Currently, most hydrogen production is based on fossil fuels, and only 1% is being produced from renewable electricity or with carbon capture and storage (CCS). However, hydrogen demand is expected to increase at least 4 times by 2050.
That is why our recently released Hydrogen Guardrails report argues that sectors for which more effective decarbonization strategies exist should not be prioritized for hydrogen deployment – including the buildings sector.
The daily The Herald Scotland cited our report in an article covering the approval for a project that aims to have Scotland’s first homes heated by 100% hydrogen.
“It’s worth acknowledging that the UK, on our pathway to Net Zero, will need some hydrogen as part of the mix for industry and other sectors. The £22 billion that the UK government has confirmed for carbon capture and storage (CCUS) is for two clusters that feature hydrogen production facilities. Scotland even has a plan to be a hydrogen exporting powerhouse, sending the fuel, produced by electrolysis from renewables, to the rest of Europe via a subsea pipeline.”
“But that doesn’t mean hydrogen for heating – quite the reverse, it means keeping the hydrogen for other purposes. The German environmental think tank, Future Cleantech Architects, recently published a report that said that rather than heating or road transport, hydrogen should be prioritized for “sectors that are currently or will be dependent on it as a feedstock, such as refineries, chemicals, and steel.”
Read the complete article here.
The Guardrails Report provides policymakers with guidelines for the development and deployment of clean hydrogen to decarbonize industrial processes and heavy transport. It aims to encourage clean hydrogen use where it can achieve significant emissions reductions or serve as an essential industrial feedstock.
