INDUSTRY COMMENT Looking ahead to a hydrogen future
Pete Mills, commercial technical operations manager at Bosch Commercial & Industrial, discusses what plans are in progress for hydrogen and what this will look like in the years to come
T
he terrible tragedy unfolding in Ukraine has bought into sharp focus the security of Europe’s energy supplies and in particular the use
of Russian gas to heat our buildings and power our industries. Fortunately, the UK only sources around 5% of its supply from Russia, but inevitably there will be pressure on gas prices from wherever it is sourced. Wholesale gas prices have rocketed, causing real concern for fuel poverty and industry viability.
How nice then it would be to be in a situation where much of our energy is produced locally and from low carbon sources. There is no doubt that across Europe many countries will be taking a hard look at alternatives, which for some unfortunately may mean a temporary move to more carbon intense fuels, with an extension to the use of coal. The use of hydrogen has a
growing momentum due to its flexibility of use and potential to produce significant quantities here in the UK. This is backed by the Committee on Climate Change who have set out the need for a hydrogen economy if we are to have any chance of meeting our future carbon budgets.
The planning stage
Since the Hydrogen Strategy document was published towards the end of 2021, work has been ongoing by Government to take the next steps to make the use of hydrogen for heat, a reality. There is much work to be done, but the encouraging thing is that manufacturers and industry are fully engaged, and investment is starting to take place. Our current focus has been the Call for Evidence consultation from BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) on hydrogen-ready industrial boilers. It has been very welcome to have such a focused consultation on a particular area and this reflects the potential carbon savings that can be made from industry. In 2019, industry accounted for 15% of the UK CO2 emissions, so it is well worth going after. Much of those emissions came from heat used for a variety of processes and other functions. The hydrogen strategy document sets out very clearly the role that Government sees for hydrogen within industry, setting targets for as much as 50 TWh of low carbon hydrogen to be used in industry by 2035. This is a huge ramp up from the position we are in today and sets a real challenge for the gas supply industry.
It is important now that if we are to be in a position to meet the targets, preparations must begin very soon. This is the focus of the consultation from BEIS looking at how boilers can be made ready for hydrogen fuel switching, “hydrogen-ready”, in order to maximise the benefit of investment in new boiler plant being made now.
Investing in our future
At Bosch, we have experienced the use of hydrogen within industry first-hand, having completed a number of 100% hydrogen firing projects around the globe. It is becoming a reality, although there is still much to do for the technology to become mainstream. A key area of focus right now is the route for certification and update of national standards to accommodate hydrogen. The UK has led in this area through institutions such as BSi and IGEM and it is important that we continue this progress. Future proofing through
hydrogen-ready industrial boilers means a small extra investment, but one that could save significant costs further down the line. Since large industrial boilers have a very long service life, in the order of 30 to 40 years, this extra investment makes good sense. Typically, this will involve a slightly larger boiler shell, usually 10% larger, to help ensure emissions are kept within targets. This together with an adaptation to the flue to allow flue gas recirculation technology ready for the fuel switch, is used to reduce NOx emissions to levels required under the Medium Combustion Plant Directive. A hydrogen ready burner may or may not be used at the outset, since this can always be upgraded at the point of fuel switching and does represent a significant uplift in cost. The decision would depend on the likely fuel switch date, since burners typically have a shorter service life than the boiler itself.
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Future proofing
through hydrogen- ready industrial boilers means a small extra investment, but one that could save significant costs further down the line. Since large industrial boilers have a very long service life, in the order of 30 to 40 years, this extra investment makes good sense.
Industry knows it has to decarbonise and the proposal to mandate hydrogen-readiness seems to have been generally welcomed. We must of course not ignore other possibilities such as electrification where it is an option and having flexibility to switch energy sources will become valuable. The current crisis has highlighted once again the need for secure energy supplies, and this must go hand in hand with our decarbonisation goals.
To complete the readiness, a
review of the gas supply system and ventilation requirements is prudent, particularly where these are being renewed or upgraded. Overall, these are all relatively straight forward actions, and most industries investing in plant that they intend to use for the next 30 years or so, are unlikely to resist this move.
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BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER APRIL 2022 7
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