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high hopes for hydrogen

Working towards net zero produced from waste sources. This is Getting hydrogen into homes
As Britain works towards becoming synthetic gas produced from breaking To bring cleaner hydrogen gas into
one of the world’s first net zero down plant feedstocks or waste. This our homes will take more than just
economies by 2050, it’s time for the gas does give off carbon, but this is potential though. Decarbonising
gas sector to demonstrate we have a offset by the carbon taken from the heat will mean major changes in the
viable pathway for decarbonisation. atmosphere by growing the plants home – such as hydrogen boilers, hobs
At National Grid, we’re testing ways that end up as the feedstock, or by and gas fires. Manufacturers have
to safely transport hydrogen around recovering energy from waste. already built 100 per cent hydrogen-
the transmission network as part of ready boilers, so the technology is
our Hydrogen National Transmission already there. Now it needs a joined-
System (HyNTS) programme. There are already cars that up approach to help phase in other
One HyNTS initiative is Project run on hydrogen fuel cells hydrogen-ready appliances.
Cavendish, which is exploring ways and, in Germany, there are 60 If you look back to the switch to
we could produce, store or import digital television between 2007 and
hydrogen at the Isle of Grain in Kent, hydrogen fuelling stations that 2012 – when the government prepared
to get hydrogen to the south of London. allow you to fill up just like you everyone to swap analogue sets for
The project was named after Henry would with petrol or diesel digital-ready ones – once the final
Cavendish, who discovered hydrogen in switchover arrived there was very little
his laboratory in South London in 1766. disruption. The same could happen for
Other projects are getting into the hydrogen. If the government were to
detail of how we might carry either The future of hydrogen mandate that hydrogen-ready boilers
hydrogen or a mix of hydrogen and Hydrogen has huge potential to must be fitted into existing and new
methane around the gas transmission decarbonise far more than the methane properties over a 10- to 15-year period,
network. Hydrogen deblending would we use to heat our homes or cook our by the time we switched to hydrogen it
allow us to start a staged approach food. There are already cars that run would be a smoother transition.
to future conversion. This works on hydrogen fuel cells and in Germany Over the last few decades we’ve seen
by feeding a mix of hydrogen and there are 60 hydrogen fuelling stations coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, withdraw
methane through the network, and then that allow you to fill up just like you from the energy mix. That’s great news,
deblending the hydrogen to supply would with petrol or diesel. Hydrogen but gas has taken up some of that load.
areas that are ready to switch with only could even be used to fuel road, air and If we truly want to reach a net zero,
hydrogen; while continuing to supply maritime freight transport– in some decarbonised future, we need to work
other areas with only methane or a countries there are already hydrogen together to replace methane with green
specific blend of the two gases. fuelled HGVs on the road and in Japan alternatives like hydrogen and biogases.
It’s too early to say whether we the first liquid hydrogen tanker is under
could convert everywhere to 100 per construction. Indeed, this summer’s To find out more about NGGT download
cent hydrogen, as there are other Tokyo Olympics plans to showcase how the NGGT Innovation Annual Summary
options such as green gas, or biogas, the country is developing hydrogen. from www.nationalgridgas.com

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