United Kingdom

The Just Transition Commission started work in early 2019 with a remit to provide practical and affordable recommendations to Scottish Ministers. This report sets out their view of the key opportunities and challenges for Scotland and recommends practical steps to achieving a just transition<br/><br/>Climate action fairness and opportunity must go together. Taking action to tackle climate change must make Scotland a healthier more prosperous and more equal society whilst restoring its natural environment. We want a Scotland where wellbeing is at the heart of how we measure ourselves and our prosperity. We know that the scars from previous industrial transitions have remained raw for generations. We know that some more recent aspirations for green jobs have not delivered on all the benefits promised for Scottish workers and communities. We need rapid interventions to fully realise the potential (and mitigate the potential injustice) associated with the net-zero transition.

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 systemlevel approach and values innovations in a technology in terms of the system-level benefits a technology innovation provides.1. 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.

The UK Government signed legislation on 27th June 2019 committing the UK to a legally binding target of Net Zero emissions by 2050. Climate change is one of the most significant technical economic social and business challenges facing the world today.

The H21 NIC Phase 1 project delivered an optimally designed experimentation and testing programme supported by the HSE Science Division and DNV GL with the aim to collect quantifiable evidence to support that the UK distribution network of 2032 will be comparably as safe operating on 100% hydrogen as it currently is on

natural gas. This innovative project begins to fill critical safety evidence gaps surrounding the conversion of the UK gas network to 100% hydrogen. This will facilitate progression towards H21 Phase 2 Operational Safety Demonstrations and the H21 Phase 3 Live Trials to promote customer acceptability and ultimately aid progress towards a government policy decision on heat.

DNV GL and HSE Science Division were engaged to undertake the experimentation testing and QRA update programme of work. DNV GL and HSE Science Division also peer reviewed each other’s programme of work at various stages throughout the project undertaking a challenge and review of the experimental data and results to provide confidence in the conclusions.

A strategic set of tests was designed to cover the range of assets represented across the Great Britain gas distribution networks. The assets used in the testing were mostly recovered from the distribution network as part of the ongoing Iron Mains Risk Reduction Replacement Programme. Controlled testing against a well-defined master testing plan with both natural gas and 100% hydrogen was then undertaken to provide the quantitative evidence to forecast any change to background leakage levels in a 100% hydrogen network.

Key Findings from Phase 1a:

• Of the 215 assets tested 41 of them were found to leak 19 of them provided sufficient data to be able to compare hydrogen and methane leak rates.
• The tests showed that assets that were gas tight on methane were also gas tight on hydrogen. Assets that leaked on hydrogen also leaked
• on methane including repaired assets.
• The ratio of the hydrogen to methane volumetric leak rates varied between 1.1 and 2.2 which is largely consistent with the bounding values expected for laminar and turbulent (or inertial) flow which gave ratios of 1.2 and 2.8 respectively.
• None of the PE assets leaked; cast ductile and spun iron leaked to a similar degree (around 26-29% of all iron assets leaked) and the proportion of leaking steel assets was slightly less (14%).
• Four types of joint were responsible for most of the leaks on joints: screwed lead yarn bolted gland and hook bolts.
• All of the repairs that sealed methane leaks also were effective when tested with hydrogen.

The advocacy narrative of the European Union gas community which focused on coal to gas switching and backing up renewables has failed to convince governments NGOs and media commentators that it can achieve post-2030 decarbonisation targets. The gas community therefore needs to develop decarbonisation narratives showing how it will develop commercial scale projects for biogas biomethane and hydrogen from power to gas (electrolysis) and reformed methane. COP21 carbon targets require an accelerating decline in EU methane demand starting around 2030. In 2050 the maximum projected availability of renewable gas is equivalent to 25 per cent of current EU gas demand. Maintaining current demand levels will therefore require very substantial volumes of hydrogen from reformed methane with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Pipeline gas and LNG suppliers will need to progressively decarbonise their product if it is to remain saleable in Europe. However networks face an existential threat unless they can maintain existing throughput while simultaneously adapting to a decarbonised product. Significant threats and challenges to these narratives include: short term geopolitical concerns stemming from dependence on Russian gas ‘hydrocarbon rejectionism’ and an inability of companies to invest for a post-2030 decarbonised future. Governments will need to shift current policy and regulatory frameworks from competition to decarbonisation which will require a ‘regulatory revolution’. In addition to government funding and regulatory support there will need to be very substantial corporate investment in projects for which there is currently no business case. Failure of the gas community to create and deliver credible decarbonisation narratives is likely to result in the adoption of electrification rather than gas decarbonisation options.

Hydrogen technologies have experienced cycles of excessive expectations followed by disillusion. Nonetheless a growing body of evidence suggests these technologies form an attractive option for the deep decarbonisation of global energy systems and that recent improvements in their cost and performance point towards economic viability as well. This paper is a comprehensive review of the potential role that hydrogen could play in the provision of electricity heat industry transport and energy storage in a low-carbon energy system and an assessment of the status of hydrogen in being able to fulfil that potential. The picture that emerges is one of qualified promise: hydrogen is well established in certain niches such as forklift trucks while mainstream applications are now forthcoming. Hydrogen vehicles are available commercially in several countries and 225 000 fuel cell home heating systems have been sold. This represents a step change from the situation of only five years ago. This review shows that challenges around cost and performance remain and considerable improvements are still required for hydrogen to become truly competitive. But such competitiveness in the medium-term future no longer seems an unrealistic prospect which fully justifies the growing interest and policy support for these technologies around the world.

The fuel quality of hydrogen dispensed from 10 refuelling stations in Europe was assessed. Representative sampling was conducted from the nozzle by use of a sampling adapter allowing to bleed sample gas in parallel while refuelling an FCEV. Samples were split off and distributed to four laboratories for analysis in accordance with ISO 14687 and SAE J2719. The results indicated some inconsistencies between the laboratories but were still conclusive. The fuel quality was generally good. Elevated nitrogen concentrations were detected in two samples but not in violation with the new 300 μmol/mol tolerance limit. Four samples showed water concentrations higher than the 5 μmol/mol tolerance limit estimated by at least one laboratory. The results were ambiguous: none of the four samples showed all laboratories in agreement with the violation. One laboratory reported an elevated oxygen concentration that was not corroborated by the other two laboratories and thus considered an outlier.

In an era where the energy landscape is in constant transition energy leaders must pay attention to many different signals of change and distinguish key issues from the noise. The Issues Monitor identifies shifting patterns of connected issues which are shaping energy transitions.<br/>This report takes a focused look at the issues facing the energy transition in Europe using data collected by surveying over 40 leaders and shapers representing the European Transmission and Distributors Operators. This Issues Monitor outlines clear Action Priorities and Critical Uncertainties for different stakeholder groups mapping them out intuitively to promote a shared understanding of the issues. These maps also help identifiy regional variations understand differing areas of concern as well as follow the evolution of specific technology trends.<br/>Produced in partnership with ENTSO-E and E.DSO.

A large deployment of energy storage solutions will be required by the stochastic and non-controllable nature of most renewable energy sources when planning for higher penetration of renewable electricity into the energy mix. Various solutions have been suggested for dealing with medium- and long-term energy storage. Hydrogen and ammonia are two of the most frequently discussed as they are both carbon-free fuels. In this paper the authors analyse the energy and cost efficiency of hydrogen and ammonia-based pathways for the storage transportation and final use of excess electricity from an offshore wind farm. The problem is solved as a linear programming problem simultaneously optimising the size of each problem unit and the respective time-dependent operational conditions. As a case study we consider an offshore wind farm of 1.5 GW size located in a reference location North of Scotland. The energy efficiency and cost of the whole chain are evaluated and compared with competitive alternatives namely batteries and liquid hydrogen storage. The results show that hydrogen and ammonia storage can be part of the optimal solution. Moreover their use for long-term energy storage can provide a significant cost-effective contribution to an extensive penetration of renewable energy sources in national energy systems.

Exemption is requested from the obligation set out in Regulation 8(1) of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 (GSMR) to convey only natural gas that is compliant with the Interchangeability requirements of Part I of Schedule 3 of the GSMR within the G3 element of the Keele University gas distribution network (KU-GDN). The KU-GDN is owned and operated by Keele University. The proposed conveyance of non-compliant gas (hereafter called the “HyDeploy Field Trial”) will last for one year of injection and is part of a Network Innovation Competition Project “HyDeploy”. The project aims to demonstrate that natural gas containing hydrogen at a level above that normally permitted by Schedule 3 of the GSMR can be safely and efficiently conveyed and inform decisions on the feasibility and strategy for wider deployment of natural gas containing hydrogen in Great Britain’s (GB’s) gas transmission and gas distribution systems.<br/>Click the supplements tab for the other documents from this report.

The World Energy Issues Monitor provides the views of energy leaders from across the globe to highlight the key issues of uncertainty importance and developing signals for the future.

The World Energy Issues Monitor Tool presents in one place dynamic map views of the nine years of Issues Monitor data that has been collated by the World Energy Council. The maps convey a narrative of the key energy issues regional and local variances and how these have changed over time. The tool allows the preparation of different maps for comparison and allows the manipulation of data by geography over time or by highlighting of specific energy issues.

• The geographical views can now be broken out into a country level.
• The time view allows you to see how specific issues have developed whether globally at a regional or country level 
• Issues can also be viewed according to certain categories such as OECD non-OECD G20 countries innovators