News

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) today released their Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC: http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/ The IPCC is the leading world body for assessing the science related to climate change, its impacts and potential future risks, and possible response options.

This report contains many important messages about the steps which need to be taken to avoid dangerous climate change, and also key references to the role of hydrogen in meeting global climate targets.

Innovate UK has awarded funding to develop the UK’s first hydrogen injection system for a hydrogen/diesel ferry. The consortium is led by Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited and includes the BIG HIT partners Orkney Islands Council and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC).

The HyDIME (Hydrogen Diesel Injection in a Marine Environment) project will design and integrate a hydrogen diesel dual fuel injection system on board a commercial ferry which will be deployed in the Orkney Islands.

The UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has just released its latest report on Scotland’s progress towards delivering climate targets, highlighting the importance of tackling low carbon heat and transport emissions. Overall, Scotland continues to outperform the rest of the UK in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.

The wider recognition of the role for hydrogen in decarbonising the UK energy system continues with the publication of a report by the Policy Exchange which identifies Scotland and North East England as being best placed for developing hydrogen in the near term.

Policy Exchange’s ‘Fuelling the Future’ report states that ‘Scotland and North East England offer the best opportunities for successful hydrogen production hubs, while investment in cost-effective hydrogen production technologies – such as electrolysis – would open up export opportunities and address both the Industrial and Clean Growth strategies’

The Hydrogen Initiative has been launched at the Linz high-level energy conference to support the deployment of sustainable hydrogen technology for the decarbonisation of multiple sectors, the energy system and for the long-term energy security of the EU. The hydrogen industry is technologically diverse and sustainable hydrogen can be produced through electrolysis and through reformation processes that combines carbon management and abatement solutions. Delivering on Europe’s formidable decarbonisation ambitions will require having both at our disposal.

Although the Hydrogen Initiative is non-binding, it has already been signed by 25 EU countries, and calls on governments to increase research efforts, particularly into very large scale storage of hydrogen to address seasonal energy demands for heat.

A new report ‘Hydrogen from renewable power: Technology outlook for the energy transition’ has been released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This report shows Hydrogen can help meet a range of energy needs that would be difficult to address through direct electrification, making hydrogen the missing link in the global transition to a low carbon energy system.

As the world strives to cut carbon emissions, electric power from renewables has emerged as a vital energy source. Yet transport and industry will still require combustible fuels for many purposes. Such needs could be met with hydrogen, which itself can be produced using renewable power.

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), based in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, has just been announced as one of the top 200 influencing world projects by the Institution of Civil Engineering. This recognises the pioneering and world-changing work that is taking place at their wave and tidal energy test sites in the Orkney Islands.

The EU Commission proposed their most ambitious Research and Innovation programme yet. For the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027, the Commission is proposing €100 billion for research and innovation. This new programme – called Horizon Europe – will build on the achievements and success of the previous Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

Action to mitigate climate change is a key component of the Scottish Government’s aim to create a growing, sustainable and inclusive economy. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 set world-leading greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, including a target to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050.

The Scottish Government now intends to introduce a new Climate Change Bill with even more ambitious targets. Proposals include setting targets based on actual emissions, and increasing the 2050 target to 90% emissions reduction.

The International Energy Agency has released an update on ‘Renewable Energy for Industry: Offshore Wind in Northern Europe’. This note expands on the findings of the recent IEA Insight Paper on renewable energy for industry, released in November 2017.

This update note by Cédric Philibert of the IEA Renewable Energy Division explores the potential for decarbonising the European industry by replacing fossil fuels with electricity from offshore wind in Northern Europe, either directly or via hydrogen production.

Recent economic modelling work carried out by the EPSRC funded H2FC SUPERGEN shows the economic gains which can be achieved through low carbon policies, and specifically developing supply chain activity to support refuelling of battery/hydrogen vehicles.

This paper sets out the opportunities for low emission vehicle refuelling supply chains potentially replicating the strength of domestic upstream linkages observed in the UK electricity and/or gas industries. They use input-output multiplier analysis to deconstruct and assess the structure of these supply chains relative to that of more import-intensive petrol and diesel supply.

A crucial multiplier result is that for every £1million of spending on electricity (or gas), 8 full-time equivalent jobs are supported throughout the UK. This compares to less than 3 in the case of petrol/diesel supply.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has released a report on the use of hydrogen in the gas grid to store excess electricity from renewables.

It recommends that the UK Government and industry should boost investment in technology to promote the use of hydrogen as a way of storing energy, which would make the UK energy system greener and more efficient, and support an expansion of renewable power in the UK.

The report calls for more support for power to gas technology, which is when excess electricity on the National Grid, from either high levels renewable generation or low demand, is used to create hydrogen through electrolysis. The technology would allow the gas grid to be used to store excess electricity, in the form of hydrogen.