United Kingdom

HyResponder is a European Hydrogen Train the Trainer programme for responders. This paper describes the key outputs of the project and the steps taken to develop and implement a long-term sustainable train the trainer programme in hydrogen safety for responders across Europe and beyond. This FCH2 JU (now Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking) funded project has built on the successful outcomes of the previous HyResponse project. HyResponder has developed further and updated educational operational and virtual reality training for trainers of responders to reflect the state-of-the-art in hydrogen safety including liquid hydrogen and expand the programme across Europe and specifically within the 10 countries represented directly within the project consortium: Austria Belgium the Czech Republic France Germany Italy Norway Spain Switzerland and the United Kingdom. For the first time four levels of educational materials from fire fighter through to specialist have been developed. The digital training resources are available on the e-Platform (https://hyresponder.eu/e-platform/). The revised European Emergency Response Guide is now available to all stakeholders. The resources are intended to be used to support national training programs. They are available in 8 languages: Czech Dutch English French German Italian Norwegian and Spanish. Through the HyResponder activities trainers from across Europe have undertaken joint actions which are in turn being used to inform the delivery of regional and national training both within and beyond the project. The established pan-European network of trainers is shaping the future in the important for inherently safer deployment of hydrogen systems and infrastructure across Europe and enhancing the reach and impact of the programme.

Hydrogen uptake and embrittlement characteristics of a cold-drawn austenitic stainless steel wire were investigated. Slow strain rate testing and fracture surface analysis were applied to determine the hydrogen embrittlement resistance providing an apparent decrease in resistance to hydrogen embrittlement for a 50% degree of cold deformation. The hydrogen content was assessed by thermal desorption and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy establishing a correlation between the total absorbed hydrogen and the intensity of near-surface hydrogen. The sub-surface hydrogen content of the hot-rolled specimen was determined to be 791 wt.ppm.

The disruption associated with heat decarbonisation has been identified as a key opportunity for hydrogen technologies in temperate countries and regions where established distribution infrastructure and familiarity with natural gas boilers predominate. A key element of such claims is the empirically untested belief that citizens will prefer to minimise disruption and perceive hydrogen to be less disruptive than the network upgrades and retrofit measures needed to support electric and other low carbon heating technologies. This article reports on exploratory deliberative research with residents of Cardiff Wales which examined public perceptions of heating disruptions. Our findings suggest that concerns over public responses to disruption may be overstated particularly as they relate to construction and road excavation for network upgrade. Disruptions arising from permanent changes to building fabric may be more problematic for heat pump retrofit however these may be greatly overshadowed by anxieties over the cost implications of moving to hydrogen fuel. Furthermore the biographical patterning of citizen preferences raises significant questions for hydrogen roll-out strategies relying on regionalised network conversion. We conclude by arguing that far from a non-disruptive alternative to electrification hydrogen risks being seen as posing substantial disruptions to precarious household finances and lifestyles.

In this study we evaluate the technical viability of storing hydrogen in a deep UKCS aquifer formation through a series of numerical simulations utilising the compositional simulator CMG-GEM. Effects of various operational parameters such as injection and production rates number and length of storage cycles and shut-in periods on the performance of the underground hydrogen storage (UHS) process are investigated in this study. Results indicate that higher H2 operational rates degrade both the aquifer's working capacity and H2 recovery during the withdrawal phase. This can be attributed to the dominant viscous forces at higher rates which lead to H2 viscous fingering and gas gravity override of the native aquifer water resulting in an unstable displacement of water by the H2 gas. Furthermore analysis of simulation results shows that longer and less frequent storage cycles lead to higher storage capacity and decreased H2 retrieval. We conclude that UHS in the studied aquifer is technically feasible however a thorough evaluation of the operational parameters is necessary to optimise both storage capacity and H2 recovery efficiency.

In this podcast David Ledesma talks to Aliaksei Patonia and Veronika Lenivova about Hydrogen pipelines and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission lines and how Hydrogen pipelines offer the advantage of transporting larger energy volumes but existing projects are dwarfed by the vast networks of HVDC transmission lines. The podcast discusses how advocates for hydrogen pipelines see potential in expanding these networks capitalizing on hydrogen’s physical similarities to natural gas and the potential for cost savings. However hydrogen’s unique characteristics such as its small molecular size and compression requirements present construction challenges. On the other hand HVDC lines while less voluminous excel in efficiently transmitting green electrons over long distances. They already form an extensive global network and their efficiency makes them suitable for various applications. Yet intermittent renewable energy sources pose challenges for both hydrogen and electricity systems necessitating solutions like storage and blending.

The podcast can be found on their website.

A phase transition develops when a pressurised ammonia vessel is vented through a relieve valve or as a result of shell cracking. Significant pressure recovery in the vessel can occur as a consequence of this phase transition following initial depressurisation and may lead to complete vessel failure. It is critical for safety engineering to predict the flash boiling behaviour and pressure dynamics during the depressurization of liquid ammonia tank. This research aims to develop and compare against available experimental data a CFD model that can predict two-phase behaviour of ammonia and resulting pressure dynamics in the storage tank during its venting to the atmosphere. The CFD model is based on the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method and Lee evaporation/condensation approach. The numerical simulation demonstrated that liquid ammonia which is initially at equilibrium state begins to boil throughout due to the decrease of its saturation temperature with the pressure drop during tank venting. In order to understand phenomena underlying the pressure recovery this paper analyses dynamics of superheated ammonia formation its swelling vaporisation contribution to gaseous ammonia mass and volume in ullage space and gaseous ammonia venting. Performed in the study quantitative analysis demonstrated that the flash boiling and gaseous ammonia produced by this phase change were the major reasons behind the pressure recovery. The simulation results of flash boiling delay accurately matched the analytical calculation of bubble rise time. The developed CFD model can be used as a contemporary tool for inherently safer design of ammonia tanks and their depressurisation process.

With the current trends of wind energy already playing a major part in the Scottish energy supply the capacity of wind farms is predicted to grow exponentially and reach further depths offshore. However a key challenge that presents itself is the integration of large producing assets into the current UK grid. One potential solution to this is green hydrogen production which is being heavily researched in industry with many concepts being investigated for large-scale purposes. However the operations and maintenance (O&M) costs and availability of green hydrogen systems need to be quantified to ensure economical and technical viability which is sparse in the available literature. The study presented in this paper investigated the availability and O&M costs of coupled wind–hydrogen systems by attempting to quantify the failure rates repair times repair costs and number of technicians required for key green hydrogen components. This study also utilised an O&M model created by the University of Strathclyde which uses Monte Carlo Markov chain simulations to produce the O&M outputs. A number of assumptions were made throughout the study in relation to the O&M model inputs and the baseline availability for the coupled wind–hydrogen system was 85.24%. Whilst the wind turbine still contributed a major part to the downtime seen in the simulations the combined hydrogen system also contributed a significant amount a total of 37% which could have been due to the technology readiness levels of some the components included in the hydrogen system.

Hydrogen is gaining prominence as a sustainable energy source in the UK aligning with the country’s commitment to advancing sustainable development across diverse sectors. However a rigorous examination of the interplay between the hydrogen economy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is imperative. This study addresses this imperative by comprehensively assessing the risks associated with hydrogen production storage transportation and utilization. The overarching aim is to establish a robust framework that ensures the secure deployment and operation of hydrogen-based technologies within the UK’s sustainable development trajectory. Considering the unique characteristics of the UK’s energy landscape infrastructure and policy framework this paper presents practical and viable recommendations to facilitate the safe and effective integration of hydrogen energy into the UK’s SDGs. To facilitate sophisticated decision making it proposes using an advanced Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) tool incorporating regret theory and a 2-tuple spherical linguistic environment. This tool enables a nuanced decision-making process yielding actionable insights. The analysis reveals that Incident Reporting and Learning Robust Regulatory Framework Safety Standards and Codes are pivotal safety factors. At the same time Clean Energy Access Climate Action and Industry Innovation and Infrastructure are identified as the most influential SDGs. This information provides valuable guidance for policymakers industry stakeholders and regulators. It empowers them to make well-informed strategic decisions and prioritize actions that bolster safety and sustainable development as the UK transitions towards a hydrogen-based energy system. Moreover the findings underscore the varying degrees of prominence among different SDGs. Notably SDG 13 (Climate Action) exhibits relatively lower overall distinction at 0.0066 and a Relation value of 0.0512 albeit with a substantial impact. In contrast SDG 7 (Clean Energy Access) and SDG 9 (Industry Innovation and Infrastructure) demonstrate moderate prominence levels (0.0559 and 0.0498 respectively) each with its unique influence emphasizing their critical roles in the UK’s pursuit of a sustainable hydrogen-based energy future.

Together the pathways examined in the report paint a picture of the nationwide transformation getting underway in how we heat our homes and buildings. The report identifies that by 2050 gas used to heat buildings could fall by 75-95% electricity increase from a 10% share today to 30-80% and district heat increase from less than 2% to up to a 40% share. At the same time energy efficiency could help to lower bills and offset the expected growth in our heating needs from an expanding population and building stock. Across most pathways examined in the report mass deployment of low carbon heat solutions ramps up in the lead-in to 2030. Carbon Connect’s overarching recommendation is that the next decade should be spent preparing by developing a robust strategy for decarbonising heat in buildings whilst testing and scaling up delivery models. The report calls for the next Government to prioritise these preparations in the same way that preparing for power sector decarbonisation has been the overriding focus of energy policy in the past decade. The Future Heat Series brings together politicians policy and academic experts and industry leaders. Together this coalition of key figures is taking stock of evidence progressing the policy debate in an open and constructive forum and building consensus for prioritising and transforming heat. Pathways for Heat is the first part of the Future Heat Series and presents six recommendations and over twenty findings.

Hybrid renewable energy systems that combine heat and electricity generation is an achievable option for remote areas where grid is uneconomical to extend. In this study a renewable-based system was designed to satisfy the electrical and thermal demands of a remote household in an off-grid Greek island. A hybrid DC system consisted of a combination of photovoltaic modules wind turbine electrolyzer-hydrogen tank fuel cell and batteries were analysed using HOMER Pro software. Based on the optimal obtained system it is found that such a system can satisfy both electrical and thermal load demand throughout the year in a reliable manner.

The application of appropriate procedures in the downstream gas industry (defined as any works downstream of the emergency control value) is critical in protecting consumers of gas both domestic and commercial. The two primary standard setting bodies for the downstream gas industry are the British Standard Institution (BSI) and the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM). To ensure only competent engineers carry out works on a gas installation all gas businesses or selfemployed persons must become a member of Gas Safe Register as stipulated by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 1 and each gas operative shall be included on the register and hold a valid license card that covers the areas of gas work they undertake. Membership of the Gas Safe Register is contingent upon demonstration of competency the recognised competency assessments are based on the relevant BSI and IGEM standards. Therefore the primary source of a gas operative’s competency to work on natural gas installations are the associated BSI and IGEM natural gas downstream standards.<br/>Investigation was undertaken to understand the potential implications of introducing 20 mol% hydrogen (H2) within natural gas supplies on the ability of gas operatives to competently carry out works. This investigation took the form of identifying all BSI and IGEM standards that could be applied on natural gas installations and reviewing them within the context of the known effects of introducing a 20 mol% H2 blend. Following review a series of technical questions were generated and responded to by the Health and Safety Executive Science Division. The responses provided were then reviewed and if considered necessary challenged to provide further information. The procedural review was led by Blue Flame Associates a body deemed sufficiently competent in downstream standards training certification and investigation. The report was subsequently reviewed by industry and feedback received. The industry comments were reviewed by the Project Team and where considered necessary the report was updated.

The need to reduce CO2 emissions to zero by 2050 has meant an increasing focus on high emitting industrial sectors such as steel. However significant uncertainties remain as to the rate of technology diffusion across steel production pathways in different regions and how this might impact on climate ambition. Informed by empirical analysis of historical transitions this paper presents modelling on the regional deployment of Direction Reduction Iron using hydrogen (DRI-H2). We find that DRI-H2 can play a leading role in the decarbonisation of the sector leading to near-zero emissions by 2070. Regional spillovers from early to late adopting regions can speed up the rate of deployment of DRI-H2 leading to lower cumulative emissions and system costs. Without such effects cumulative emissions are 13% higher than if spillovers are assumed and approximately 15% and 20% higher in China and India respectively. Given the estimates of DRI-H2 cost-effectiveness relative to other primary production technologies we also find that costs increase in the absence of regional spillovers. However other factors can also have impacts on deployment emission reductions and costs including the composition of the early adopter group material efficiency improvements and scrap recycling rates. For the sector to achieve decarbonisation key regions will need to continue to invest in low carbon steel projects recognising their broader global benefit and look to develop and strengthen policy coordination on technologies such as DRI-H2.

This report provides you with the information you need if you have plans to interact with or connect to our gas networks. Our vision is to set the standards that all of our customers love and others aspire to. This means that our long-term plans are shaped by our customers and stakeholders. This annual publication is an important opportunity to share our latest long-term plan and our strategic thinking and seek feedback so we can continue to adapt our activities going forward. We want to make it as easy and efficient as possible for you to interact with us.

​Cadent Long Term Development Plan 2019​​​

Policy for Heat: Transforming the System urges Government to implement an ambitious long-term decarbonisation strategy for the heat sector before it’s too late in new inquiry report. The report builds on the work of Part 1 in the Future Heat Series which compared recent decarbonisation pathways and analyses to identify and highlight key policy mechanisms and transitions that are needed in order to decarbonise heat for buildings by 2050. Chaired by Shadow Energy Minister Jonathan Reynolds MP and Conservative MP Rebecca Pow (and also previous MP and member of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee Dan Byles MP until he stood down at the General Election) the report is written by cross-party think tank group Carbon Connect. The report was published in Parliament at a cross-party debate on Wednesday 14th October. Sponsored by Energy & Utilities Alliance (EUA) and the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) the report is the second in a cross-party and independent inquiry series.  

IGEM/TD/13 Standard applies to the safe design construction inspection testing operation and maintenance of pressure regulating installations (PRIs) in accordance with current knowledge and operational experience.

This Supplement provides additional requirements for new PRIs to be used for the transmission of Hydrogen including Natural Gas/Hydrogen blended mixtures (subsequently referred to as NG/H blends) and for the repurposing of Natural Gas (NG) PRIs for Hydrogen service.

NG/H blends are considered to be equivalent to 100 mol % Hydrogen with respect to limits on design stresses the potential effect on the material properties and damage and defect categories and acceptance levels unless an additional technical evaluation is carried out to qualify the materials.

NG/H blends containing in excess of 10 mol % Hydrogen are considered to be equivalent to 100 mol.% Hydrogen with respect to all other requirements except for hazardous areas.

This Supplement gives additional recommendations for PRIs and installations:

• with an upstream maximum operating pressure (MOP) not greater than 100 bar
• with an outlet pressure greater than or equal to 7 bar
• for use with Hydrogen or NG/H blends with a Hydrogen content greater than 10 %
• operating with a temperature range between -20°C and 120°C.

The supplement can be purchased on the IGEM website

A thorough techno-economic analysis where inherent carbon capture is examined against state-of-the-art blue hydrogen production configurations for large (100000 Nm3 /h) and very large (333000 Nm3 /h) capacities. Advanced solvent-based technologies based on post-combustion capture and auto-thermal reformer combined with a gas heated reformer are simulated with process flowsheet software and compared with the emerging chemical looping process. A network of dynamically operated packed bed reactors has been designed and modelled using an in-house code and key parameters generating uncertainties in the results have been examined in a sensitivity analysis. The chemical looping reforming process presents a higher net reforming efficiency than the benchmark cases (8.2 % higher at large scale and 1.5 % higher at very large scale) ranged 75.4–75.7 % while the specific energy for CO2 avoidance is negative in the range of − 0.78 to − 0.85 MJ/kgCO2. In the carbon capture cases the chemical looping reforming in packed beds technology generated a levelised cost of hydrogen of 168.9 £/kNm3 H2 for the large scale and 159.1 £/kNm3 H2 for the very large scale with the values for the benchmark cases being higher at 196.4 and 166.6 £/kNm3 H2 respectively while the levelised cost of hydrogen values are 1 % higher in the benchmark cases where carbon emission price is accounted for. The carbon capture ratio is 99.9 % for the chemical looping reforming cases compared to 90–91 % for the benchmark ones thus providing a significant foreground for the scale-up and implementation of chemical looping reforming technologies for hydrogen production.

Accurate estimation of mass flow rate and release conditions is important for the design of dispersion and combustion experiments for the subsequent validation of CFD codes/models for consequence assessment analysis within related risk assessment studies and for associated Regulation Codes and Standards development. This work focuses on the modelling of the discharge phase of the recent large scale LH2 release and dispersion experiments performed by HSE within the framework of PRESLHY project. The experimental conditions covered sub-cooled liquid stagnation conditions at two pressures (2 and 6 bara) and 3 release nozzle diameters (1 ½ and ¼ inches). The simulations were performed using a 1d engineering tool which accounts for discharge line effects due to friction extra resistance due to fittings and area change. The engineering tool uses the Possible Impossible Flow (PIF) algorithm for choked flow calculations and the Helmholtz Free Energy (HFE) EoS formulation. Three different phase distribution models were applied. The predictions are compared against measured and derived data from the experiments and recommendations are given both regarding engineering tool applicability and future experimental design.

This work reports a detailed chemical looping investigation of strontium ferrite (SrFeO_3−δ) a material with the perovskite structure type able to donate oxygen and stay in a nonstoichiometric form over a broad range of oxygen partial pressures starting at temperatures as low as 250°C (reduction in CO measured in TGA). SrFeO_3−δ is an economically attractive simple but remarkably stable material that can withstand repeated phase transitions during redox cycling. Mechanical mixing and calcination of iron oxide and strontium carbonate was evaluated as an effective way to obtain pure SrFeO_3−δ. In–situ XRD was performed to analyse structure transformations during reduction and reoxidation. Our work reports that much deeper reduction from SrFeO_3−δ to SrO and Fe is reversible and results in oxygen release at a chemical potential suitable for hydrogen production. Thermogravimetric experiments with different gas compositions were applied to characterize the material and evaluate its available oxygen capacity. In both TGA and in-situ XRD experiments the material was reduced below δ=0.5 followed by reoxidation either with CO₂ or air to study phase segregation and reversibility of crystal structure transitions. As revealed by in-situ XRD even deeply reduced material regenerates at 900°C to SrFeO_3−δ with a cubic structure. To investigate the catalytic behaviour of SrFeO_3−δ in methane combustion experiments were performed in a fluidized bed rig. These showed SrFeO_3−δ donates O₂ into the gas phase but also assists with CH4 combustion by supplying lattice oxygen. To test the material for combustion and hydrogen production long cycling experiments in a fluidized bed rig were also performed. SrFeO3−δ showed stability over 30 redox cycles both in experiments with a 2-step oxidation performed in CO₂ followed by air as well as a single step oxidation in CO₂ alone. Finally the influence of CO/CO₂ mixtures on material performance was tested; a fast and deep reduction in elevated pCO₂ makes the material susceptible to carbonation but the process can be reversed by increasing the temperature or lowering pCO₂.

Energy supplies that are safe environmentally friendly dependable and cost-effective are important for society's long-term growth and improved living standards though political social and economic barriers may inhibit their availability. Constantly increasing energy demand is induced by substantial population growth and economic development putting an increasing strain on fossil fuel management and sustainability which account for a major portion of this rising energy demand and moreover creates difficulties because of greenhouse gas emissions growth and the depletion of resources. Such impediments necessitate a global shift away from traditional energy sources and toward renewables. Aside from its traditional role is viewed as a promising energy vector and is gaining international attention as a promising fuel path as it provides numerous benefits in use case scenarios and unlike other synthesized carbon-based fuels could be carbon-free or perhaps even negative on a life-cycle criterion. Hydrogen ( ) is one of the most significant chemical substances on earth and can be obtained as molecular dihydrogen through various techniques from both non-renewable and renewable sources. The drive of this paper is to deliver a technological overview of hydrogen production methods. The major challenges development and research priorities and potential prospects for production was discussed.

There is a pressing need for a framework and strategic approach to be taken to workforce safety training requirements of new hydrogen projects. It is apparent that organisations embarking on projects utilizing or producing green hydrogen need to implement a program of training for their workforce in order to ensure that all personnel within their organisation understand not only the environmental benefits of green hydrogen but also the safety considerations that come with either producing or using hydrogen as a fuel. Energy Transition must be safe to be successful. If such an approach is taken by industry and stakeholders it is also possible to use the high level content as a vehicle and basis to offer public audiences which also require a basic level of understanding in order to fully accept the transition to using hydrogen more widely as a fuel. This will be crucial to the success of national hydrogen strategies. Coeus Energy has developed an innovative framework of training following engagement with operators keen to ensure their duty of care responsibilities have been met. Whilst having highly skilled personnel already employed within their organisations specific hydrogen content is still required for workforce competence. This is where the framework need arises as the knowledge is required at all levels of an organisation.

Unignited hydrogen release in underground parking could be considered inherently safer if the safety strategy to avoid the formation of the flammable hydrogen-air mixture under a ceiling is followed. This strategy excludes destructive deflagrative combustion and associated pressure and thermal effects in the case of ignition. This paper aims at understanding the effects of the thermally activated pressure relieve device (TPRD) diameter and direction of release on the build-up of hydrogen flammable concentration under the ceiling in the presence of mechanical ventilation required for underground parking. The study employs the similarity law for hydrogen jet concentration decay in a free under-expanded jet to find the lower limit of TPRD diameter that excludes the formation of a flammable mixture under the ceiling during upward release. This approach is conservative and does not include the effect of mechanical ventilation providing flow velocity around a few meters per second which is significantly below velocities in hydrogen momentum-dominated under-expanded jets. Hydrogen releases downwards under a vehicle at different angles and with different air velocities due to mechanical ventilation were investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The joint effect of TPRD diameter release direction and mechanical ventilation is studied. TPRD diameters for the release of hydrogen upwards and downwards preventing the creation of flammable hydrogen-air mixture under the parking ceiling are defined for different ceiling heights and locations of TPRD above the floor. Recommendations to the design of TPRD devices to underpin the safe introduction of hydrogen fuelled vehicles in currently existing underground parking and infrastructure are formulated."

The demand for hydrogen has grown more than threefold since 1975 [1] and price is expected to significantly decrease by 2030 [2] concluding in an expected continual increase in demand. HyLaw defined by Hydrogen Europe lays out recommendations for hydrogen applications using identified Legal and Administrative Processes (LAPs) across 18 European countries. Regarding site location HyLaw refers to the land use plan. This defines the production and storage of hydrogen as an industrial activity and therefore regardless of the specific site methods of production or use the hydrogen site must be within a permitted industrial zone or under specific condition commercial areas [3]. Local authorities fire departments and other concerned parties may need to be consulted on site suitability for the project. Risktec explores a range of considerations for siting and layout of hydrogen developments including co-location with other assets for example with renewable energy sources hazardous facilities or public structures. Good practice tools and assessment techniques are presented to mitigate the risks associated with the production storage and use of hydrogen not just the surrounding site and environment but the operatives of the facility.

Dilution ventilation is the current basis of safety following a flammable gas leak within a gas turbine enclosure and compliance requirements are defined for methane fuels in ISO 21789. These requirements currently define a safety criteria of a maximum flammable gas cloud size within an enclosure. The requirements are based on methane explosion tests conducted during a HSE Joint Industry Project which identified typical pressures associated with a range of gas cloud sizes. The industry standard approach is to assess the ventilation performance of specific enclosure designs against these requirements using CFD modelling. Gas turbine manufacturers are increasingly considering introducing hydrogen/methane fuel mixtures and looking towards operating with hydrogen alone. It is therefore important to review the applicability of current safety standards for these new fuels as the pressure resulting from a hydrogen explosion is expected to be significantly higher than that from a methane explosion. In this paper we replicate the previous methane explosion tests for hydrogen and hydrogen/methane fuel mixtures using the explosion modelling tool FLACS CFD. The results are used to propose updated limiting safety criteria for hydrogen fuels to support ventilation CFD analysis for specific enclosure designs. It is found that significantly smaller gas cloud sizes are likely to be acceptable for gas turbines fueled by hydrogen however significantly more hydrogen than methane is required per unit volume to generate a stoichiometric cloud (as hydrogen has a lower stoichiometric air fuel ratio than methane). This effect results in the total quantity of gas in the enclosure (and as such detectability of the gas) being broadly similar when operating gas turbines on hydrogen when compared to methane.

This independent cross-party report highlights the key role that political consensus can play in helping to reduce the costs of nuclear power in the UK as well as other low carbon technologies. This political consensus has never been more important than in this ‘defining decade’ for the power sector. The report highlights that an immediate challenge facing the UK’s new build programme is agreeing with the European Commission a regime for supporting new nuclear power. Changing the proposed support package would not be an impossible task if made necessary but maintaining broad political consensus and considering the implications of delay are also important. The State Aid process is an important opportunity for scrutiny with the report demonstrating that shareholders for Hinkley Point C could see bigger returns (19-21%) than those typically expected for PFI projects (12-15%). However it is too early to conclude on the value for money of the Hinkley Point C agreement. Both the negotiation process and the resulting investment contract are important but there has been little transparency over either so far and the negotiations were not competitive. The inquiry calls for more urgency and better coordination in seizing the opportunity to reuse the UK’s plutonium stockpile.



The UK’s stockpile of separated plutonium presents opportunities to tackle a number of national strategic priorities including implementing long term solutions for nuclear waste developing new technologies that could redefine the sector laying the ground for new nuclear power and pursuing nuclear non-proliferation.  Government has identified three ‘credible solutions’ for reuse and the report recommends that it now sets clearer criteria against which to assess options and identifies budgetary requirements to help expediate the process. The report also argues that Government should do more on new nuclear technologies that could redefine the sector – such as considering smaller reactors nuclear for industrial heat or hydrogen production and closed or thorium fuel cycles. The Government’s initial response to a review of nuclear R&D a year ago by the then Chief Scientific Advisor Sir John Beddington has been welcome and it needs to build on this. In particular the UK should capitalise upon its existing expertise and past experience to focus efforts where there is most strategic value. Nulcear waste. Having failed to date the Government must urgently revisit plans for finding a site to store nuclear waste underground for thousands of years. Implementing this is a crucial part of demonstrating that nuclear waste is a manageable challenge. Despite being rejected by Cumbria County Council the continuing strong support amongst communities in West Cumbria for hosting a site is a promising sign.



On affordability the report finds that it is not yet clear which electricity generation technologies will be cheapest in the 2020s and beyond. Coal and gas could get more expensive if fossil fuel and carbon prices rise whilst low carbon technologies could get cheaper as technology costs fall with more deployment. This is the main reason for adopting an ‘all of the above’ strategy including nuclear power until costs become clearer and there is broad consensus behind this general approach.  



On security of supply the inquiry says that deployment of nuclear power is likely to be influenced more by the economics of system balancing rather than technical system balancing challenges which can be met with greater deployment of existing balancing tools. The cost of maintaining system security is likely to mean that the UK maintains at least some baseload capacity such as nuclear power to limit system costs.



On sustainability the report finds that the environmental impacts of nuclear power are comparable to some generation technologies and favourable to others although the long lived nature of some radioactive nuclear waste and the dual use potential of nuclear technology for civil and military applications create unique sustainability challenges which the UK is a world leader in managing.



It is the final report of the Future Electricity Series an independent and cross party inquiry into the UK power sector sponsored by the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers

Transporting green hydrogen by existing natural gas networks has become a practical means to accommodate curtailed wind and solar power. Restricted by pipe materials and pressure levels there is an upper limit on the hydrogen blending ratio of hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (HCNG) that can be transported by natural gas pipelines which affects whether the natural gas network can supply energy safely and reliably. To this end this paper investigates the effects of the intermittent and fluctuating green hydrogen produced by different types of renewable energy on the dynamic distribution of hydrogen concentration after it is blended into natural gas pipelines. Based on the isothermal steady-state simulation results of the natural gas network two convection–diffusion models for the dynamic simulation of hydrogen injections are proposed. Finally the dynamic changes of hydrogen concentration in the pipelines under scenarios of multiple green hydrogen types and multiple injection nodes are simulated on a seven-node natural gas network. The simulation results indicate that compared with the solar-power-dominated hydrogen productionblending scenario the hydrogen concentrations in the natural gas pipelines are more uniformly distributed in the wind-power-dominated scenario and the solar–wind power balance scenario. To be specific in the solar-power-dominated scenario the hydrogen concentration exceeds the limit for more time whilst the overall hydrogen production is low and the local hydrogen concentration in the natural gas network exceeds the limit for nearly 50% of the time in a day. By comparison in the wind-power-dominated scenario all pipelines can work under safe conditions. The hydrogen concentration overrun time in the solar–wind power balance scenario is also improved compared with the solar-power-dominated scenario and the limit-exceeding time of the hydrogen concentration in Pipe 5 and Pipe 6 is reduced to 91.24% and 91.99% of the solar-power-dominated scenario. This work can help verify the day-ahead scheduling strategy of the electricity-HCNG integrated energy system (IES) and provide a reference for the design of local hydrogen production-blending systems.

The geological storage of hydrogen is necessary to enable the successful transition to a hydrogen economy and achieve net-zero emissions targets. Comprehensive investigations must be undertaken for each storage site to ensure their long-term suitability and functionality. As such the systematic infrastructure and potential risks of large-scale hydrogen storage must be established. Herein we conducted over 250 batch reaction experiments with different types of reservoir sandstones under conditions representative of the subsurface reflecting expected time scales for geological hydrogen storage to investigate potential reactions involving hydrogen. Each hydrogen experiment was paired with a hydrogen-free control under otherwise identical conditions to ensure that any observed reactions were due to the presence of hydrogen. The results conclusively reveal that there is no risk of hydrogen loss or reservoir integrity degradation due to abiotic geochemical reactions in sandstone reservoirs.

The UK’s first-ever Hydrogen Strategy drives forward the commitments laid out in the Prime Minister’s ambitious 10 Point Plan for a green industrial revolution by setting the foundation for how the UK government will work with industry to meet its ambition for 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030 – the equivalent of replacing natural gas in powering around 3 million UK homes each year as well as powering transport and businesses particularly heavy industry.<br/>A booming UK-wide hydrogen economy could be worth £900 million and create over 9000 high-quality jobs by 2030 potentially rising to 100000 jobs and worth up to £13 billion by 2050. By 2030 hydrogen could play an important role in decarbonising polluting energy-intensive industries like chemicals oil refineries power and heavy transport like shipping HGV lorries and trains by helping these sectors move away from fossil fuels. Low-carbon hydrogen provides opportunities for UK companies and workers across our industrial heartlands.<br/>With government analysis suggesting that 20-35% of the UK’s energy consumption by 2050 could be hydrogen-based this new energy source could be critical to meet our targets of net zero emissions by 2050 and cutting emissions by 78% by 2035 – a view shared by the UK’s independent Climate Change Committee. In the UK a low-carbon hydrogen economy could deliver emissions savings equivalent to the carbon captured by 700 million trees by 2032 and is a key pillar of capitalising on cleaner energy sources as the UK moves away from fossil fuels.

In this study a green hydrogen system was studied to provide electricity for an office building in the Sharjah emirate in the United Arab Emirates. Using a solar PV a fuel cell a diesel generator and battery energy storage; a hybrid green hydrogen energy system was compared to a standard hybrid system (Solar PV a diesel generator and battery energy storage). The results show that both systems adequately provided the power needed for the load of the office building. The cost of the energy for both the basic and green hydrogen energy systems was 0.305 USD/kWh and 0.313 USD/kWh respectively. The cost of the energy for both systems is very similar even though the capital cost of the green hydrogen energy system was the highest value; however the replacement and operational costs of the basic system were higher in comparison to the green hydrogen energy system. Moreover the impact of the basic system in terms of the carbon footprint was more significant when compared with the green hydrogen system. The reduction in carbon dioxide was a 4.6 ratio when compared with the basic system.

Combined heat and power (CHP) systems offer high energy efficiencies as they utilise both the electricity generated and any excess heat by co-suppling to local consumers. This work presents the potential of a combined heat and hydrogen (CHH) system a solution where Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis systems producing hydrogen at 60–70% efficiency also co-supply the excess heat to local heat networks. This work investigates the method of capture and utilisation of the excess heat from electrolysis. The analysed system was able to capture 312 kW of thermal energy per MW of electricity and can deliver it as heated water at either 75 ◦C or 45 ◦C this appropriate for existing district heat networks and lower temperature heat networks respectively. This yields an overall CHH system efficiency of 94.6%. An economic analysis was conducted based on income generated through revenue sales of both hydrogen and heat which resulted in a significant reduction in the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen.

Fuel transition can decarbonize shipping and help meet IMO 2050 goals. In this paper HFO with CCS LNG with CCS bio-methanol biodiesel hydrogen ammonia and electricity were studied using empirical ship design models from a fleet-level perspective and at the Tank-ToWake level to assist operators technology developers and policy makers. The cargo attainment rate CAR (i.e. cargo that must be displaced due to the low-C propulsion system) the ES (i.e. TTW energy needed per ton*n.m.) the CS (economic cost per ton*n.m.) and the carbon intensity index CII (gCO2 per ton*n.m.) were calculated so that the potential of the various alternatives can be compared quantitatively as a function of different criteria. The sensitivity of CAR towards ship type fuel type cargo type and voyage distance were investigated. All ship types had similar CAR estimates which implies that considerations concerning fuel transition apply equally to all ships (cargo containership tankers). Cargo type was the most sensitive factor that made a ship either weight or volume critical indirectly impacting on the CAR of different fuels; for example a hydrogen ship is weight-critical and has 2.3% higher CAR than the reference HFO ship at 20000 nm. Voyage distance and fuel type could result in up to 48.51% and 11.75% of CAR reduction. In addition to CAR the ES CS and CII for a typical mission were calculated and it was found that HFO and LNG with CCS gave about 20% higher ES and CS than HFO and biodiesel had twice the cost while ammonia methanol and hydrogen had 3–4 times the CS of HFO and electricity about 20 times suggesting that decarbonisation of the world’s fleet will come at a large cost. As an example of including all factors in an effort to create a normalized scoring system an equal weight was allocated to each index (CAR ES CS and CII). Biodiesel achieved the highest score (80%) and was identified as the alternative with the highest potential for a deep-seagoing containership followed by ammonia hydrogen bio-methanol and CCS. Electricity has the lowest normalized score of 33%. A total of 100% CAR is achievable by all alternative fuels but with compromises in voyage distance or with refuelling. For example a battery containership carrying an equal amount of cargo as an HFO-fuelled containership can only complete 13% of the voyage distance or needs refuelling seven times to complete 10000 n.m. The results can guide decarbonization strategies at the fleet level and can help optimise emissions as a function of specific missions.

Operating energy storage alongside onshore wind can improve its economics whilst providing a pathway for otherwise curtailed generation. In this work we present a framework to evaluate the economic potential of onshore wind co-located with battery storage (BS) and a hydrogen electrolyser (HE). This model is applied to a case study in Great Britain using historic data and considering local network charges and the cost of using curtailed power capturing an often neglected element of competition. We use a Markov Chain to model wind curtailment and determine the optimised scheduling of the storage as we vary price parameters and storage sizing. Finally by considering storage CAPEX and comparing against the case with no storage we can determine the value added (or lost) by different sized BS and HE for an onshore wind owner as a function of power purchase agreement (PPA) and green hydrogen market price. Results show that value added increases when HE is increased and when BS is decreased. Additionally a 10 MW electrolysers uses 27% more curtailed wind than 10 MW BS.

Delivering low-carbon heat will require the substitution of natural gas with low-carbon alternatives such as electricity and hydrogen. The objective of this paper is to develop a method to soft-link two advanced investment-optimising energy system models RTN (Resource-Technology Network) and WeSIM (Whole-electricity System Investment Model) in order to assess cost-efficient heat decarbonisation pathways for the UK while utilising the respective strengths of the two models. The linking procedure included passing on hourly electricity prices from WeSIM as input to RTN and returning capacities and locations of hydrogen generation and shares of electricity and hydrogen in heat supply from RTN to WeSIM. The outputs demonstrate that soft-linking can improve the quality of the solution while providing useful insights into the cost-efficient pathways for zero-carbon heating. Quantitative results point to the cost-effectiveness of using a mix of electricity and hydrogen technologies for delivering zero-carbon heat also demonstrating a high level of interaction between electricity and hydrogen infrastructure in a zero-carbon system. Hydrogen from gas reforming with carbon capture and storage can play a significant role in the medium term while remaining a cost-efficient option for supplying peak heat demand in the longer term with the bulk of heat demand being supplied by electric heat pumps.

Hydrogen produced without carbon emissions could be a useful fuel as nations look to decarbonize their electricity transport and industry sectors. Using the iodine–sulfur (IS) cycle coupled with a nuclear heat source is one method for producing hydrogen without the use of fossil fuels. An economic dispatch model was developed for a nuclear-driven IS system to determine hydrogen sale prices that would make such a system profitable. The system studied is the HTTR GT/H2 a design for power and hydrogen cogeneration at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency’s High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor. This study focuses on the development of the economic model and the role that input data plays in the final calculated values. Using a historical price duration curve shows that the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) or breakeven sale price of hydrogen would need to be 98.1 JPY/m3 or greater. Synthetic time histories were also used and found the LCOH to be 67.5 JPY/m3 . The price duration input was found to have a significant effect on the LCOH. As such great care should be used in these economic dispatch analyses to select reasonable input assumptions.

The H21 National Innovation Competition project is examining the feasibility of repurposing the existing GB natural gas distribution network for transporting 100% hydrogen. It aims to undertake an experimental testing programme that will provide the necessary data to quantify the comparative risk between a 100% hydrogen network and the natural gas network. The first phase of the project focuses on leakage testing of a strategic set of assets that have been removed from service which provide a representative sample of assets across the network. This paper presents the work undertaken for Phase 1A (background testing) where HSE and industry partners have tested a range of natural gas pipework assets of varying size material age and pressure-rating in a new bespoke open-air testing facility at the HSE Science and Research Centre Buxton. The assets have been pressurised with hydrogen and then methane and the leakage rate from the assets measured in both cases. The main finding of this work is that the assets tested which leak hydrogen also leak methane. None of the assets were found to leak hydrogen but not methane. In addition repair techniques that were effective at stopping methane leaks were also effective at stopping hydrogen leaks. The data from the experiments have been interpreted to obtain a range of leakage ratios between the two gases for releases under different conditions. This has been compared to the predicted ratio of hydrogen to methane volumetric leak rates for laminar (1.2:1) and turbulent (2.9:1) releases and good agreement was observed.

Many countries have assigned an indispensable role for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in their national climate change mitigation pathways. However CCS deployment has stalled in most countries with only limited commercial projects realised mainly in hydrocarbon-rich countries for enhanced oil recovery. If the Paris Agreement is to be met then this progress must be replicated widely including hydrocarbon-limited countries. In this study we present a novel source-to-sink assessment methodology based on a hubs and clusters approach to identify favourable regions for CCS deployment and attract renewed public and political interest in viable deployment pathways. Here we apply this methodology to Spain where fifteen emission hubs from both the power and the hard-to-abate industrial sectors are identified as potential CO2 sources. A priority storage structure and two reserves for each hub are selected based on screening and ranking processes using a multi-criteria decision-making method. The priority source-to-sink clusters are identified indicating four potential development regions with the North-Western and North-Eastern Spain recognised as priority regions due to resilience provided by different types of CO2 sources and geological structures. Up to 68.7 Mt CO2 per year comprising around 21% of Spanish emissions can be connected to clusters linked to feasible storage. CCS especially in the hard-to-abate sector and in combination with other low-carbon energies (e.g. blue hydrogen and bioenergy) remains a significant and unavoidable contributor to the Paris Agreement’s mid-century net-zero target. This study shows that the hubs and clusters approach can facilitate CCS deployment in Spain and other hydrocarbon-limited countries.

Hydrogen is expected to play a key role in the decarbonised future of energy. For hydrogen distribution pipelines are seen as the main method for mass transport of hydrogen gas. To support the evaluation of risk related to hydrogen pipelines a revised QRA methodology is presented based on currently available and industry accepted guidance related to natural gas. The QRA approach is primarily taken from HSE UK’s MISHAP methodology [1]. The base methodology is reviewed and modifications suggested to adapt it for use with hydrogen gas transport. Compared to natural gas it was found that the escape distances for hydrogen (based on the degree of heat flux) were lower. However as for the overall risk for both individual and societal the case with hydrogen was more severe close to the pipeline. This was driven by the increased ignition probability of hydrogen. The approach may be used as part of the review and appraisal process of hydrogen projects

There is worldwide interest in transporting hydrogen using both new pipelines and pipelines converted from natural gas service. Laboratory tests investigating the effect of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of pipeline steels have shown that even low partial pressures of hydrogen can substantially reduce properties such as reduction in area and fracture toughness and increase fatigue crack growth rates. However qualitative arguments suggest that the effects on pipelines may not be as severe as predicted from the small scale tests. If the trends seen in laboratory tests do occur in service there are implications for the assessment of damage such as volumetric corrosion dents and mechanical interference. Most pipeline damage assessment methods are semi-empirical and have been calibrated with data from full scale tests that did not involve hydrogen. Hence the European Pipeline Research Group (EPRG) commissioned a study to investigate damage assessment methods in the presence of hydrogen. Two example pipeline designs were considered both were assessed assuming a modern high performance material and an older material. From these analyses the numerical results show that the high toughness material will tolerate damage even if the properties are degraded by hydrogen exposure. However low toughness materials may not be able to tolerate some types of severe damage. If the predictions are realistic operators may have to repair more damage or reduce operating pressures. Furthermore damage involving cracking may not Page 2 of 22 satisfy the ASME B31.12 requirements for preventing time dependent crack growth. Further work is required to determine if the effects predicted using small scale laboratory test data will occur in practice.

As Europe moves towards decarbonising its energy infrastructure new measurement needs will arise that require collaborative efforts between European National Metrology Institutes and Designated Institutes to tackle. Such measurement needs include flow metering of hydrogen or hydrogen enriched natural gas in the gas grid for billing quality assurance of hydrogen at refuelling stations and equations of state for carbon dioxide in carbon capture and storage facilities. The European metrology network for energy gases for the first time provides a platform where metrology institutes can work together to develop a harmonised strategy prioritise new challenges and share expertise and capabilities to support the European energy gas industry to meet stringent EU targets for climate change and emissions reductions

Of all the alternatives to hydrocarbon fuels hydrogen offers the greatest long-term potential to radically reduce the many problems inherent in fuel used for transportation. Hydrogen vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions and are very efficient. If the hydrogen is made from renewable sources such as nuclear power or fossil sources with carbon emissions captured and sequestered hydrogen use on a global scale would produce almost zero greenhouse gas emissions and greatly reduce air pollutant emissions. The aim of this work is to realise a traceability chain for hydrogen flow metering in the range typical for fuelling applications in a wide pressure range with pressures up to 875 bar (for Hydrogen Refuelling Station - HRS with Nominal Working Pressure of 700 bar) and temperature changes from −40 °C (pre-cooling) to 85 °C (maximum allowed vehicle tank temperature) in accordance with the worldwide accepted standard SAE J2601. Several HRS have been tested in Europe (France Netherlands and Germany) and the results show a good repeatability for all tests. This demonstrates that the testing equipment works well in real conditions. Depending on the installation configuration some systematic errors have been detected and explained. Errors observed for Configuration 1 stations can be explained by pressure differences at the beginning and end of fueling in the piping between the Coriolis Flow Meter (CFM) and the dispenser: the longer the distance the bigger the errors. For Configuration 2 where this distance is very short the error is negligible.

In the framework of the ongoing EMPIR JRP 16ENG01 ‘‘Metrology for Hydrogen Vehicles’’ a main task is to investigate the influence of pressure on the measurement accuracy of Coriolis Mass Flow Meters (CFM) used at Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRS). At a HRS hydrogen is transferred at very high and changing pressures with simultaneously varying flow rates and temperatures. It is clearly very difficult for CFMs to achieve the current legal requirements with respect to mass flow measurement accuracy at these measurement conditions. As a result of the very dynamic filling process it was observed that the accuracy of mass flow measurement at different pressure ranges is not sufficient. At higher pressures it was found that particularly short refueling times cause significant measurement deviations. On this background it may be concluded that pressure has a great impact on the accuracy of mass flow measurement. To gain a deeper understanding of this matter RISE has built a unique high-pressure test facility. With the aid of this newly developed test rig it is possible to calibrate CFMs over a wide pressure and flow range with water or base oils as test medium. The test rig allows calibration measurements under the conditions prevailing at a 70 MPa HRS regarding mass flows (up to 3.6 kg min−1) and pressures (up to 87.5 MPa).

This report evaluates the main options to provide required hydrogen storage capacity including the relevant system-level considerations and provides recommendations for further actions including low-regrets actions that are needed in a range of scenarios.

Many simplified methods for estimating blast loads from a hydrogen or vapor cloud explosion are unable to take into account the accurate geometry of confining spaces obstacles or landscape that may significantly interact with the blast wave and influence the strength of blast loads. Computation fluid dynamics (CFD) software Viper::Blast which was originally developed for the simulation of the detonation of high explosives is able to quickly and easily model geometry for blast analyses however its use for vapor cloud explosions and deflagrations is not well established. This paper describes the results of an investigation into the suitability of Viper::Blast for use in modeling hydrogen deflagration and detonation events from various experiments in literature. Detonation events have been captured with a high degree of detail and relatively little uncertainty in inputs while deflagration events are significantly more complex. An approach is proposed that may allow for a reasonable bounding of uncertainty potentially leading to an approach to CFD-based Monte Carlo analyses that are able to address a problem’s true geometry while remaining reasonably pragmatic in terms of run-time and computational investment. This will allow further exploration of practical CFD application to inform hydrogen safety in the engineering design assessment and management of energy mobility and transport systems infrastructure and operations.

The PRHYDE project (PRotocol for heavy duty HYDrogEn refueling) funded by the Clean Hydrogen partnership aims at developing recommendations for heavy-duty refueling protocols used for future standardization activities for trucks and other heavy duty transport systems applying hydrogen technologies. Development of a protocol requires a validated approach. Due to the limited time and budget the experimental data cannot cover the whole possible ranges of protocol parameters such as initial vehicle pressure and temperature ambient and precooling temperatures pressure ramp refueling time hardware specifications etc. Hence a validated numerical tool is essential for a safe and efficient protocol development. For this purpose engineering tools are used. They give good results in a very reasonable computation time of several seconds or minutes. These tools provide the heat parameters estimation in the gas (volume average temperature) and 1D temperature distribution in the tank wall. The following models were used SOFIL (Air Liquide tool) HyFill (by ENGIE) and H2Fills (open access code by NREL). The comparison of modelling results and experimental data demonstrated a good capability of codes to predict the evolution of average gas temperature in function of time. Some recommendations on model validation for the future protocol development are given.

In this seventh episode Steffan Eldred Hydrogen Innovation Network Knowledge Transfer Manager and Jenni McDonnell MBE Heating and Cooling Knowledge Transfer Manager from Innovate UK KTN discuss why using hydrogen to generate heat is so important and explore the hydrogen economy opportunities and challenges within this sector alongside their special guest Jeff House Head of External Affairs Baxi Boilers.

The podcast can be found on their website.

The present day energy supply scenario is unsustainable and the transition towards a more environmentally friendly energy supply system of the future is inevitable. Hydrogen is a potential fuel that is capable of assisting with this transition. Certain technological advancements and design challenges associated with hydrogen generation and fuel cell technologies are discussed in this review. The commercialization of hydrogen-based technologies is closely associated with the development of the fuel cell industry. The evolution of fuel cell electric vehicles and fuel cell-based stationary power generation products in the market are discussed. Furthermore the opportunities and threats associated with the market diffusion of these products certain policy implications and roadmaps of major economies associated with this hydrogen transition are discussed in this review.

In recent years sustainable development has become a challenge for many societies due to natural or other disruptive events which have disrupted economic environmental and energy infrastructure growth. Developing hydrogen energy infrastructure is crucial for sustainable development because of its numerous benefits over conventional energy sources. However the complexity of hydrogen energy infrastructure including production utilization and storage stages requires accounting for potential vulnerabilities. Therefore resilience needs to be considered along with sustainable development. This paper proposes a decision-making framework to evaluate the resilience of hydrogen energy infrastructure by integrating resilience indicators and sustainability contributing factors. A holistic taxonomy of resilience performance is first developed followed by a qualitative resilience assessment framework using a novel Intuitionistic fuzzy Weighted Influence Nonlinear Gauge System (IFWINGS). The results highlighted that Regulation and legislation Government preparation and Crisis response budget are the most critical resilience indicators in the understudy hydrogen energy infrastructure. A comparative case study demonstrates the practicality capability and effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results suggest that the proposed model can be used for resilience assessment in other areas.

Shifting from fossil fuels to clean alternative fuel options such as hydrogen is an essential step in decarbonising the road freight transport sector and facilitating an efficient transition towards zero-emissions goods distribution of the future. Designing an economically viable and competitive Hydrogen Supply Chain (HSC) to support and accelerate the widespread adoption of hydrogen powered Heavy Goods Vehicles (H2-HGVs) is however significantly hindered by the lack of the infrastructure required for producing storing transporting and distributing the required hydrogen. This paper focuses on a bespoke design of a hydrogen supply chain and distribution network for the long-haul road freight transportation in the UK and develops an improved end-to-end and spatially-explicit optimisation tool to perform scenario analysis and provide important first-hand managerial and policy making insights. The proposed methodology improves over existing grid-based methodologies by incorporating spatially-explicit locations of Hydrogen Refuelling Stations (HRSs) and allowing further flexibility and accuracy. Another distinctive feature of the method and the analyses carried out in the paper pertains to the inclusion of bulk geographically agnostic as well as geological underground hydrogen storage options and reporting on significant cost saving opportunities. Finally the curve for H2-HGVs penetration levels safety stock period decisions and the transport mode capacity against hydrogen levelized cost at pump have been generated as important policy making tools to provide decision support and insights into cost resilience and reliability of the HSC.

Low carbon hydrogen can be produced by a variety of processes that require substantial quantities of water. Several major hydrogen projects are proposed in Scotland; as an energy storage medium allowing new renewable power capacity to operate and as a direct alternative to displace natural gas as a primary fuel source. The additional water consumption associated with these hydrogen projects presents an infrastructure challenge.

The aims of the study are to evaluate the water requirements of new hydrogen production facilities and the associated implications for water infrastructure and to develop a strategic framework for assessing these aspects of hydrogen projects throughout the UK. The initial focus of the study is on Scotland; however the methodology developed in the project will be used throughout the UK

Benefits

Low carbon hydrogen can be produced by a variety of processes all of which require substantial quantities of water. Several major hydrogen projects are proposed in Scotland; both as an energy storage medium allowing new renewable power capacity (particularly wind) to operate and as a direct alternative to displace natural gas as a primary fuel source. The additional water consumption associated with these hydrogen projects presents an infrastructure challenge e.g. the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) recently highlighted Scotland’s vulnerability to dry weather and climate-induced changes in the availability and functioning of water resources.

The project in partnership with Ramboll will look to deliver a technical assessment and feasibility study into water requirements for hydrogen production in Scotland. The aims of the study are to evaluate the water requirements of new hydrogen production facilities and the associated implications for water infrastructure and to develop a strategic framework for assessing these aspects of hydrogen projects throughout the UK. The initial focus of the study is on Scotland; however the methodology developed in the project will be used throughout the UK.

The research paper can be found on their website.

The UK government’s plans to decarbonise residential heating will mean major changes to the energy system whatever the specific technology pathway chosen driving a range of impacts on users and suppliers. We use an energy system model (UK TIMES) to identify the potential energy system impacts of alternative pathways to low or zero carbon heating. We find that the speed of transitioning can affect the network investment requirements the overall energy use and emissions generated while the primary heating fuel shift will determine which sectors and networks require most investment. Crucially we identify that retail price differences between heating fuels in the UK particularly gas and electricity could erode or eliminate bill savings from switching to more efficient heating systems.