Policy & Socio-Economics

On 26 June the World Energy Council held a webinar presenting the results of its latest Innovation Insights Brief on hydrogen engaging three key experts on the topic:Nigel Brandon Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Imperial College LondonCraig Knight Director of Industrial Solutions Horizon Fuel Cell TechnologyDan Sadler H21 Project Manager for EquinorDuring the webinar the experts answered a series of policy technical and safety questions Read More

The results of a techno-economic model of distributed wind-hydrogen systems (WHS) located at each existing wind farm on the island of Ireland are presented in this paper. Hydrogen is produced by water electrolysis from wind energy and backed up by grid electricity compressed before temporarily stored then transported to the nearest injection location on the natural gas network. The model employs a novel correlation-based approach to se Read More

Policy led decisions aiming at decarbonizing the economy may well exacerbate existing regional economic imbalances. These effects are seldomly recognised in spatially aggregated top-down and techno-economic decarbonization strategies. Here we present a spatial economic framework that quantifies the gross value added associated with low carbon hydrogen investments while accounting for region-specific factors such as the industrial specialization of r Read More

Power to hydrogen (P2H) provides a promising solution to the geographic mismatch between sources of renewable energy and the market due to its technological maturity flexibility and the availability of technical and economic data from a range of active demonstration projects. In this review we aim to provide an overview of the status of P2H analyze its technical barriers and solutions and propose potential opportunities for future research and in Read More

Low-carbon hydrogen has the potential to play a significant role in tackling climate change and poor air quality. This policy briefing considers how hydrogen could be produced at a useful scale to power vehicles heat homes and supply industrial processes.Four groups of hydrogen production technologies are examined:Thermochemical Routes to HydrogenThese methods typically use heat and fossil fuels. Steam methane reforming is the dominant com Read More

There is a growing conversation around the role that hydrogen can play in the future of the UK and how to best harness its potential to secure jobs show climate leadership promote industrial competitiveness and drive innovation. The Government’s ‘Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’ included hydrogen as one of its ten actions targeting 5GW of ‘low carbon’ hydrogen production by 2030. Britain is thus joining the EU US Japan Germany an Read More

Because of differences in irradiation levels it could be more efficient to produce solar electricity and hydrogen in North Africa and import these energy carriers to Europe rather than generating them at higher costs domestically in Europe. From a global climate change mitigation point of view exploiting such efficiencies can be profitable since they reduce overall renewable electricity capacity requirements. Yet the construction of this capacity in North A Read More

Detailed analysis of pathways to future sustainable energy systems is important in order to identify and overcome potential constraints and negative impacts and to increase the utility and speed of this transition. A key aspect of a shift to renewable energy technologies is their relatively higher metal intensities. In this study a bottom-up cost-minimizing energy model is used to calculate aggregate metal requirements in different energy technology including h Read More

Hydrogen is currently enjoying a renewed and widespread momentum in many national and international climate strategies. This review paper is focused on analysing the challenges and opportunities that are related to green and blue hydrogen which are at the basis of different perspectives of a potential hydrogen society. While many governments and private companies are putting significant resources on the development of hydrogen technologie Read More

Greenhouse gas emissions need to be drastically reduced to mitigate the environmental impacts caused by climate change and to lead to a transformation of the European energy system. A model landscape consisting of four final energy consumption sector models with high spatial (NUTS-3) and temporal (hourly) resolution and the multi-energy system model ISAaR is extended and applied to investigate the transformation pathway of the European energy s Read More

The building sector is one of the key energy consumers worldwide. Fuel cell micro-Cogeneration Heat and Power systems for residential and small commercial applications are proposed as one of the most promising innovations contributing to the transition towards a sustainable energy infrastructure. For the application and the diffusion of these systems in addition to their environmental performance it is necessary however to evaluate their eco Read More

Since Japan promulgated the world’s first national hydrogen strategy in 2017 28 national (or regional in the case of the EU) hydrogen strategies have been issued by major world economies. As carbon emissions vary with different types of hydrogen and only green hydrogen produced from renewable energy can be zero-emissions fuel this paper interrogates the commitment of the national hydrogen strategies to achieve decarbonization objectives focusing Read More

This discussion paper is for stakeholders who would like to shape the development of Victoria’s emerging green hydrogen sector identifying competitive advantages and priority focus areas for industry and the Victorian Government.The Victorian Government is using this paper to focus on the economic growth and sector development opportunities emerging for a Victorian hydrogen industry powered by renewable energy also known as ‘green’ hy Read More

Achieving climate-neutrality requires considerable investment in energy storage systems (ESS) to integrate variable renewable energy sources into the grid. However investments into ESS are often unprofitable in particular for grid-scale battery storage and green hydrogen technologies prompting many actors to call for policy intervention. This study investigates investor-specific risk-return preferences for ESS investment and derives policy recommendation Read More

Hydrogen is crucial to Europe’s transformation into a climate-neutral continent by mid-century. This study concludes that the European Union (EU) and UK could see a hydrogen demand of 2300 TWh (2150-2750 TWh) by 2050. This corresponds to 20-25% of EU and UK final energy consumption by 2050. Achieving this future role of hydrogen depends on many factors including market frameworks legislation technology readiness and consumer choi Read More

To address the climate emergency France is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. It plans to significantly increase the contribution of renewable energy in its energy mix. The share of renewable energy in its electricity production which amounts to 25.5% in 2020 should reach at least 40% in 2030. This growth poses several new challenges that require policy makers and regulators to act on the technological changes and expanding need for flexibi Read More

This report is part of DNV’s suite of Energy Transition Outlook publications for 2021. It focuses on how key energy transition technologies will develop compete and interact in the coming five years.Debate and uncertainty about the energy transition tend to focus on what technology can and can’t do. All too often such discussions involve wishful thinking advocacy of a favoured technology or reference to outdated information. Through this report we br Read More

The Hydrogen Strategy Group chaired by Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel has today released a briefing paper on the potential domestic and export opportunities of a hydrogen industry in Australia.Like natural gas hydrogen can be used to heat buildings and power vehicles. Unlike natural gas or petrol when hydrogen is burned there are no CO2 emissions. The only by-products are water vapour and heat.Hydrogen is the most abundant element i Read More

Gi Editor Sharon Baker-Hallam sits down with Chris Stark CEO of the Committee on Climate Change to talk about this year’s Sir Denis Rooke Memorial Lecture the economic opportunities to be found in going green and why 2020 is a critical year in the ongoing battle against rising global temperatures

With the move to a hydrogen-based primary steel production envisioned for the near future in Europe existing regional industrial clusters loose major assets. Such a restructuring of industries may result in a new geographical distribution of the steel industry and also to another quality of vertical integration at sites. Both implications could turn out as drivers or barriers to invest in new technologies and are thus important in respect to vertical integration of site Read More

In which way and in which sectors will renewable energy be integrated in the German Energy System by 2030 2040 and 2050? How can the resulting energy system be characterised following a −95% greenhouse gas emission reduction scenario? Which role will hydrogen play? To address these research questions techno-economic energy system modelling was performed. Evaluation of the resulting operation of energy technologies was carried out from a sy Read More

The unbridled use of fossil fuels is a serious problem that has become increasingly evident over the years. As such fuels contribute considerably to environmental pollution there is a need to find new sustainable sources of energy with low emissions of greenhouse gases. Climate change poses a substantial challenge for the scientific community. Thus the use of renewable energy through technologies that offer maximum efficiency with min Read More

Fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) have clear societal and environmental benefits and can help mitigate the issues of climate change urban air pollution and oil dependence. In order for FCVs to have the biggest impact on these issues they need to be employed in large numbers. First though they need to be adopted by consumers. Their acceptance depends on positive consumer attitudes towards the vehicles. Currently there is a limited understanding within th Read More

As the EU energy system transitions to low carbon the technology choices should consider a broader set of criteria. The use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) prevents burden shift across life cycle stages or impact categories while the use of Energy System Models (ESM) allows evaluating alternative policies capacity evolution and covering all the sectors. This study does an ex-post LCA analysis of results from JRC-EU-TIMES and estimates the environme Read More

A new report to the Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy from the Parliamentary Advisory Group on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) advises that that the UK  should kickstart CCS in order to save consumers billions a year from the cost of meeting climate change targets.

The Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers (IGEM) is the UK’s Professional Engineering Institution supporting individuals and businesses working in the global gas industry. IGEM was founded in 1863 with the purpose of advancing the science and relevant knowledge of gas engineering for the benefit of the public.As a not-for-profit independent organisation IGEM acts as a trusted source of technical information guidance and services for the gas sector. In today Read More

Polygeneration energy systems (PES) have the potential to provide a flexible high-efficiency and low-emissions alternative for power generation and chemical synthesis from fossil fuels. This study aims to assess the economic value of fossil-fuel PES which rely on hydrogen as an intermediate product. Our analysis focuses on a representative PES configuration that uses coal as the primary energy input and produces electricity and fertilizer as end-products. Read More

This research considers the potential role of hydrogen in meeting the UK’s carbon budgets. It was written by consultancy E4tech.The CCC develops scenarios for the UK’s future energy system to assess routes to decarbonisation and to advise UK Government on policy options. Uncertainty to 2050 is considerable and so different scenarios are needed to assess different trajectories targets and technology combinations. Some of these scenarios assess specifi Read More

Heating and hot water for UK buildings make up 40% of our energy consumption and 20% of our greenhouse gas emissions. It will be necessary to largely eliminate these emissions by around 2050 to meet the targets in the Climate Change Act and to maintain the UK contribution to international action under the Paris Agreement.Progress to date has stalled. The Government needs a credible new strategy and a much stronger policy framework for build Read More

Energy used for heat accounts (in terms of final consumption) for approximately 45% of our total energy needs and is critical for families to heat their homes on winter days. Decarbonising heat while still meeting peak winter heating demands is recognised as a big perhaps the biggest challenge for the industry. The way heat has been delivered in the UK has not fundamentally changed for decades and huge investments have been made in gas infrastructure a Read More

Gas Goes Green brings together the engineering expertise from the UK’s five gas network operators building on the foundations of our existing grid infrastructure innovation projects and the wider scientific community. This is a blueprint to meet the challenges and opportunities of climate change delivering net zero in the most cost effective and least disruptive way possible.Delivering our vision is not just an engineering challenge but will inv Read More

A core theme of the UK Government's new Industrial Strategy is exploiting opportunities for domestic supply chain development. This extends to a special ‘Automotive Sector Deal’ that focuses on the shift to low emissions vehicles (LEVs). Here attention is on electric vehicle and battery production and innovation. In this paper we argue that a more straightforward gain in terms of framing policy around potential economic benefits may be made t Read More

This report Accelerating innovation towards net zero commissioned by the Aldersgate Group and co-authored with Vivid Economics identifies out how the government can achieve a net zero target cost-effectively in a way that enables the UK to capture competitive advantages.The unique contribution of this report is to identify the lessons from successful and more rapid historical innovations and apply them to the challenge of meeting net zero emissio Read More

This session concerned the political economic and environmental impact on the hydrogen economy due to hydrogen embrittlement.This article is a transcription of the recorded discussion of ‘Political economic and environmental concerns’ at the Royal Society Scientific Discussion Meeting Challenges of Hydrogen and Metals 16–18 January 2017. The text is approved by the contributors. G.C.G.S. transcribed the session and F.F.D. assisted in the prep Read More

Power-to-Power is a process whereby the surplus of renewable power is stored as chemical energy in the form of hydrogen. Hydrogen can be used in situ or transported to the consumption node. When power is needed again hydrogen can be consumed for power generation. Each of these processes incurs energy losses leading to a certain round-trip efficiency (Energy Out/Energy In). Round-trip efficiency is calculated considering the following processes; wat Read More

As the UK’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases the supply of domestic industrial and commercial heat must be decarbonised if the UK is to meet its climate change targets.This report publishes the outcomes from Phase 1 of the Energy Technologies Institute’s Smart Systems and Heat programme highlighting that for the UK to transition to a low carbon heating system it must understand consumer needs and behaviours while connecting this with the develop Read More

Hydrogen energy is a clean zero-carbon long-term storage flexible and efficient secondary energy. Accelerating the development of the hydrogen energy industry is a strategic choice to cope with global climate change achieve the goal of carbon neutrality and realize high-quality economic and social development. This study aimed to analyze the economic impact of introducing valueadded services to the hydrogen energy market on hydrogen e Read More

Around 20% of the nation’s carbon emissions are generated by domestic heating. Analysis of the many ways the energy system might be adapted to meet carbon targets shows that the elimination of emissions from buildings is more cost effective than deeper cuts in other energy sectors such as transport. This effectively means that alternatives need to be found for domestic natural gas heating systems. Enhanced construction standards are ensuring tha Read More

The fourth Strategic Energy Plan adopted in April 2014 stated ""a road map toward realization of a “hydrogen society” will be formulated and a council which comprises representatives of industry academia and government and which is responsible for its implementation will steadily implement necessary measures while progress is checked". Then the Council for a Strategy for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells which was held in June in the same year as a conference o Read More

Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy sets a vision for a clean innovative safe and competitive hydrogen industry that benefits all Australians. It aims to position our industry as a major player by 2030.The strategy outlines an adaptive approach that equips Australia to scale up quickly as the hydrogen market grows. It includes a set of nationally coordinated actions involving governments industry and the community. Read More

New technological solutions are required to control the impact of the increasing presence of renewable energy sources connected to the electric grid that are characterized by unpredictable production (i.e. wind and solar energy). Energy storage is becoming essential to stabilize the grid when a mismatch between production and demand occurs. Among the available solutions Power to Hydrogen (P2H) is one of the most attractive options. However d Read More

Sustainable energy conversion requires zero emissions of greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants using primary energy sources that the earth naturally replenishes quickly like renewable resources. Solar and wind power conversion technologies have become cost effective recently but challenges remain to manage electrical grid dynamics and to meet end-use requirements for energy dense fuels and chemicals. Renewable hydrogen provides the best Read More

Global maritime transportation is responsible for around 3% of total anthropogenic green‐ house gas emissions and significant proportions of SOx NOx and PM emissions. Considering the predicted growth in shipping volumes to 2050 greenhouse gas emissions from ships must be cut by 75–85% per ton‐mile to meet Paris Agreement goals. This study reviews the potential of a range of alternative fuels for decarbonisation in maritime. A systematic literatur Read More

The CCUS Advisory Group (CAG) established in March 2019 is an industry-led group considering the critical challenges facing the development of CCUS market frameworks and providing insight into potential solutions. The CAG brings together experts from across the CCUS industry finance and legal sectors.The CAG has examined a range of business models focusing on industrial CCUS power production CO? transport and storage and hydroge Read More

Global climate change concerns have pushed international governmental actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by adopting cleaner technologies hoping to transition to a more sustainable society. The hydrogen economy is one potential long-term option for enabling deep decarbonization for the future energy landscape. Progress towards an operating hydrogen economy is discouragingly slow despite global efforts to accelerate it. There are majo Read More

Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. It promises more breakthroughs discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe's gl Read More

Power-to-gas is a promising option for storing interment renewables nuclear baseload power and distributed energy and it is a novel concept for the transition to increased renewable content of current fuels with an ultimate goal of transition to a sustainable low-carbon future energy system that interconnects power transportation sectors and thermal energy demand all together. The aim of this paper is to introduce different Power-to-gas “ Read More

Replacing natural gas with hydrogen in an everyday setting – piping hydrogen to homes and businesses through the existing gas network – is a new and untested proposition. At the same time piloting this proposition is an essential ingredient to a well-managed low carbon transition.The Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has commissioned CAG Consultants to undertake a literature review and conduct a set of four focus groups t Read More

It is time that hydrogen moves from an afterthought to a central pillar of the energy system and its key role in delivering climate neutrality means it merits a dedicated framework. It becomes paramount to allow hydrogen to express its full potential as the other leg of the energy mobility and industry transitions. The proposed “Hydrogen Act” is not a single piece of legislation it is intended to be a vision for an umbrella framework aimed at harmonising and i Read More

The following report is a research piece outlining the potential pathways for decarbonisation of Scottish Industries. Two main pathways are considered hydrogen and electrification with both resulting in similar costs and levels of carbon reduction.