The role of hydrogen in achieving Net Zero

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 4 Dec 2020 Closed: 14 Apr 2023 Parliament page
A key component of the Government's recently announced ‘ Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution ’ is 'Driving the Growth of Low Carbon Hydrogen'. The plan outlined a range of measures to support the development and adoption of hydrogen, including a £240 million 'Net Zero Hydrogen Fund'. Noting … Read more
16 Recommendations
11 Conclusions
1 Report
6 Oral sessions
2 Letters
6 Events
Activity timeline 10 events
30 Mar
2023
Report published
19 Dec
2022
Report published
17 Sep
2021
Correspondence
17 Sep
2021
Correspondence
21 Jul
2021
Oral evidence
7 Jul
2021
Oral evidence
12 May
2021
Oral evidence
14 Apr
2021
Oral evidence
24 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
3 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 6 sessions
21 Jul 2021
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Guy Newey · Energy Systems Catapult Mark Neller · Arup Professor Paul Monks · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng · Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser · UK Government
7 Jul 2021
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Dr Jane Dennett-Thorpe · Ofgem Dr Martin Hanton · TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory Eric Heymann · Deutsche Bank Research Franz Lehner · National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Professor Katsuhiko Hirose · HyWealth Co Professor Takeo Kikkawa · Graduate School of International Management, International University of Japan.
12 May 2021
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Angus McIntosh · SGN Antony Green · National Grid Carl Arntzen · Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd Dr Angela Needle · Cadent Dr Jonathan Radcliffe · University of Birmingham Julian Leslie · National Grid ESO Professor Clare Grey · University of Cambridge Professor Jianzhong Wu · Cardiff University Professor Jon Gluyas · Durham Energy Institute
14 Apr 2021
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Dave Rowlands · Wincanton Dr Brian Yutko · Boeing Dr Helen McAllister · Network Rail Glenn Llewellyn · Airbus Gloria Esposito · Zemo Partnership Mike Muldoon · Alstom Morten Bo Christiansen · Maersk Richard Clegg · Lloyds Register Foundation
24 Mar 2021
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Dr Martin Pei · SSAB Dr Richard Leese · Energy Intensive Users Group Paul Booth · Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership Professor Marcus Newborough · ITM Power Tim Dumenil · Pale Blue Dot
3 Mar 2021
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Dr Jenifer Baxter · Institution of Mechanical Engineers Michael Liebreich · Liebreich Associates Professor David Cebon · University of Cambridge Professor Nilay Shah · Imperial College London The Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fourth report - The role of hydrogen in achieving Net Zero HC 99 19 Dec 2022 27 Response document linked
Recommendations & Conclusions
27 results
1 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
To meet the 2050 Net Zero target, decisions need to be urgently taken by the...
To meet the 2050 Net Zero target, decisions need to be urgently taken by the Government, which will help define hydrogen’s place in the UK’s overall decarbonisation strategy. These decisions should be integrated across Government, in policy areas such as … Read more
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2 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Hydrogen has several distinctive features as a low-carbon gaseous fuel and could contribute to the...
Hydrogen has several distinctive features as a low-carbon gaseous fuel and could contribute to the UK’s energy system, including through improving resilience and energy security. Whilst in some applications hydrogen is less efficient compared to alternative low-carbon technologies, the wider … Read more
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3 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
The Government has chosen at this stage to support the development of both green and...
The Government has chosen at this stage to support the development of both green and blue hydrogen. We heard that the initial adoption of blue hydrogen will be cheaper than green hydrogen, and ready to use in certain niche industrial … Read more
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4 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
There is uncertainty about the extent to which blue hydrogen can play a role in...
There is uncertainty about the extent to which blue hydrogen can play a role in a Net Zero economy in the mid to long term, even if it may be cheaper and ready to deploy in certain industrial settings sooner … Read more
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5 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology should be an area of priority research interest...
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology should be an area of priority research interest for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and a strategic priority for UK Research and Innovation. (Paragraph 56) 72 The role of hydrogen … Read more
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6 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Several countries are prioritising green hydrogen in their hydrogen strategies, and it seems likely that...
Several countries are prioritising green hydrogen in their hydrogen strategies, and it seems likely that international interest in demonstrably low-carbon hydrogen, including green hydrogen, will continue to grow. This offers an opportunity for the UK to become a leader in … Read more
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7 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
The Government should set a 2030 target for green hydrogen production to ensure that full-scale...
The Government should set a 2030 target for green hydrogen production to ensure that full-scale development of green hydrogen is incentivised to take place in the short- term and to make it more likely that the UK develops a green … Read more
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8 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Energy storage for electricity generation is widely recognised as an important component of the Net...
Energy storage for electricity generation is widely recognised as an important component of the Net Zero economy, and there are several potential technologies available for energy storage. Hydrogen has unique features as a means of energy storage, since as a … Read more
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9 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Hydrogen can undoubtedly help key UK industrial sectors decarbonise.
Hydrogen can undoubtedly help key UK industrial sectors decarbonise. There is a widespread recognition of the importance of regulatory reform and an effective business model in incentivising a switch to low-carbon hydrogen use. We welcome the Government’s use of industrial … Read more
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10 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Passenger battery electric vehicles for road transport have established a seemingly unassailable lead over other...
Passenger battery electric vehicles for road transport have established a seemingly unassailable lead over other green alternatives, meaning that it looks likely that hydrogen will play in the near future, at most, a small part in decarbonising passenger cars. Read more
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11 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Whilst there is lower round-trip efficiency compared to electrification, hydrogen vehicles have the advantage of...
Whilst there is lower round-trip efficiency compared to electrification, hydrogen vehicles have the advantage of shorter refuelling times and longer ranges. This therefore makes hydrogen a potentially viable alternative to electrification for HGVs, but widespread adoption of hydrogen in HGVs … Read more
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12 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
We welcome the trials of hydrogen buses which are taking place in the UK.
We welcome the trials of hydrogen buses which are taking place in the UK. The Government should continue to support such trials and come to a rapid view of the contribution that hydrogen-fuelled buses can make. Trials should consider the … Read more
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13 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Hydrogen has a modest but potentially critical role to play in decarbonising the rail network,...
Hydrogen has a modest but potentially critical role to play in decarbonising the rail network, where electrification is not suitable or cannot be delivered in time to contribute towards meeting Net Zero. Whilst trials and demonstration projects are underway in … Read more
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14 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
The Government must identify, with industry, the train lines where it is unlikely that electrification...
The Government must identify, with industry, the train lines where it is unlikely that electrification will be viable before 2050 and start trials of hydrogen trains on these lines in the next five years.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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15 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Hydrogen has an important role to play in decarbonising shipping and aviation, but parts of...
Hydrogen has an important role to play in decarbonising shipping and aviation, but parts of the transport industry want more clarity from Government about the intended role of hydrogen since there are significant infrastructure requirements and substantial costs that need … Read more
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16 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
The Government should use its influence internationally, following its leadership of COP26 and involvement in...
The Government should use its influence internationally, following its leadership of COP26 and involvement in Mission Innovation, to set standards and timelines for decisions on the role of alternative fuels and hydrogen within aviation and shipping. In these areas the … Read more
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17 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Hydrogen could play a role in domestic heating, but the extent of its potential is...
Hydrogen could play a role in domestic heating, but the extent of its potential is still uncertain and looks likely to be limited rather than widespread. We are unconvinced its deployment will prove to be economically viable by the time … Read more
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18 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Overall, whilst there are a variety of possible applications of hydrogen technology across every sector...
Overall, whilst there are a variety of possible applications of hydrogen technology across every sector of the UK economy, we agree with the Government that on the basis of present knowledge and the technology available it seems that the role … Read more
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19 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Metering is an essential component of any use case for hydrogen in domestic settings.
Metering is an essential component of any use case for hydrogen in domestic settings. We have heard that the current generation of gas smart meters are designed to measure volume flows of natural gas which are much lower than hydrogen … Read more
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20 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
The energy regulator Ofgem has not worked on understanding hydrogen domestic metering and has not...
The energy regulator Ofgem has not worked on understanding hydrogen domestic metering and has not been able to say whether the current roll-out of smart meters will prove ineffective if hydrogen is used in domestic metering. Ofgem was also unable … Read more
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21 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
An urgent project on metering domestic hydrogen use needs to be undertaken.
An urgent project on metering domestic hydrogen use needs to be undertaken. This should include an assessment of: • whether and when the current generation of gas smart meters need to be (a) adapted, or (b) replaced; • what technology … Read more
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22 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Several countries including Germany, Japan and Singapore have well developed hydrogen strategies with significant public...
Several countries including Germany, Japan and Singapore have well developed hydrogen strategies with significant public funding to support the development of infrastructure, production and use of low-carbon hydrogen. Through public- private partnerships, Germany and Japan have structures intended to enable … Read more
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23 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
The Government’s hydrogen strategy and subsequent updates to the market provide a framework with an...
The Government’s hydrogen strategy and subsequent updates to the market provide a framework with an intention for further consultations rather than early or firm decisions. The Government’s understandable desire to keep its options open pending market and technological developments may … Read more
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24 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
There appear to be opportunities and advantages in the UK accelerating its decarbonisation of the...
There appear to be opportunities and advantages in the UK accelerating its decarbonisation of the economy by focusing on hydrogen and becoming a leader in low- carbon hydrogen production, distribution, and deployment for multiple purposes. But, as discussed in this … Read more
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25 Recommendation
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
The Government should identify its priorities for hydrogen in the economy and recognise the opportunity...
The Government should identify its priorities for hydrogen in the economy and recognise the opportunity of hydrogen development in delivering Net Zero and developing a resilient energy system. In its response to this Report, the Government should set out what … Read more
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26 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
Whilst much of the technology needed for hydrogen exists and can be scaled up with...
Whilst much of the technology needed for hydrogen exists and can be scaled up with sufficient policy incentives, innovation in low-carbon hydrogen technology remains important. This includes both the further development of techniques and technologies that are already proven, and … Read more
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27 Conclusion
Fourth report - The role of hydrog…
As with other low-carbon systems, there are costs associated with the development of infrastructure and...
As with other low-carbon systems, there are costs associated with the development of infrastructure and the uptake of hydrogen use within every use case. The relatively higher prospective cost of low-carbon hydrogen will increase overall costs of, for example, manufacturing, … Read more
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Correspondence 2 letters
17 Sep 2021 Correspondence from Professor Martin Cave, Chair, Ofgem, relating to smart meters and the role of hydrogen in achieving Net Zero
Parliament page
17 Sep 2021 Correspondence from the Chair to Professor Martin Cave, Chair, Ofgem, relating to smart meters and the role of hydrogen in achieving Net Zero
Parliament page