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harmful carbon emissions. As such, it
represents an alternative to burning
fossil fuels, provided the hydrogen is
produced using low carbon methods, or
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where the carbon is captured .
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS
OF HYDROGEN GAS?
The energy, engineering and academic
communities are continually
developing their understanding of
how hydrogen behaves under different
conditions and how it interacts with its
environment. Hydrogen as a fuel has
different properties and combustion
characteristics compared to hydrocarbon
fuels such as natural gas, which is
comprised mainly of methane. As
such, the safety and technical risks and
implications must be fully understood
before hydrogen fuel switching or
blending can take place. As hydrogen is
emerging as a viable alternative to natural
gas, careful analysis has been conducted
to understand the specific differences
between hydrogen and methane.

Hydrogen is a chemical element,
discovered in 1766 by the English
scientist Henry Cavendish. It
is the lightest, smallest and
most abundant element in the
universe and can be found in
water and the molecules of
nearly all living things

STORABILITY
Much like natural gas, hydrogen as
an energy carrier has the capability
far lesser extent, hydrogen is used as a to support decarbonisation across the to store large quantities of energy
fuel for some transport including buses, wider economy is evident. over long periods of time. This is
trucks, cars and marine vessels. possible through a range of storage
The UK government has recognised the WHAT IS HYDROGEN? technologies including physical storage,
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much wider contribution that hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element, adsorption and chemical storage .
can make to our net zero targets, discovered in 1766 by the English These technologies not only allow for
committing to a target of 5GW of low scientist Henry Cavendish. It is the the storage of hydrogen but also for the
carbon hydrogen production capacity lightest, smallest and most abundant transportation of hydrogen to where it
by 2030, equivalent to the amount of element in the universe and can be is needed. Liquid or gaseous forms of
gas currently consumed by more than found in water and the molecules hydrogen or hydrogen carriers can be
three million households in the UK of nearly all living things. Despite transported by ship, truck or rail, or by
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each year. Potential future applications hydrogen’s abundance at a molecular using gas pipelines .
for hydrogen include the blending and level, on Earth its natural form is Given the variability of wind and
eventual replacement of natural gas in the nearly always found as part of another solar generated electricity, hydrogen’s
existing gas network, supporting power compound due to its reactive nature, qualities have significant implications
generation and using hydrogen as a fuel bonded to other elements such as for supporting inter-seasonal storage
to power other heavy transport in rail and oxygen to form water (H₂O) or methane for periods of peak energy demand; for
aviation. Government analysis estimates (CH₄). To isolate its gas form, it must be example, in heating homes over the
that by 2050, 250-460TWh of hydrogen extracted from these compounds . winter months. The scale and duration
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could be needed, making up 20-35 per Hydrogen is not an energy source of energy storage that hydrogen
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cent of UK final energy consumption . itself, but an energy vector, which provides can contribute to a more
The exact balance of future means it can effectively carry or store resilient and efficient future energy
hydrogen demand and uses is yet to energy. When hydrogen is combusted, system, particularly one reliant on wind
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be determined. However, its potential it produces only water vapour and no and solar for power generation .

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