Hydrogen heating ‘means fewer wind turbines’

Increasing the share of heating provided by hydrogen could enable the UK to build fewer windfarms, a director at SGN has predicted.

Gus McIntosh, director energy futures at the gas network, told the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy select committee today (9 February) that greater reliance on hydrogen could help to balance variations in demand and intermittent renewable power supplies.

He said: “When you start looking at the long-term future of the whole energy system, you need fewer turbines to be generating hydrogen than if you have an electrification scenario.”

Low carbon or green hydrogen can be produced via the electrolysis process, which its champions argue can use electricity generated on windy days that would otherwise be surplus to the grid’s requirements.

The costs of producing low carbon or green hydrogen will “definitely” reduce rapidly, mirroring those already seen for offshore wind, McIntosh said, adding that by the 2040s it will be as cheap to produce as carbon emitting “blue” hydrogen made from gas.

He also said barriers still exist to the rollout of hydrogen in the home, including the Gas Safety Management Regulations.

Changes to these regulations, which prevent hydrogen from being injected into the gas network, are currently being considered by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Currently hydrogen can only be injected into the network under an exemption from these regulations, which puts off investors, he said: “You don’t have multi millions or billions of investment based on exemptions from legislation: you need a piece of legislation that would facilitate that.”

McIntosh also rejected concerns that hydrogen is not sufficiently safe to be used for domestic heating, pointing out that it comprised around half of the “town gas” commonly used across the UK until 50 years ago.

Graham Halladay, operations director of Western Power Distribution, said 36 per cent of the network’s anticipated growth in demand during its upcoming 2022-28 price control period would meet the 150,000 heat pumps due to have been installed by then.

“The government is talking high level numbers: what we need now is the detail that gives certainty for consumers and industry,” he said.

Dr Richard Lowes, research fellow and lecturer at the University of Exeter, called for longer term funding for energy efficiency measures than the Green Homes Grant (GHG), which is due to expire in March 2022.

He said: “There needs to be long-term certainty for the market that the grant will exist for some time. Manufacturers of gas boilers are considering heat pump production lines in the UK but they won’t do that on the basis of one or two years of GHG policy. Having a clear procurement framework for the long term is most important.”