What are the opportunities of a hydrogen gas network?

As we move towards net zero, the interaction between gas and electricity will likely increase, but do you know how they interact now? You may be surprised to learn that 40% of the UK’s electricity supply is generated using natural gas.

The amount of renewable energy used across the UK is growing each year, but at times, there isn’t enough to meet demand. That’s where natural gas steps in. We can’t control when renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, can provide power, but we can control when and where we push gas through our network.

The amount of renewable generation is unlikely to change, so to meet our target of net zero by 2050, we need to find a greener alternative to natural gas. That’s where hydrogen can play a part, but what are the opportunities that a hydrogen gas network will bring?

More than 80% of the UK’s 28 million homes are using natural gas for heating and cooking and hydrogen can be used in much the same way. People can use it to cook on their hob and for their central heating, and it provides a plausible way to decarbonise the UK gas industry.

The UK is a world leader in the development of both blue and green hydrogen production, as well as being at the forefront of hydrogen gas boiler development. A hydrogen transition will provide great opportunities for industry growth and the UK economy for years to come.

Small-scale transportation of hydrogen is already underway in some countries, suggesting that we could re-purpose our gas network – the National Transmission System (NTS) – to carry hydrogen instead of the natural gas we transport today. Doing so would provide a cost-effective way to transition to net zero, as the need for expensive, new infrastructure would be greatly reduced. Not to mention, utilising the pipelines and equipment we’ve already got would minimise disruption.

The NTS has provided a safe, efficient and resilient supply of natural gas to homes, businesses and industry for over 40 years, and transitioning from natural gas to hydrogen will allow it to continue doing so.

But there is a big jump from talking about using the NTS to carry hydrogen, to actually doing it. So, how do we get there? That’s where FutureGrid – our project to build an offline hydrogen test facility – comes in.

The project will allow us to better understand how the network will need to be developed and operated, to deliver hydrogen to our customers. Construction of the facility is well underway, and it’s really starting to take shape at the test site. We’ve been developing and refining a comprehensive testing plan, that is due to commence in early 2023.

FutureGrid will help us gain a full understanding of working and living with hydrogen, to develop processes and procedures – like those we have for natural gas – to allow us to run a safe and reliable hydrogen network, and unlock the full potential of hydrogen, as the fuel of the future.?

For more information on FutureGrid please visit www.nationalgrid.com/FutureGrid