“Britain will become the Qatar of hydrogen,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared as the government laid out its 368-page strateg...
“Britain will become the Qatar of hydrogen,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared as the government laid out its 368-page strategy for reaching net zero emissions by 2050. It sounds magnificent, but what does it mean in practice?
To meet its net-zero targets, the United Kingdom needs to convert from an economy that is 80% powered by fossil fuel and 20% electric to one that is 80% electric and 20% “green” hydrogen (produced using renewable power) over the next several decades.
Replacing fossil fuels
Hydrogen is needed to replace fossil fuels for powering industrial sectors such as steel, as well as fuelling heavy transport. Importantly, it is also necessary to replace the huge volumes of “grey” hydrogen manufactured from natural gas that is currently used in fuel and fertiliser manufacture.
In addition, hydrogen has a role to play in heating. All we hear about is the need to install heat pumps, though they are unlikely to be appropriate for flats and many other types of homes. The only efficient way to heat such buildings is from a central source of heat, which is unlikely to be a heat pump.
The alternative is to convert the natural gas grid to hydrogen for powering combined heat and power installations like they are developing in Japan. The UK government is experimenting with a “hydrogen village” trial, but...
