United Kingdom

This paper looks at the possible role of ‘green gas’ in the decarbonisation of heat in the United Kingdom.  The option is under active discussion at the moment because of the UK’s rigorous carbon reduction targets and the growing realisation that there are problems with the ‘default’ option of electrifying heat. Green gas appears to be technically and economically feasible.  However as the paper discusses there are major practical and policy obstacles wh Read More

The demand for clean and sustainable energy solutions is escalating as the global population grows and economies develop. Fossil fuels which currently dominate the energy sector contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. In response to these challenges hydrogen storage technologies have emerged as a promising avenue for achieving energy sustainability. This review provides an overview of recent advancements i Read More

China is by far the world’s largest producer and consumer of hydrogen mostly from coal and other fossil fuels and the country has an ambitious hydrogen strategy. In this podcast we dive into the provincial strategies on hydrogen in China and specifically discuss a recent paper published by the Institute entitled China’s hydrogen development: A tale of three cities. The paper looks at the experiences and plans of the pilot hydrogen clusters located in Daton Read More

Decarbonising energy is fundamental in the transition towards a sustainable future. Our Future Energy Scenarios aim to stimulate debate to inform the decisions that will help move us towards achieving carbon reduction targets and ultimately shape the energy system of the future.

Gaseous hydrogen for fuel cell electric vehicles must meet quality standards such as ISO 14687:2019 which contains maximal control thresholds for several impurities which could damage the fuel cells or the infrastructure. A review of analytical techniques for impurities analysis has already been carried out by Murugan et al. in 2014. Similarly this document intends to review the sampling of hydrogen and the available analytical methods together with a s Read More

The rapid growth in fossil fuels has resulted in climate change that needs to be controlled in the near future. Several methods have been proposed to control climate change including the development of efficient energy conversion devices. Fuel cells are environmentally friendly energy conversion devices that can be fuelled by green hydrogen with only water as a by-product or by using different biofuels such as biomass in wastewater urea in wastewater bio Read More

Our Future Energy Scenarios (FES) outline four different credible pathways for the future of energy over the next 30 years. Based on input from over 600 experts the report looks at the energy needed in Britain across electricity and gas - examining where it could come from how it needs to change and what this means for consumers society and the energy system itself.

The UK Hydrogen Champion engaged with stakeholders across the hydrogen value chain between July and December 2022.This report summarises their findings and makes recommendations for government and industry to accelerate the growth of the hydrogen sector.

Transportation is the sector responsible for the largest greenhouse gas emission in the UK. To mitigate its impact on the environment and move towards net-zero emissions by 2050 hydrogen-fuelled transportation has been explored through research and development as well as trials. This article presents an overview of relevant technologies and issues that challenge the supply use and marketability of hydrogen for transportation application in the UK Read More

The deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) is critical to achieve zero emissions. A key parameter influencing FCEV performance and durability is hydrogen fuel quality. The real impact of contaminants on FCEV performance is not well understood and requires reliable measurements from real-life events (e.g. hydrogen fuel in poor-performing FCEVs) and controlled studies on the impact of synthetic hydrogen fuel on FCEV performan Read More

In this episode Steffan Eldred Hydrogen Knowledge Transfer Manager and Debra Jones Chemistry Knowledge Transfer Manager from Innovate UK KTN talk about hydrogen combustion with special guest Duncan Engeham European Research and Development Director at Cummins Inc.The podcast can be found on their website.

All diesel-only trains in the UK will be removed from services by 2040. High volumetric density rapid refuelling ability and sophisticated experience in infrastructure and logistics make ammonia a perfect hydrogen carrying fuel for rail freight which urgently requires an economically viable solution. This study conducted a novel techno-economic study of ammonia-fuelled fuel cell powertrains to be compared with current diesel engine-based system and Read More

This paper explores the opportunities for and progress in establishing a social licence to operate (SLO) for CCS in industrial clusters in the UK focusing on the perspectives of key stakeholders. The evolution of narratives and networks relating to geographical clusters as niches for CCS in industrial decarbonisation is evaluated in relation to seven pillars supporting SLO. Evidence is drawn from a combination of cluster mapping documentary analysis and stakehol Read More

The quality of the hydrogen delivered by refuelling stations is critical for end-users and society. The purity of the hydrogen dispensed at hydrogen refuelling points should comply with the technical specifications included in the ISO 14687:2019 and EN 17124:2022 standards. Once laboratories have set up methods they need to verify their performances for example through participation in interlaboratory comparisons. Due to the challenge associated with the Read More

An understanding of heating technologies from the consumers’ perspective is critical to ensure low-carbon technologies are adopted for reducing their current associated emissions. Existing studies from the consumers’ perspective do not compare and optimise the full range and combinations of potential heating systems. There is also little consideration of how spatiotemporal and dwelling variations combined alter the economic and environmental Read More

Future Energy Scenarios (FES) represent a range of different credible ways to decarbonise our energy system as we strive towards the 2050 target.We’re less than 30 years away from the Net Zero deadline which isn’t long when you consider investment cycles for gas networks electricity transmission lines and domestic heating systems.FES has an important role to play in stimulating debate and helping to shape the energy system of the future. Read More

This net zero investment roadmap summarises government’s hydrogen policies and available investment opportunities.

In this paper we implement a long-term multi-sectoral energy planning model to evaluate the role of green hydrogen in the energy mix of Chile a country with a high renewable potential under stringent emission reduction objectives in 2050. Our results show that green hydrogen is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly route especially for hard-to-abate sectors such as interprovincial and freight transport. They also suggest a strong synerg Read More

The installed capacity electricity generation from wind and the curtailment of wind power in the UK between 2011 and 2021 showed that penetration levels of wind energy and the amount of energy that is curtailed in future would continue to rise whereas the curtailed energy could be utilised to produce green hydrogen. In this study data were collected technologies were chosen systems were designed and simulation models were developed to determin Read More

Debra Jones Chemistry Knowledge Transfer Manager and Simon Buckley Zero Emission Mobility Knowledge Transfer Manager from Innovate UK KTN talk about green hydrogen production with their special guest  Chris Jackson CEO & Founder at Protium.This podcast discussion centres around methods of producing clean hydrogen from renewable energy sources the innovative projects Protium is working on and how much green hydrogen will the U Read More

Accommodating renewables on the electricity grid may hinder development opportunities for offshore wind farms (OWFs) as they begin to experience significant curtailment or constraint. However there is potential to combine investment in OWFs with Power-to-Gas (PtG) converting electricity to hydrogen via electrolysis for an alternative/complementary revenue. Using historic wind speed and simulated system marginal costs data this work models the Read More

As countries seek ways to meet climate change commitments hydrogen fuel offers a low-carbon alternative for sectors where battery electrification may not be viable. Blending hydrogen with fossil fuels requires only modest technological adaptation however since combustion is retained nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions remain a potential disbenefit. We review the potential air quality impacts arising from the use of hydrogen–diesel blends in heavy-duty d Read More

Producing clean energy and minimising energy waste are essential to achieve the United Nations sustainable development goals such as Sustainable Development Goal 7 and 13. This research analyses the techno-economic potential of waste heat recovery from multi-MW scale green hydrogen production. A 10 MW proton exchange membrane electrolysis process is modelled with a heat recovery system coupled with an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) t Read More

The report considers the full end-to-end nature of the hydrogen economy to ensure there is a common understanding of the economic opportunity it could represent by 2050. Insights from across industry have brought clarity to both market and technology requirements identifying four focus areas that represent the greatest potential benefit for the UK. It highlights the steps needed to build the UK industrial capability and capacity to position the UK as a ma Read More

Hydrogen (H2) usage was 90 metric tonnes (Mt) in 2020 almost entirely for industrial and refining uses and generated almost completely from fossil fuels leading to nearly 900 Mt of carbon dioxide emissions. However there has been significant growth of H2 in recent years. Electrolysers' total capacity which are required to generate H2 from electricity has multiplied in the past years reaching more than 300 MW through 2021. Approximately 350 projects r Read More

The natural gas industry proposes carrying out trials on limited parts of the gas network using hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas as a fuel. Ahead of these trials it is important to establish whether the zones of negligible extent that are typically applied to natural gas systems could still be considered zones of negligible extent for hydrogen. The standard IGEM/UP/16 is commonly used by the natural gas industry to carry out area classification for low p Read More

Britain’s Hydrogen Blending Delivery Plan which sets out how all five of Britain’s gas grid companies will meet the Government’s target for Britain’s network of gas pipes to be ready to deliver 20% hydrogen to homes and businesses from 2023 as a replacement for natural gas.

The transition to a low-carbon energy system can be depicted as a “great reconfiguration” from a socio-technical perspective that carries the risk of impact shifts. Electrification with the objective of achieving rapidly deep decarbonisation must be accompanied by effective efficiency and flexibility measures. Hydrogen can be a preferred option in the decarbonisation process where electrification of end-uses is difficult or impractical as well as for long-te Read More

The transport sector is considered to be a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions as this sector emits about one-fourth of global CO2 emissions. Transport emissions contribute toward climate change and have been linked to adverse health impacts. Therefore alternative and sustainable transport options are urgent for decarbonising the transport sector and mitigating those issues. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are a potential alternative to con Read More

In this podcast David Ledesma talks to Martin Lambert and Abdurahman Alsulaiman about the potential hydrogen import market particularly focusing on the EU which currently holds the largest and earliest hydrogen target. The podcast explores the emerging hydrogen trade market and considers numerous possibilities for its open up providing better clarity on policy statements and balance them against project announcements.Throughout the podcas Read More

Pursuing net-zero emission operations in the shipping industry are quintessential for this sector to mitigate the environmental impact caused by hydrocarbon fuel combustion. Significant contributions to this are expected from the substitution of conventional marine fuels by alternative emission-free fuels with lower emission footprints. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive literature review for delineating the main characteristics of the considered altern Read More

In August 2022 Shell started construction of Holland Hydrogen I (HH I) a 200 MW electrolyser plant in the port of Rotterdam’s industrial zone on Maasvlakte II in the Netherlands. HH I will produce up to 60000 kg of renewable hydrogen per day. The development and demonstration of a safe layout and plant design had been challenging due to ambitious HH I project premises many technical novelties common uncertainties in hydrogen leak effect prediction a Read More

In the present study Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations together with a novel flamelet generated manifold (FGM) hybrid combustion model incorporating preferential diffusion effects is utilised for the investigation of a hydrogen-blended diesel-hydrogen dual-fuel engine combustion process with high hydrogen energy share. The FGM hybrid combustion model was developed by coupling laminar flamelet databases obtained from diffusion fl Read More

High-resolution direct numerical simulations are conducted for under-expanded cryogenic hydrogen gas jets to characterize the nearfield flow physics. The basic flow features and jet dynamics are analyzed in detail revealing the existence of four stages during early jet development namely (a) initial penetration (b) establishment of near-nozzle expansion (c) formation of downstream compression and (d) wave propagation. Complex acoustic waves are for Read More

In response to the UK Government’s commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 a range of research and demonstration projects are underway to investigate the feasibility of using hydrogen in place of natural gas within the national transmission and distribution system. In order for these projects to achieve their full scope of work a mechanism for performing hazardous area classification for hydrogen installations is required. At pre Read More

Hydrogen as a suitable and clean energy carrier has been long considered a primary fuel or in combination with other conventional fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Since the density of hydrogen is very low in port fuel-injection configuration the engine’s volumetric efficiency reduces due to the replacement of hydrogen by intake air. Therefore hydrogen direct in-cylinder injection (injection after the intake valve closes) can be a suitable solution for hydrog Read More

In this fifth episode  Steffan Eldred and Neelam Mughal from Innovate UK KTN discuss how the glass industry is driving new hydrogen developments and research and explore the hydrogen transition opportunities and challenges in this sector alongside their special guest Rob Ireson Innovation and Partnerships Manager at Glass Futures Ltd.The podcast can be found on their website

The UK oil and gas sector is mature and a combination of a dwindling resource base and a move towards decarbonisation has led to lower investments and an increasing decommissioning bill. Many existing offshore assets are in the vicinity of potential renewable energy developments or low-carbon facilities. We propose a technical evaluation process to understand whether pipelines might be repurposed to reduce the costs of low-carbon energy investmen Read More

DNV has carried out an investigation into potential uses for smart gas meter data as part of Phase 1 of the Modernising Energy Data Applications competition as funded by UK Research & Innovation. In particular a series of calculations have been carried out to investigate the possibility of differentiating accidental gas leaks from normal appliance use in domestic properties. This is primarily with the aim of preventing explosions but the detection of leaks also Read More

With the rising threat of climate change green hydrogen is increasingly seen as the high-capacity energy storage and transport medium of the future. This creates an opportunity for low- and middle-income countries to leverage their high renewable energy potential to produce use and export low-cost green hydrogen creating environmental and economic development benefits. While identifying ideal locations for green hydrogen production is critical f Read More

In this podcast David Ledesma talks with Rahmat Poudineh Senior Research Fellow and Aliaksei Patonia Research Fellow on issues and options with respect to long distance transportation of the hydrogen.Hydrogen currently is mainly a local or regional commodity. If hydrogen is to become a truly global-traded commodity it needs to be transported over long transoceanic distances in an economical way. However unlike natural gas shipping compressed or Read More

Policy Connect Carbon Connect and sector and Parliamentary experts have collaborated to present options for the gas grid to play a useful role in the UK’s transition to a low carbon energy system through the widespread use of low carbon gas. The report calls on Government to support the transition to a more flexible gas grid that uses various forms of gas including low carbon gases such as hydrogen and biomethane.

Global climate targets have highlighted the need for a whole-systems approach to decarbonisation one that includes targeted national policy and industry specific change. Situated within this context this research examines policy and pricing barriers to decarbonisation of the UK steel industry. Here the techno-economic modelling of UK green steelmaking provides a technical contribution to analysis of pricing barriers and policy solutions to these barriers Read More

The pathway to zero carbon emissions passing through carbon emissions reduction is mandatory in the shipping industry. Regarding the various methodologies and technologies reviewed for this purpose Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) has been used as an excellent tool to determine economic feasibility and sustainability and to present directions. However insufficient commercial applications cause a conflict of opinion on which fuel is the Read More

In this work geochemical modelling using PhreeqC was carried out to evaluate the effects of geochemical reactions on the performance of underground hydrogen storage (UHS). Equilibrium exchange and mineral reactions were considered in the model. Moreover reaction kinetics were considered to evaluate the geochemical effect on underground hydrogen storage over an extended period of 30 years. The developed model was first validated against e Read More

Smart energy networks provide an effective means to accommodate high penetrations of variable renewable energy sources like solar and wind which are key for the deep decarbonisation of energy production. However given the variability of the renewables as well as the energy demand it is imperative to develop effective control and energy storage schemes to manage the variable energy generation and achieve desired system economics and envi Read More

With the unprecedented development of green and renewable energy sources the proportion of clean hydrogen (H2 ) applications grows rapidly. Since H2 has physicochemical properties of being highly permeable and combustible high-performance H2 sensors to detect and monitor hydrogen concentration are essential. This review discusses a variety of fiber-optic-based H2 sensor technologies since the year 1984 including: interferometer technology fibe Read More

This review presents state-of-the-art for representative sampling of hydrogen from hydrogen refueling stations. Documented sampling strategies are presented as well as examples of commercially available equipment for sampling at the hydrogen refueling nozzle. Filter media used for sampling is listed and the performance of some of the filters evaluated. It was found that the filtration efficiency of 0.2 and 5 mm filters were not significantly differ Read More

This narrative document sets out the main rationale for hydrogen storage development at scale in the UK: - To meet net zero the UK will need considerable energy storage - Hydrogen storage will be a major and essential part of this - Physical hydrogen storage is needed in the UK - Only geological hydrogen storage can deliver at the scale needed within the timescales for net zero - Geological hydrogen storage should be supported through a viable bus Read More

Hydrogen energy technologies are envisioned to play a critical supporting role in global decarbonisation. While low-carbon hydrogen is primarily targeted for reducing industrial emissions alongside decarbonising parts of the transport sector environmental benefits could also be achieved in the residential context. Presently gasdependent countries such as Japan and the United Kingdom are assessing the feasibility of deploying hydrogen home appliances as p Read More