The UK – and the world – faces a huge challenge in decarbonising by 2050. While most eyes are focused on cleaning up electricity generation, this is just the tip of the iceberg; the grid currently accounts for about 20% of world total energy use, with off-grid usage in the transport, heating and industry sectors accounting for the other 80% – the so-called deep decarbonisation challenge.
To meet this challenge, hydrogen has become more important in recent years as it will be crucial in reducing emissions from sectors such as steel and cement manufacture and other heavy industries. The UK has not lagged behind here; in 2020, the government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution outlined a strategy for the country to develop a low-carbon hydrogen sector.
However, if hydrogen is to truly deliver for the UK and worldwide, it needs to be produced at scale and it needs to be produced cost effectively. Therefore, the hydrogen economy’s greatest challenges are scaling up to meet global demand and doing so economically. One of the most significant factors for the economics will be the unit cost of energy used to create the gas, but the efficiency of the process used also has a role to play.
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