Hydrogen is “not a panacea” for cutting carbon emissions and plans to require all new boilers to be hydrogen-ready in four years time are unrealistic, warned MPs on the Science and Technology Committee last week.
The UK MEPs argued that the challenge involved in producing the energy source at scale meant its role was likely to be limited in the UK’s future energy system.
In its latest report, the committee highlighted “conflicting views” on the role the energy source could play in domestic heating, compared to electric heat pumps.
The Committee found that it is unlikely that the fuel will be practical or economical for mass use in the short and medium term for heating homes or fuelling passenger cars. This is due to the cost, technological and infrastructure challenges, and the “unassailable” market lead held by alternatives.
For example, the transition to electric vehicles is well underway, with November representing the biggest month for battery electric vehicle sales with 29,372 new registrants. To support this, charging infrastructure is being installed up and down the country, with 36,752 operational across the UK already.
The Government is targeting 10GW of hydrogen generation by the end of the decade as part of its energy security strategy to reach net zero and reduce its reliance on overseas suppliers.
This includes hydrogen produced from low carbon gas (blue) and from splitting water with renewable electricity (green).
A further concern is that hydrogen is still overwhelmingly produced through fossil-fuel-intensive processes. Currently, carbon capture and storage (CCS) has not been deployed at the large scale required to make a material contribution to emissions reduction, largely ruling out blue hydrogen in the short term.
