical performance. According to the efficiency of different materials in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC mode) and solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC mode) the challenges encountered by RSOFC in the operation are evaluated and the future development of RSOFC materials is boldly prospected.

The emergence and design of hydrogen transport infrastructures are crucial steps towards the development of a hydrogen economy. However pipeline routing remains underdeveloped in hydrogen infrastructure design models despite its significant impact on the resultant cost and network configuration. Many previous studies assume uniform cost surfaces on which pipelines are designed. Studies that consider a variable cost surface focus on designing candidate networks rather than bespoke routes for a given infrastructure. This study proposes a novel multi-stage approach based on a graph-based Steiner tree with Obstacles Genetic Algorithm (StObGA) to route pipelines on a complex cost surface for multi-source multi-sink hydrogen networks. The application of StObGA results in cost savings of 20–40% compared to alternative graph-based methods that assume uniform cost surfaces. Furthermore this publication presents an in-depth methodological comparative analysis of different pipeline routing and sizing methods used in the literature and discusses their impact. Finally we demonstrate how this model can generate design variations and provide practical insights to inform industry and policymakers.

Hydrogen offers the UK a unique opportunity to deliver on our Net Zero ambitions enabling deep decarbonisation of the parts of the energy system that are challenging to electrify balancing the energy system by providing large scale long duration energy storage and reducing pressure on electricity infrastructure. The UK Government in recognition of the centrality of hydrogen to the future energy system has set a 10GW hydrogen production ambition to be achieved by 2030. This ambition and its supporting policies such as the Hydrogen Business Model the Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard and the Hydrogen Transport and Storage Business Models will unlock private sector investment and kick-start the UK’s hydrogen activity. Encouragingly the UK has a positive track record of deploying low carbon technologies. The  combination of the UK’s world leading policies and incentive schemes alongside a vibrant  Research Development and Innovation (RD&I)  and engineering environment has enabled rapid  deployment of technologies such as offshore wind  and electric vehicles. Yet despite being world leaders  in deployment early opportunities for regional  supply chain growth and job creation were not fully  realised and taken advantage of from inception. The  hydrogen sector is therefore at a tipping point. To  capitalise on the economic opportunity hydrogen  offers the UK must learn from prior technology  deployments and build a strong domestic hydrogen  supply chain in parallel to championing deployment.

Hydrogen is unique amongst low carbon  technologies. It represents a significant economic  opportunity with future hydrogen markets estimated  by the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative to be worth  $8tn and hydrogen technology markets estimated to reach $1tn by 20501 but crucially it is also still a nascent market. Unlike many other low carbon technologies where supply chains are already well established hydrogen supply chains are embryonic meaning that the UK has an opportunity to anchor these supply chains here and establish itself as a global leader.

The UK is well placed to capitalise on this opportunity with favourable geography and geology  that enables us to produce and store hydrogen cost effectively coupled with a strong pipeline of hydrogen projects a stable policy environment that is attractive to investors and a wealth of transferable skills and expertise from the oil and gas industry.

We must ensure that alongside our focus on deployment we are also investing in technology and supply chains. Not only will this deliver exponential economic benefits from the projects supported by Government but it will also enable us to tackle increasing global supply chain constraints. Hydrogen UK estimated in its Economic Impact Assessment that hydrogen could deliver 30000 jobs annually and £7bn of GVA by 2030

It is important to be targeted and strategic in our investment and activities and recognise that hydrogen represents a wide range of technologies and the UK should not expect to lead in every area. Hydrogen UK with the support of the Hydrogen Delivery Council has undertaken analysis of the hydrogen value chain building on UK strengths and identifying the high value items that can deliver significant impact and benefit to the UK. We have also conducted widespread engagement with project developers to identify the barriers to utilising UK technology in projects and with technology developers to identify the challenges and barriers to investing and siting development and manufacturing in the UK.

The report can be found on Hydrogen UK's website.