Smiths EP hp BSEE Jan22.qxp_Layout 1 8/12/21 16:26 Page 1
INDUSTRY COMMENT
Looking ahead at the future of hydrogen
Pete Mills, commercial technical operations manager at Bosch Commercial & Industrial, discusses changes in the industry and how we can slowly begin to prepare for them
T
he industry is currently experiencing change, which is probably the most significant seen since the conversion to natural gas back in the early 1970s. The Net Zero
goals driving this change mean our UK gas supply has to decarbonise if it is to have a long-term future with a transition to hydrogen. While there is little that will stop the cost of living rising, the current concerns around security of energy supplies and how we can limit the exposure to future prices rises has been highlighted by the recent British Energy Security Strategy. We have already seen a doubling of the commitments on hydrogen generation capacity from 5GW to 10GW by 2030.
A blended approach
Final decisions are still pending, but it is now very likely that the go ahead for blends up to 20% hydrogen into our existing natural gas network, will happen soon. This is based upon extensive trial work that has been carried out through HyDeploy, the second phase of which is currently taking place in Winlaton in the Northeast.
Everything is on track with this trial, so it looks like there are no real obstacles to going with a blended approach. The injection of hydrogen into the grid will be an important step for the gas network as it will start to demonstrate that the network can begin to decarbonise in the same way as the electricity grid. We think this step is an important one as it will start to open a large market for hydrogen, which requires significant investment into hydrogen production if there is going to be a significant switch from natural gas to hydrogen gas. We are hopeful that a large market will develop as a result.
A challenging time
Transitioning our homes and buildings to low carbon heating is a huge challenge. We have seen how difficult it has been for sales of heat pumps to get up to even quite meagre numbers and there are some real practical reasons behind this. With most boiler sales being distress purchases, a quick transition to a heat pump is hard to achieve. Heat pumps are a very good technology in the right environment, but they are less forgiving and need careful attention to get a good installation. For many older and hard to treat buildings, the practicalities get even more difficult and connection to district heating or transition of the grid to 100% hydrogen can often look like the only real options available.
Ready for hydrogen
The vast majority of our existing gas appliances should deal with up to 20% hydrogen blends without difficulty. This is good news and will mean high efficiency condensing boilers will continue to save even more CO2. Although, with this route, the boilers themselves will only go up to 20% hydrogen, the act of moving from older atmospheric cast iron type boilers to a modern condensing boiler is still a step in the right direction in terms of carbon savings. This will also improve the systems readiness to an eventual transition to a 100% hydrogen ready appliance. The Government has pledged to make a decision in 2026 as to whether the gas transition system will move to 100% hydrogen. With the moves at a European level to make all new boilers sold up to 1MW output of a condensing type, this will also ensure commercial applications follow a similar line. Bosch’s Condens 7000 WP, and others in the range, are certified to cope with blends of up to 20% hydrogen. That means homeowners and installers know for certain they can run on 20% hydrogen.
While the future of hydrogen is still under discussion, the concerns around security of energy supplies and the need to meet our Net Zero targets are meaning we need to make whatever savings we can now. Hydrogen blends look to be a quick win and it would be very surprising if it were not to go ahead. If you can’t make a transition right now to a full low carbon solution, then a more efficient condensing boiler that is ready for blended hydrogen is the next best thing.
Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
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BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JUNE 2022 9
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