Policy & Socio-Economics
Meeting Net Zero with Decarbonised Gas
Aug 2019
Publication
Although the UK has done a great job of decarbonising electricity generation to get to net zero we need to tackle harder-to-decarbonise sectors like heat transport and industry. Decarbonised gas – biogases hydrogen and the deployment of carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) – can make our manufacturing more sustainable minimise disruption to families and deliver negative emissions.
The Path to Carbon Neutrality in China: A Paradigm Shift in Fossil Resource Utilization
Jan 2022
Publication
The Paris Agreement has set the goal of carbon neutrality to cope with global climate change. China has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 which will strategically change everything in our society. As the main source of carbon emissions the consumption of fossil energy is the most profoundly affected by carbon neutrality. This work presents an analysis of how China can achieve its goal of carbon neutrality based on its status of fossil energy utilization. The significance of transforming fossils from energy to resource utilization in the future is addressed while the development direction and key technologies are discussed.
Decarbonisation of Heat in Great Britain
Oct 2021
Publication
This study was conducted for a group of 15 clients in the public and private sectors interested in potential pathways for decarbonising residential heating and the impact of these pathways on the energy system. The ambition for all new heating installations to be low carbon from 2035 is essential to meeting the net zero target in 2050 and our study found that electricity demand for home heating is set to quadruple by 2050 as part of the shift away from gas-fired boilers.
The key findings from the study include:
The key findings from the study include:
- Phasing out natural gas boiler installations by 2035 is crucial for eliminating CO2 from home heating; delaying to 2040 could leave us with ¼ of today’s home heat emissions in 2050
- Achieving deployment of 600k heat pumps per year by 2028 will require policy intervention both to lower costs and to inform and protect consumers Almost £40bn could be saved in cumulative system costs by 2050 through adoption of more efficient and flexible electric heating technologies like networked heat pumps and storage
- Electricity demand from heating could quadruple by 2050 to over 100TWh per year almost a third of Great Britain’s current total annual electricity demand Using hydrogen for a share of heating could lower peak power demand although producing most of this hydrogen from electrolysis would raise overall power demand.
H2FC SUPERGEN- Opportunities for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies to Contribute to Clean Growth in the UK
May 2020
Publication
Hydrogen is expected to have an important role in decarbonising several parts of the UK energy system. This white paper examines the opportunities for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies (H2FC) to contribute to clean growth in the UK.
We assess the strength of the sector by surveying 196 companies working in the area and using other key metrics (for example publication citations and patents). There is already a nascent fuel cell industry working at the cutting edge of global innovation. The UK has an opportunity to grow this industry and to develop an export-focused hydrogen industry over the next few decades. However this will require public nurturing and support. We make a series of recommendations that include:
We assess the strength of the sector by surveying 196 companies working in the area and using other key metrics (for example publication citations and patents). There is already a nascent fuel cell industry working at the cutting edge of global innovation. The UK has an opportunity to grow this industry and to develop an export-focused hydrogen industry over the next few decades. However this will require public nurturing and support. We make a series of recommendations that include:
- Creating separate national fuel cell and hydrogen strategies. These should take UK energy needs capabilities and export opportunities into account. There is a need to coordinate public R&D support and to manage the consequences if European funding and collaboration opportunities become unavailable due to Brexit.
- Creating a public–private “Hydrogen Partnership” to accelerate a shift to hydrogen energy systems in the UK and to stimulate opportunities for businesses.
- Putting in place infrastructure to underpin nascent fuel cell and hydrogen markets including a national refuelling station network and a green hydrogen standard scheme.
- Study what would constitute critical mass in the hydrogen and fuel cell sectors in terms of industry and academic capacity and the skills and knowledge base and consider how critical mass could be achieved most efficiently.
- Consider creating a “Hydrogen Institute” and an “Electrochemical Centre” to coordinate and underpin national innovation over the next decade.
World Energy Transitions Outlook: 1.5°C Pathway
Mar 2021
Publication
Dolf Gielen,
Ricardo Gorini,
Rodrigo Leme,
Gayathri Prakash,
Nicholas Wagner,
Luis Janeiro,
Sean Collins,
Maisarah Kadir,
Elisa Asmelash,
Rabia Ferroukhi,
Ulrike Lehr,
Xavier Garcia Casals,
Diala Hawila,
Bishal Parajuli,
Elizabeth Press,
Paul Durrant,
Seungwoo Kang,
Martina Lyons,
Carlos Ruiz,
Trish Mkutchwa,
Emanuele Taibi,
Herib Blanco,
Francisco Boshell,
Arina Anise,
Elena Ocenic,
Roland Roesch,
Gabriel Castellanos,
Gayathri Nair,
Barbara Jinks,
Asami Miketa,
Michael Taylor,
Costanza Strinati,
Michael Renner and
Deger Saygin
The World Energy Transitions Outlook preview outlines a pathway for the world to achieve the Paris Agreement goals and halt the pace of climate change by transforming the global energy landscape. This preview presents options to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C and bring CO2 emissions closer to net zero by mid-century offering high-level insights on technology choices investment needs and the socio-economic contexts of achieving a sustainable resilient and inclusive energy future.
Meeting CO2 reduction targets by 2050 will require a combination of: technology and innovation to advance the energy transition and improve carbon management; supportive and proactive policies; associated job creation and socio-economic improvements; and international co-operation to guarantee energy availability and access.
Among key findings:
This preview identifies opportunities to support informed policy and decision making to establish a new global energy system. Following this preview and aligned with the UN High-Level Dialogue process the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will release the full report which will provide a comprehensive vision and accompanying policy measures for the transition.
Meeting CO2 reduction targets by 2050 will require a combination of: technology and innovation to advance the energy transition and improve carbon management; supportive and proactive policies; associated job creation and socio-economic improvements; and international co-operation to guarantee energy availability and access.
Among key findings:
- Proven technologies for a net-zero energy system already largely exist today. Renewable power green hydrogen and modern bioenergy will dominate the world of energy of the future.
- A combination of technologies is needed to keep us on a 1.5°C climate pathway. These include increasingly efficient energy production to ensure economic growth; decarbonised power systems that are dominated by renewables; increased use of electricity in buildings industry and transport to support decarbonisation; expanded production and use of green hydrogen synthetic fuels and feedstocks; and targeted use of sustainably sourced biomass.
- In anticipation of the coming energy transition financial markets and investors are already directing capital away from fossil fuels and towards other energy technologies including renewables.
- Energy transition investment will have to increase by 30% over planned investment to a total of USD 131 trillion between now and 2050 corresponding to USD 4.4 trillion on average every year.
- National social and economic policies will play fundamental roles in delivering the energy transition at the speed required to restrict global warming to 1.5°C.
This preview identifies opportunities to support informed policy and decision making to establish a new global energy system. Following this preview and aligned with the UN High-Level Dialogue process the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will release the full report which will provide a comprehensive vision and accompanying policy measures for the transition.
Energy Innovation Needs Assessment: Hydrogen & Fuel Cells
Nov 2019
Publication
The Energy Innovation Needs Assessment (EINA) aims to identify the key innovation needs across the UK’s energy system to inform the prioritisation of public sector investment in low-carbon innovation. Using an analytical methodology developed by the Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) the EINA takes a system level approach and values innovations in a technology in terms of the system-level benefits a technology innovation provides. This whole system modelling in line with BEIS’s EINA methodology was delivered by the Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) using the Energy System Modelling Environment (ESMETM) as the primary modelling tool.
To support the overall prioritisation of innovation activity the EINA process analyses key technologies in more detail. These technologies are grouped together into sub-themes according to the primary role they fulfil in the energy system. For key technologies within a sub-theme innovations and business opportunities are identified. The main findings at the technology level are summarised in sub-theme reports. An overview report will combine the findings from each sub-theme to provide a broad system-level perspective and prioritisation.
This EINA analysis is based on a combination of desk research by a consortium of economic and engineering consultants and stakeholder engagement. The prioritisation of innovation and business opportunities presented is informed by a workshop organised for each sub-theme assembling key stakeholders from the academic community industry and government.
This report was commissioned prior to advice being received from the CCC on meeting a net zero target and reflects priorities to meet the previous 80% target in 2050. The newly legislated net zero target is not expected to change the set of innovation priorities rather it will make them all more valuable overall. Further work is required to assess detailed implications.
To support the overall prioritisation of innovation activity the EINA process analyses key technologies in more detail. These technologies are grouped together into sub-themes according to the primary role they fulfil in the energy system. For key technologies within a sub-theme innovations and business opportunities are identified. The main findings at the technology level are summarised in sub-theme reports. An overview report will combine the findings from each sub-theme to provide a broad system-level perspective and prioritisation.
This EINA analysis is based on a combination of desk research by a consortium of economic and engineering consultants and stakeholder engagement. The prioritisation of innovation and business opportunities presented is informed by a workshop organised for each sub-theme assembling key stakeholders from the academic community industry and government.
This report was commissioned prior to advice being received from the CCC on meeting a net zero target and reflects priorities to meet the previous 80% target in 2050. The newly legislated net zero target is not expected to change the set of innovation priorities rather it will make them all more valuable overall. Further work is required to assess detailed implications.
Scotland’s Energy Strategy Position Statement
Mar 2021
Publication
This policy statement provides:
An overview of our key priorities for the short to medium-term and then moves on to look at how we have continued to abide by the three key principles set out in Scotland's Energy Strategy published in 2017 in our policy design and delivery. Those principles are:
Separate sections have been included on Maximising Scotland's International Potential in the lead up to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and on Consumers to reflect the challenging economic climate we currently face and to highlight the action being taken by the Scottish Government to ensure the cost of our energy transition does not fall unequally.
This statement provides an overview of our approach to supporting the energy sector in the lead up to COP26 and as we embark on a green economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It summarises how our recent policy publications such as our Hydrogen Policy Statement Local Energy Policy Statement and Offshore Wind Policy Statement collectively support the delivery of the Climate Change Plan update along with the future findings from our currently live consultations including our draft Heat in Buildings Strategy our Call for Evidence on the future development of the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) and our consultation on Scottish skills requirements for energy efficiency.
While this statement sets out our comprehensive programme of work across the energy sector the current Energy Strategy (2017) remains in place until any further Energy Strategy refresh is adopted by Ministers. It is at the stage of refreshing Scotland's Energy Strategy where we will embark on a series of stakeholder engagements and carry out the relevant impact assessments to inform our thinking on future policy development.
An overview of our key priorities for the short to medium-term and then moves on to look at how we have continued to abide by the three key principles set out in Scotland's Energy Strategy published in 2017 in our policy design and delivery. Those principles are:
- a whole-system view;
- an inclusive energy transition; and
- a smarter local energy model.
- Skills and Jobs;
- Supporting Local Communities:
- Investment; and
- Innovation
Separate sections have been included on Maximising Scotland's International Potential in the lead up to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and on Consumers to reflect the challenging economic climate we currently face and to highlight the action being taken by the Scottish Government to ensure the cost of our energy transition does not fall unequally.
This statement provides an overview of our approach to supporting the energy sector in the lead up to COP26 and as we embark on a green economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It summarises how our recent policy publications such as our Hydrogen Policy Statement Local Energy Policy Statement and Offshore Wind Policy Statement collectively support the delivery of the Climate Change Plan update along with the future findings from our currently live consultations including our draft Heat in Buildings Strategy our Call for Evidence on the future development of the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) and our consultation on Scottish skills requirements for energy efficiency.
While this statement sets out our comprehensive programme of work across the energy sector the current Energy Strategy (2017) remains in place until any further Energy Strategy refresh is adopted by Ministers. It is at the stage of refreshing Scotland's Energy Strategy where we will embark on a series of stakeholder engagements and carry out the relevant impact assessments to inform our thinking on future policy development.
Hydrogen Economy and the Built Environment
Nov 2011
Publication
The hydrogen economy is a proposition for the distribution of energy by using hydrogen in order to potentially eliminate carbon emissions and end our reliance on fossil fuels. Some futuristic forecasters view the hydrogen economy as the ultimate carbon free economy. Hydrogen operated vehicles are on trial in many countries. The use of hydrogen as an energy source for buildings is in its infancy but research and development is evolving. Hydrogen is generally fed into devices called fuel cells to produce energy. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that produces electricity and heat from a fuel (often hydrogen) and oxygen. Fuel cells have a number of advantages over other technologies for power generation. When fed with clean hydrogen they have the potential to use less fuel than competing technologies and to emit no pollution (the only bi-product being water). However hydrogen has to be produced and stored in the first instance. It is possible to generate hydrogen from renewable sources but the technology is still immature and the transformation is wasteful. The creation of a clean hydrogen production and distribution economy at a global level is very costly. Proponents of a world-scale hydrogen economy argue that hydrogen can be an environmentally cleaner source of energy to end-users particularly in transportation applications without release of pollutants (such as particulate matter) or greenhouse gases at the point of end use. Critics of a hydrogen economy argue that for many planned applications of hydrogen direct use of electricity or production of liquid synthetic fuels from locally-produced hydrogen and CO2 (e.g. methanol economy) might accomplish many of the same net goals of a hydrogen economy while requiring only a small fraction of the investment in new infrastructure. This paper reviews the hydrogen economy how it is produced and distributed. It then investigates the different types of fuel cells and identifies which types are relevant to the built environment both in residential and nonresidential sections. It concludes by examining what are the future plans in terms of implementing fuel cells in the built environment and discussing some of the needs of built environment sector.
Link to Document
Link to Document
Future Fuels Strategy: Discussion Paper Powering Choice
Feb 2021
Publication
New vehicle technologies and fuels will drive the future of road transport in Australia. Increased availability of battery electric vehicles hydrogen fuel cell vehicles biofuels and associated recharging and refuelling infrastructure will:
- give consumers more choice
- provide productivity emissions reduction fuel security and air quality benefits
Performing While Transforming: The Role of Transmission Companies in the Energy Transition
Jun 2020
Publication
As the world prepares to exit from the COVID-19 crisis the pace of the global power revolution is expected to accelerate. A new publication from the World Energy Council in collaboration with PwC underscores the imperative for electricity grid owners and operators to fundamentally transform themselves to secure a role in a more integrated flexible and smarter electricity system in the energy transition to a low carbon future.
“Performing While Transforming: The Role of Transmission Companies in the Energy Transition” is based on in-depth interviews with CEOs and senior leaders from 37 transmission companies representing 35 countries and over 4 million kilometres – near global coverage - of the transmission network. While their roles will evolve transmission companies will remain at the heart of the electricity grid and need to balance the challenges of keeping the lights on while transforming themselves for the future.
The publication explores the various challenges affecting how transmission companies prepare and re-think their operations and business models and leverages the insights from interviewees to highlight four recommendations for transmission companies to consider in their journey:
“Performing While Transforming: The Role of Transmission Companies in the Energy Transition” is based on in-depth interviews with CEOs and senior leaders from 37 transmission companies representing 35 countries and over 4 million kilometres – near global coverage - of the transmission network. While their roles will evolve transmission companies will remain at the heart of the electricity grid and need to balance the challenges of keeping the lights on while transforming themselves for the future.
The publication explores the various challenges affecting how transmission companies prepare and re-think their operations and business models and leverages the insights from interviewees to highlight four recommendations for transmission companies to consider in their journey:
- Focus on the future through enhanced forecasting and scenario planning
- Shape the ecosystem by collaborating with new actors and enhancing interconnectivity
- Embrace automation and technology to optimise processes and ensure digital delivery
- Transform organisation to attract new talent and maintain social licence with consumers
Accelerating Innovation Towards Net Zero Emissions
Apr 2019
Publication
This report Accelerating innovation towards net zero commissioned by the Aldersgate Group and co-authored with Vivid Economics identifies out how the government can achieve a net zero target cost-effectively in a way that enables the UK to capture competitive advantages.
The unique contribution of this report is to identify the lessons from successful and more rapid historical innovations and apply them to the challenge of meeting net zero emissions in the UK.
Achieving net zero emissions is likely to require accelerated innovation across research demonstration and early deployment of low carbon technologies. Researchers analysed five international case studies of relatively rapid innovations to draw key lessons for government on the conditions needed to move from a typical multi-decadal cycle to one that will deliver net zero emissions by mid-Century.
The case studies include:
Six key actions for government policy to accelerate low carbon innovation in the UK:
The unique contribution of this report is to identify the lessons from successful and more rapid historical innovations and apply them to the challenge of meeting net zero emissions in the UK.
Achieving net zero emissions is likely to require accelerated innovation across research demonstration and early deployment of low carbon technologies. Researchers analysed five international case studies of relatively rapid innovations to draw key lessons for government on the conditions needed to move from a typical multi-decadal cycle to one that will deliver net zero emissions by mid-Century.
The case studies include:
- The deployment of the ATM network and cash cards across the UK
- Roll out of a gas network and central heating in the UK
- The development of wind turbines in Denmark and then the UK
- Moving from late-stage adoption of steel technology in South Korea to being the world leading exporter; and
- The slower than expected development of commercial-scale CCUS to date across the world.
Six key actions for government policy to accelerate low carbon innovation in the UK:
- Increase ambition in demonstrating complex and high capital cost technologies and systems.
- Create new markets to catalyse early deployment and move towards widespread commercialisation.
- Use concurrent innovations such as digital technologies to improve system efficiency and make new products more accessible and attractive to customers.
- Use existing or new organisations (cross-industry associations or public-private collaborations) to accelerate innovation in critical areas and coordinate early stage deployment.
- Harness trusted voices to build consumer acceptance through information sharing and rapid responses to concerns.
- Align innovation policy in such a way that it strengthens the UK’s industrial advantages and increases knowledge spillovers between businesses and sectors.
Recovery Through Reform: Assessing the climate compatibility of Canada’s COVID-19 response in 2020
Feb 2021
Publication
Governments around the world are leveraging unprecedented amounts of capital to respond to the pandemic and bailing out struggling industries. Trends in energy-related spending indicate that despite the green push the world’s largest economies have still favoured fossil energy over clean energy.<br/><br/>We evaluate energy-related spending in Canada in 2020 (since the onset of COVID-19) using data from the Energy Policy Tracker. Trends in Canada are then compared to flagship policies in key jurisdictions with recent progressive climate policy announcements including France Germany and the United Kingdom. The brief ends with broad recommendations on how Canada can better align its recovery funding with climate action and fossil fuel subsidy reform.<br/><br/>This brief is one of three International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) policy briefs in its Recovery Through Reform series which assesses how efforts to achieve a green recovery from COVID-19 in Canada rely on—and can contribute to—fossil fuel subsidy reform.
Uncovering the True Cost of Hydrogen Production Routes Using Life Cycle Monetisation
Oct 2020
Publication
Hydrogen has been identified as a potential energy vector to decarbonise the transport and chemical sectors and achieve global greenhouse gas reduction targets. Despite ongoing efforts hydrogen technologies are often assessed focusing on their global warming potential while overlooking other impacts or at most including additional metrics that are not easily interpretable. Herein a wide range of alternative technologies have been assessed to determine the total cost of hydrogen production by coupling life-cycle assessments with an economic evaluation of the environmental externalities of production. By including monetised values of environmental impacts on human health ecosystem quality and resources on top of the levelised cost of hydrogen production an estimation of the “real” total cost of hydrogen was obtained to transparently rank the alternative technologies. The study herein covers steam methane reforming (SMR) coal and biomass gasification methane pyrolysis and electrolysis from renewable and nuclear technologies. Monetised externalities are found to represent a significant percentage of the total cost ultimately altering the standard ranking of technologies. SMR coupled with carbon capture and storage emerges as the cheapest option followed by methane pyrolysis and water electrolysis from wind and nuclear. The obtained results identify the “real” ranges for the cost of hydrogen compared to SMR (business as usual) by including environmental externalities thereby helping to pinpoint critical barriers for emerging and competing technologies to SMR.
A Hydrogen Strategy for a Climate-neutral Europe
Jul 2020
Publication
In an integrated energy system hydrogen can support the decarbonisation of industry transport power generation and buildings across Europe. The EU Hydrogen Strategy addresses how to transform this potential into reality through investments regulation market creation and research and innovation.
Hydrogen can power sectors that are not suitable for electrification and provide storage to balance variable renewable energy flows but this can only be achieved with coordinated action between the public and private sector at EU level. The priority is to develop renewable hydrogen produced using mainly wind and solar energy. However in the short and medium term other forms of low-carbon hydrogen are needed to rapidly reduce emissions and support the development of a viable market.
This gradual transition will require a phased approach:
Hydrogen can power sectors that are not suitable for electrification and provide storage to balance variable renewable energy flows but this can only be achieved with coordinated action between the public and private sector at EU level. The priority is to develop renewable hydrogen produced using mainly wind and solar energy. However in the short and medium term other forms of low-carbon hydrogen are needed to rapidly reduce emissions and support the development of a viable market.
This gradual transition will require a phased approach:
- From 2020 to 2024 we will support the installation of at least 6 gigawatts of renewable hydrogen electrolysers in the EU and the production of up to one million tonnes of renewable hydrogen.
- From 2025 to 2030 hydrogen needs to become an intrinsic part of our integrated energy system with at least 40 gigawatts of renewable hydrogen electrolysers and the production of up to ten million tonnes of renewable hydrogen in the EU.
- From 2030 to 2050 renewable hydrogen technologies should reach maturity and be deployed at large scale across all hard-to-decarbonise sectors.
- To help deliver on this Strategy the Commission is launched the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance with industry leaders civil society national and regional ministers and the European Investment Bank. The Alliance will build up an investment pipeline for scaled-up production and will support demand for clean hydrogen in the EU.
Can Industry Keep Gas Distribution Networks Alive? Future Development of the Gas Network in a Decarbonized World: A German Case Study
Dec 2022
Publication
With the growing need for decarbonization the future gas demand will decrease and the necessity of a gas distribution network is at stake. A remaining industrial gas demand on the distribution network level could lead to industry becoming the main gas consumer supplied by the gas distribution network leading to the question: can industry keep the gas distribution network alive? To answer this research question a three-stage analysis was conducted starting from a rough estimate of average gas demand per production site and then increasing the level of detail. This paper shows that about one third of the German industry sites investigated are currently supplied by the gas distribution network. While the steel industry offers new opportunities the food and tobacco industry alone cannot sustain the gas distribution network by itself.
Technical Feasibility of Low Carbon Heating in Domestic Buildings
Dec 2020
Publication
Scotland’s Climate Change Plan set an ambition for emissions from buildings to be near zero by 2050 and targets 35% of domestic and 70% of non-domestic buildings’ heat to be supplied using low carbon technologies by 2032. The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 set a new target for emissions to be net zero by 2045 with interim targets of 75% by 2030 and 90% by 2040. The update to the Climate Change Plan will be published at the end of 2020 to reflect these new targets. The Energy Efficient Scotland programme launched in May 2018 sets out a wide range of measures to promote low carbon heating alongside energy efficiency improvements in Scotland’s buildings. Meeting these targets will require almost all households in Scotland to change the way they heat their homes. It is therefore imperative to advance our understanding of the suitability of the available low carbon heating options across Scotland’s building stock.<br/><br/>The aim of this work is to assess the suitability of low carbon heating technologies in residential buildings in Scotland. The outputs generated through this work will form a key part of the evidence base on low carbon heat which the Scottish Government will use to further develop and strengthen Scotland’s low carbon heat policy in line with the increased level of ambition of achieving Net Zero by 2045.
Business Models for Low Carbon Hydrogen Production: A Report for BEIS
Aug 2020
Publication
Low carbon hydrogen could have a significant role to play in meeting the UK’s Net Zero target: the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) estimates that up to 270TWh of low carbon hydrogen could be needed in its ‘Further Ambition’ scenario. However at present there is no large-scale production of low carbon hydrogen in the UK not least as it is more costly than most high carbon alternatives. For hydrogen to be the viable option envisaged by the CCC projects may need to be deployed from the 2020s.<br/>BEIS has commissioned Frontier Economics to develop business models to support low carbon hydrogen production. This report builds on the earlier Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) business models consultation2 and develops business models for BEIS to consider further. This report is a milestone in BEIS’ longer term process of developing hydrogen business models. It forms a part of BEIS’ wider research into a range of decarbonisation options across the economy.<br/>Further analysis will be required before a final decision is made.
A Pathway to Decarbonise the Shipping Sector by 2050
Oct 2021
Publication
Urgent action is needed to accelerate the pace of the global energy transition and the decarbonisation of the global economy. International shipping is a key sector of the economy as much as 90% of worldwide trade is transacted via ocean going vessels. The sector is also one of the most challenging to decarbonise.
In this context A Pathway to Decarbonise the Shipping Sector by 2050 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) analyses the technology readiness of the renewable fuels suitable for international shipping. This report also explores the options and actions needed to progress towards a decarbonised maritime shipping sector by 2050 and seeks to identify a realistic mitigation pathway to reach the climate goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C and bringing CO2 emissions closer to net zero by mid-century.
Key messages:
In this context A Pathway to Decarbonise the Shipping Sector by 2050 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) analyses the technology readiness of the renewable fuels suitable for international shipping. This report also explores the options and actions needed to progress towards a decarbonised maritime shipping sector by 2050 and seeks to identify a realistic mitigation pathway to reach the climate goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C and bringing CO2 emissions closer to net zero by mid-century.
Key messages:
- The sector’s decarbonisation strategy must involve a combination of energy efficiency and renewable fuels. Starting now the active adoption of energy efficiency measures will be critical to reduce energy demand and thus CO2 emissions in the immediate term.
- In the short term advanced biofuels will play a key role in the reduction of CO2 emissions. In the medium and long-term green hydrogen-based fuels are set to be the backbone for the sector’s decarbonisation.
- Renewable e-ammonia will play a pivotal role; where 183 million tonnes of renewable ammonia for international shipping alone will be needed by 2050 - a comparable amount to today’s ammonia global production.
- While renewable fuels production costs are currently high in the next decades renewable fuels will become cost competitive and can shield the shipping sector from the volatility that characterises the fossil fuels market.
- Taking early action is vital. Sector decarbonisation can be accelerated and ambition raised beyond the climate goals by fostering investment in the production of renewable fuels. Stakeholders need to develop broader business models and establish strategic partnerships involving energy-intensive industries as well as power suppliers and the petrochemical sector.
Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Plan
Nov 2020
Publication
The Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program Plan (the Program Plan or Plan) outlines the strategic high-level focus areas of DOE’s Hydrogen Program (the Program). The term Hydrogen Program refers not to any single office within DOE but rather to the cohesive and coordinated effort of multiple offices that conduct research development and demonstration (RD&D) activities on hydrogen technologies. This terminology and the coordinated efforts on hydrogen among relevant DOE offices have been in place since 2004 and provide an inclusive and strategic view of how the Department coordinates activities on hydrogen across applications and sectors. This version of the Plan updates and expands upon previous versions including the Hydrogen Posture Plan and the DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Plan and provides a coordinated high-level summary of hydrogen related activities across DOE.
The 2006 Hydrogen Posture Plan fulfilled the requirement in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) that the Energy Secretary transmit to Congress a coordinated plan for DOE’s hydrogen and fuel cell activities. For historical context the original Posture Plan issued in 2004 outlined a coordinated plan for DOE and the U.S. Department of Transportation to meet the goals of the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (HFI) and implement the 2002 National Hydrogen Energy Technology Roadmap. The HFI was launched in 2004 to accelerate research development and demonstration (RD&D) of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for use in transportation electricity generation and portable power applications. The Roadmap provided a blueprint for the public and private efforts required to fulfill a long-term national vision for hydrogen energy as outlined in A National Vision of America’s Transition to a Hydrogen Economy—to 2030 and Beyond. Both the Roadmap and the Vision were developed out of meetings involving DOE industry academia non-profit organizations and other stakeholders. The Roadmap the Vision the Posture Plans the 2011 Program Plan and the results of key stakeholder workshops continue to form the underlying basis for this current edition of the Program Plan.
This edition of the Program Plan reflects the Department’s focus on conducting coordinated RD&D activities to enable the adoption of hydrogen technologies across multiple applications and sectors. It includes content from the various plans and documents developed by individual offices within DOE working on hydrogen-related activities including: the Office of Fossil Energy's Hydrogen Strategy: Enabling a Low Carbon Economy the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office Multi-year RD&D Plan the Office of Nuclear Energy’s Integrated Energy Systems 2020 Roadmap and the Office of Science’s Basic Research Needs for the Hydrogen Economy. Many of these documents are also in the process of updates and revisions and will be posted online.
Through this overarching document the reader will gain information on the key RD&D needs to enable the largescale use of hydrogen and related technologies—such as fuel cells and turbines—in the economy and how the Department’s various offices are addressing those needs. The Program will continue to periodically revise the Plan along with all program office RD&D plans to reflect technological progress programmatic changes policy decisions and updates based on stakeholder input and reviews.
The 2006 Hydrogen Posture Plan fulfilled the requirement in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) that the Energy Secretary transmit to Congress a coordinated plan for DOE’s hydrogen and fuel cell activities. For historical context the original Posture Plan issued in 2004 outlined a coordinated plan for DOE and the U.S. Department of Transportation to meet the goals of the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (HFI) and implement the 2002 National Hydrogen Energy Technology Roadmap. The HFI was launched in 2004 to accelerate research development and demonstration (RD&D) of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for use in transportation electricity generation and portable power applications. The Roadmap provided a blueprint for the public and private efforts required to fulfill a long-term national vision for hydrogen energy as outlined in A National Vision of America’s Transition to a Hydrogen Economy—to 2030 and Beyond. Both the Roadmap and the Vision were developed out of meetings involving DOE industry academia non-profit organizations and other stakeholders. The Roadmap the Vision the Posture Plans the 2011 Program Plan and the results of key stakeholder workshops continue to form the underlying basis for this current edition of the Program Plan.
This edition of the Program Plan reflects the Department’s focus on conducting coordinated RD&D activities to enable the adoption of hydrogen technologies across multiple applications and sectors. It includes content from the various plans and documents developed by individual offices within DOE working on hydrogen-related activities including: the Office of Fossil Energy's Hydrogen Strategy: Enabling a Low Carbon Economy the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office Multi-year RD&D Plan the Office of Nuclear Energy’s Integrated Energy Systems 2020 Roadmap and the Office of Science’s Basic Research Needs for the Hydrogen Economy. Many of these documents are also in the process of updates and revisions and will be posted online.
Through this overarching document the reader will gain information on the key RD&D needs to enable the largescale use of hydrogen and related technologies—such as fuel cells and turbines—in the economy and how the Department’s various offices are addressing those needs. The Program will continue to periodically revise the Plan along with all program office RD&D plans to reflect technological progress programmatic changes policy decisions and updates based on stakeholder input and reviews.
Workshop Report: Summary & Outcomes, Putting Science into Standards Power-to-Hydrogen and HCNG
Oct 2014
Publication
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission together with the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO) the European Standards Organisations (ESO) CEN and CENELEC and the European Commission Directorate-General Enterprise and Industry (ENTR) have launched an initiative within the context of the European Forum on Science and Industry to bring the scientific and standardization communities closer together. The second and very successful workshop in a series entitled “Putting Science into Standards" was held in at the Institute for Energy and Transport of the JRC in Petten on 21-22 October 2014.<br/>The workshop focused on Power to Hydrogen (P2H) and Hydrogen Compressed Natural Gas (HCNG) which represent a promising and major contribution to the challenging management of increased integration of renewable energy sources in the overall energy system. The workshop offered a platform to exchange ideas on technologies policy and standardization issues. The participation of major stakeholders from both industry and research to this event proved fruitful in moving towards consensus on the relevant technical issues involved and at identifying a common way forward to increase the maturity and market visibility of P2H components and systems. Other outcomes include a clarification of expectations of industry of where and how policy and standardization can contribute to a competitive development of P2H and related issues. The workshop results will be used to devise a roadmap on "Opportunities for Power to Hydrogen and HCNG" by CEN/CENELEC outlining the next steps of standardization activities.
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