Hydrogen to help decarbonise UK power sector in back-up role

• 6 years ago (2018-11-23)
• David Flin

Europe 1089 Gas 393

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The UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said that hydrogen could cost-effectively replace natural gas for power generation, reducing emissions, but warned that it was best used selectively. The CCC said that by 2030, the UK is likely to have a very low-carbon electricity system fuelled by renewables and nuclear, and backed up by flexible thermal capacity, mainly natural gas plants. This gives an opportunity for hydrogen to replace natural gas “cost-effectively in this back-up role.”

The CCC called for new gas plants to be made “hydrogen ready”, including being well-sited with respect to potential hydrogen supplies to spur the process. It said: “Burning hydrogen instead of natural gas can reduce emissions by 60-85 per cent when including lifecycle emissions.” However, it added that hydrogen is best used selectively where it adds most value alongside widespread electrification, improvements to energy and resource efficiency, and the use of carbon capture storage (CCS) in industry and on bioenergy. “This means using hydrogen where the alternative is continuing to burn unabated fossil fuels or where there are limits to feasible electrification.” The report said that this was because hydrogen from fossil fuels with CCS is low carbon but not zero carbon, while its uptake in the power sector may be constrained by the availability of the fuel.