Why net zero energy systems need hydrogen
On 24 September, The Times published an article “Fossil fuel companies ‘misleading’ prime minister on green hydrogen”. There is of course, as with all low carbon technologies, more to do to drive further innovation, cost reductions and efficiency improvements in the production and use of hydrogen. But I strongly refute that including hydrogen in the UK’s net zero strategy ‘jeopardizes’ meeting the legislated 2050 net zero target and transition to a low-carbon energy system. Quite the reverse. The article also was misleading in suggesting that carbon capture and storage (CCS) has never been successfully deployed. In 2019, the Global CCS Institute noted nineteen facilities in operation that have already captured millions of tonnes of CO2 with a further thirty-two in development. These include Shell-operated ones, such as Quest in Canada which in July reached 5 million tonnes of stored CO2.
There is indeed no silver bullet to meeting climate goals, and a range of technologies will be needed. Hydrogen is an attractive opportunity; when produced alongside CCS, or from renewables using electrolysis, it generates a high-energy net zero fuel. This fuel can help sectors that are difficult to fully electrify to forge net zero pathways, including heavy-duty road transport, heavy industry, aviation, shipping and heating. And others think so too – I was excited to read about ZeroAvia’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered flight of a commercial-grade aircraft, and about Airbus' ZEROe hydrogen-hybrid concepts which could be airborne by 2035.
Today (29 September), Shell published Decarbonising Shipping: Setting Shell’s Course which points to hydrogen with fuel cells as the zero-emissions technology with the greatest potential to help the shipping sector achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This publication builds on Shell and Deloitte’s Decarbonising Shipping: All Hands on Deck report, published in July, which found that 65% of those surveyed thought hydrogen was an important part of the future fuel mix – the highest of all the fuel types under consideration.
Here in the UK, in addition to enabling decarbonisation strategies in other sectors, Hydrogen can also support our growing renewables sector to ensure a continual supply of power. With our huge offshore wind resource and decades of expertise and infrastructure development in the North Sea, the UK is well-placed to seize the opportunities presented by hydrogen, including economic value, both at home and abroad. As a business committed to the UK, and through our membership of the Hydrogen Advisory Council, we want to help the UK take the lead.
Technical Lead at Energiesprong UK
4 年Hydrogen has its place in the future fuel mix, but let's start being honest about costs and who will pay them. Hydrogen+CCS or green hydrogen will cost substantially more than gas/oil does now, even at scale. Please stop the nonsense about hydrogen to replace gas for domestic heating, because you know that it's not commercially viable. Without energy efficiency measures, it will cost consumers 2-5x as much to heat their homes, potentially raising heating bills to ￡2,500 or more, and if you install energy efficiency measures then you may as well put in a heat pump as that will be more cost-effective. If you disagree, please present detailed modelling of potential consumer heating costs compared to other zero-carbon options.
Principal Consultant at CW International - UK and Overseas
4 年Thanks Sinead and please continue to correct misinformation. Agree - Supposedly reputable, influential media sources need to avoid getting the facts wrong - "The article also was misleading in suggesting that carbon capture and storage (CCS) has never been successfully deployed". In correcting this, Sinead mentions overseas projects but also obviously knows about a past project in UK (perhaps arguably) scuppered by the UK Government and current projects in their infancy in UK and more in conceptual planning needing UK Government to set out formal strategies for the future. Also agree UK businesses could prosper ..."As a business committed to the UK, and through our membership of the Hydrogen Advisory Council, we want to help the UK take the lead" ... but I would say only if able to take the lead in our own country. It seems that it's overseas companies backed by strong leadership in their own countries that have been and are taking the big lead on the investments and support needed inside the UK on wind, nuclear and now hydrogen and they will reap the benefits in the future. There are many UK companies raring to go (Wrightbus, ITM etc) but they and UK needs leadership and clear hydrogen strategy from Government to really get moving. Am wondering how the Advisory Council that Sinead mentions and co-chairs is doing on getting that sorted with BEIS? Sinead?
Director/Geoscience Consultant, Paetoro Consulting UK Ltd. Subsurface resource risk, estimation & planning.
4 年A way to counter some criticism is to share quantitative estimates of how much hydrogen will be produced through fossil fuels, and how much will be produced through renewables, and of that produced from fossil fuels, an estimate of how much of the associated CO2 emissions will not be captured by specified CCS projects long term. Not how much will, but how much won't. Not certainties, but at least best estimates. The concepts on paper everyone gets. The technologies, all impressive. Little doubt that clever engineering exists. The specific numbers though, and CCS/renewables supply locations, are what counts. What emissions will hydrogen production lead to? An estimate, and one that can be audited.
Event Host & Speaker I Director of Emobility I EVA England I #GF100 I EV market & communications specialist
4 年I agree that hydrogen has its place in the transport decarbonisation roadmap, but not for domestic passenger vehicles - where battery electric vehicles make far more sense and indeed are rightly dominating the zero emission domestic transport market. Therefore it’s curious to see an image of a car associated with this article, when cars aren’t mentioned in your article? Or did I miss something?
Chief Executive Officer at Sygensys
4 年With an increasing dependency on renewable energy from wind and solar PV hydrogen offers one of the few potential solution to storing energy at scale over a timescale of months to seasons. In UK we are already at a point when on ocasions wind generator are paid to turn facilities off as production exceed demand. The energy density which makes hydrogen attractive for seasonal energy storage also makes it attractive for applications such as long distance heavy road freight transport.