Page 24 - Gi flipbook - November 2018

DEMONSTRATING

HYDROGEN FOR HEAT

By Heidi Genoni, ■ hydrogen gas as a replacement for significant levels of investment.
Hy4Heat Work methane The UK has one of the largest, most
Programme ■ electric heat pumps well-established gas networks
Manager at Arup HYDROGEN GAS AS A globally, which over the years has
been able to respond to spikes of
REPLACEMENT FOR METHANE demand across the day (with morning
ith over 35 per cent The key advantage of hydrogen over and evenings seeing heavier use), as
of the UK’s CO methane is that it does not release well as seasonal changes in demand
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emissions coming carbon dioxide during combustion, (with the colder months seeing much
from the unlike methane and all hydrocarbons. higher volumes consumed).
W combustion of BEIS has commissioned a new
natural gas (methane), the programme looking at hydrogen for THE HY4HEAT TEAM
government is looking to solve the heat, Hy4Heat, to investigate the BEIS has appointed Arup as the
carbon footprint problem this causes. technical and safety case of converting programme manager for the delivery
The majority of these CO emissions the UK’s gas network to run on of Hy4Heat. As part of this, the Arup+
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are from heating people’s homes and hydrogen, rather than natural gas. team formed includes technical
cooking. In fact, the gas network last The Hy4Heat programme focuses specialists Kiwa Gastec, Progressive
year supplied more than two-thirds of purely downstream of the gas meter. Energy and other experts. We are
domestic energy, so finding a low A separate, Ofgem-funded responsible for defining and managing
carbon alternative to methane is a key programme looking at the possibility the delivery of a number of work
challenge for the government. of re-purposing the gas network packages, which require the input of
The Department for Business, upstream of the gas meter has one or more contractors who will be
Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) awarded the gas distribution network appointed by BEIS.
has a number of programmes running operators (GDNs) £10 million to We believe that the success of the
which are focused on exploring ways research the technical and safety programme will be reliant on the
this might be achieved. challenges of using hydrogen in the collaboration and positive input of the
As outlined in the Clean Growth gas distribution system. industry. As such, a Hy4Heat
Strategy, published at the end of 2017, stakeholder advisory board has been
there are a range of low carbon A FLEXIBLE, RELIABLE established with representatives from
heating technologies with potential to GAS NETWORK across the industry, and a co-
support heat decarbonisation but, at It seemed that, up until a few years ago, ordination group has also been set up
present, it is not clear which will work the only pathway being considered with representatives from GDNs to
best at scale. seriously to decarbonise heat was via ensure we are aligned to other work
BEIS is working with industry and electrification and, in some high- being carried out in this area.
others to build an understanding of density areas, heat networks. Much of our activity in the early stages
the different approaches and to However, as with decarbonising the of the programme has been to explain
prepare for decisions in the first half gas grid, both of these options what is involved and to encourage
of the next decade about the long- present significant technical and companies to consider bidding for the
term future of heat. economic challenges when scaled to a contracts in the various work packages.
At the same time, BEIS is national level, with the requirement to Several stakeholder engagement events
stimulating developments in a range invest heavily in new assets. have been held across the year to ensure
of technologies which could form part The gas network during times of the industry is familiar with the
of the solution to decarbonise heat. peak demand transmits over at least programme. We’ve been encouraged
These include: three to four times as much energy as by the number of people that have
■ energy efficiency and storage the electricity network. attended so far and hope that interest
solutions Replicating this level of flexibility, and engagement will continue to grow.
■ carbon capture and use reliability and capacity with another
■ new nuclear technology form of energy would require HY4HEAT WORK PACKAGES
The focus of this £25 million
innovation programme is to overcome
The key advantage of hydrogen over two of the biggest challenges with
methane is that it does not release hydrogen; the safety issues associated
with using hydrogen in buildings, and
carbon dioxide during combustion, the need to modify and develop new
unlike methane and all hydrocarbons appliances to burn hydrogen rather
than methane. Hydrogen has very

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