Lord Callanan, a former Energy Minister, has called for hydrogen to be ruled out as a potential alternative for home heating.
Hydrogen combusts cleanly without any carbon emissions, so in theory it would allow zero-carbon heating. The reality is slightly more complex, however, because in nature, hydrogen is usually bonded with other elements, like water and fossil fuels. The UK’s existing gas network was also not designed to transport hydrogen.
Writing on the PoliticsHome website, Lord Callanan, said:
“In practice, that is not a serious or credible route for decarbonising the UK’s housing stock, let alone reducing energy bills. The first consideration is, where would such large amounts of hydrogen come from? The UK has very limited hydrogen-producing capacities currently: something that must be remedied at pace…”
He added that even if hydrogen production were to be scaled up hugely, there would be industrial sectors that would be more in need of it. This includes sectors where electrification is problematic, such as aviation and fertiliser and steel manufacturing. He further argues that hydrogen-based heating would cost homes much more compared to natural gas. Overall, he recommends finally dismissing hydrogen for heating once and for all and focussing on more proven technologies.
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