Spotlight on the latest decarbonised gas innovations – Part 1 Hydrogen

1. Security – Incorporating hydrogen and biomethane will help to diversify the UK energy mix, making us less reliant upon imported fuels.
2. Decarbonisation – Alternative gases and carbon capture and storage innovations all help rapidly reduce UK carbon emissions. For example, an ongoing Keele University study estimates that blending hydrogen into the UK gas grid could reduce carbon emissions by 120 million tonnes by 2050.
3. Affordability – By producing more of our energy sources locally, the UK becomes less vulnerable to global price fluctuations caused by geopolitical change. Meanwhile, repurposing existing gas infrastructure for a low carbon future, will help to drive down the costs of decarbonisation.

To help keep you one step ahead of the conversation, Xoserve have prepared a summary of some of the most exciting low carbon gas innovations being pioneered today across these themes. In Part 1 we will be exploring those innovations specific to hydrogen.

Hydrogen production, utilisation and blending

While we await the delayed updated UK Hydrogen and Industrial Decarbonisation strategies, innovators are finding new ways to make, store and utilise hydrogen as a zero emission fuel. Several of these innovations have been sponsored by the Connected Places Catapult’s Hydrogen Innovation Initiative (HII).

These innovations have significant implications for the operation of the UK’s gas system. Blending hydrogen into the energy system will reshape the way the gas network is monitored and controlled, while substantially reducing emissions. Billing systems supported by Xoserve will need to be agile and flexible to manage the increased complexity of incorporating blended low carbon gases.

Hydrogen production

The Hydrogen Allocation Round is the UK Government’s primary funding mechanism for supporting low carbon hydrogen production, with the first round confirming funding for 11 projects across the UK in 2023. These include schemes such as Barrow Green Hydrogen in the North West which will produce approximately 3,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year, supplying local industrial users and helping to reduce reliance on natural gas at an established manufacturing site; Bradford Low Carbon Hydrogen in Yorkshire which will produce around 24.5MW of hydrogen capacity, focused on supplying vehicles via refueling stations and industry in the local area; Meanwhile Cromarty Hydrogen in Scotland looks to develop a green hydrogen production hub, which will produce 5,500kg of green hydrogen a day primarily delivered to local distilleries.

Alongside these funded projects, a range of innovative production technologies are also emerging, helping to expand the potential for hydrogen generation in different environments.

Latent Drives’ innovative SeaStack, for example, is the world’s first hydrogen electrolyser designed to operate in harsh offshore conditions, using a novel approach to mitigate corrosive chlorine salt build-up. Solving this problem will allow hydrogen production through electrolysis to be co-located with abundant offshore renewable generation, using excess renewable electricity in the summer months when there is less demand to produce hydrogen fuels.

With a target of constructing over 40 GW of offshore wind generation by 2030, the UK has a unique opportunity to deploy seawater electrolysis at scale, supporting decarbonisation of other industries and infrastructure, such as transport and logistics.

Innovative technologies – like SeaStack – have the potential to rapidly accelerate delivery of the UK Government’s 10GW hydrogen production target by 2030, particularly the 6GW of electrolytic production.

Hydrogen-ready energy system

Last October, National Gas completed the first successful UK hydrogen network blending trial, injecting 2% hydrogen into the gas grid fuelling electrical generation at Centrica’s Brigg Power Station. While National Gas had previously tested various hydrogen blends in controlled environments, this was the first time hydrogen was successfully blended into the National Transmission System.

The successful trial proves that hydrogen can be safely blended into the UK gas transportation network, with National Gas calling upon the delayed Hydrogen Strategy to endorse a minimum 5% hydrogen blend. However, blends above this percentage are expected to require greater retrofitting and adaption of the network, including:

1. Pipelines – While hydrogen has a minimal impact upon plastic pipes used by the UK’s gas distribution networks, it can weaken steel valves and pipes common across the high-pressure gas transmission system. To prepare for hydrogen transport, some of these sections will need to be replaced.
2. Injection – New hydrogen injection sites will need to be constructed, preferably collocated with production and storage sites, similar to National Gas and Centrica’s Brigg trial.
3. Compression –Hydrogen-ready gas compressors, such as those at the Felindre Compressor Station in North Wales, would need to be installed. Furthermore, innovations like CATAGEN Group’s liquid piston ClimaHtech Compressor are significantly reducing the costs of grid-level hydrogen compression.
4. Metering – Replacement or recalibration of existing gas meters and analysers to ensure accurate measurement of gas usage. This is particularly relevant to Xoserve’s role as the Central Data Service Provider (CDSP) for the UK gas industry. Xoserve’s Managing Different Gases research, published late last year, spotlighted that the lower calorific value of low carbon gases would require updated billing arrangements and additional charging zones to safeguard billing accuracy.

Reflecting these evolving requirements, National Gas’ Project Union is constructing a 1,500 mile 100% hydrogen national transportation network, including both purpose-built new pipelines and upgrades of existing infrastructure. The network will link hydrogen production, storage and industrial clusters across the UK.

Hydrogen utilisation

Meanwhile, a range of innovators are exploring new ways to utilise hydrogen gases to increase cost-efficiency and reduce emissions of other demand sectors.

One example is Durham University spinout H2CHP, which is designing a modular hydrogen-to-electricity generator. The device will be tested powering the CEME university campus at Rainham later this year.

The free-piston linear generator is much simpler mechanically than traditional internal combustion engines, allowing it to be more compact, lightweight, easier to maintain and able to use a wider range of low carbon fuels, including hydrogen.

Once tested powering a local microgrid, H2CHP is exploring a wider range of applications, including providing onsite low carbon and responsive generation for UK datacentres and digital infrastructure.

With single use drones taking an increasingly central role in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, demand for very low-cost alternatives to chemical batteries are gathering pace. In a recent interview, Andrei Biletsky, commander of Ukraine’s 3^rd Army Corps, highlighted the ambition for 30% of the country’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to be powered by green hydrogen by the end of 2026.

Development of dual-use hydrogen fuel cell technology is gathering pace, with Polish UAV company DL Drones & Engineering recognised as green technology award winners at the prestigious Kaohsiung International Invention & Design Expo (KIDE) in Taiwan.

DL Drones & Engineering has produced a groundbreaking lightweight proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) incorporating an innovative hydrogen recovery mechanism which drastically outperforms similar electrical or internal combustion engine systems.

The award highlights the growing potential of hydrogen fuel cell technology to provide lightweight, high-power engine alternatives for a range of applications across the UK low carbon economy.

Last but by no means least, the Severn Valley Heritage Railway in partnership with Vanguard Sustainable Transport, has launched the UK’s first commercially operated hydrogen-fuelled locomotive. The HydroShunter is a former diesel engine converted to be powered by hydrogen fuel cells, operating on 16 km of heritage railway in the West Midlands. Building upon the UK first hydrogen-fuelled passenger train HydroFLEX, it is hoped that HydroShunter will demonstrate how older engines and rollingstock can be easily and affordably retrofitted to eliminate unnecessary emissions from the UK rail network.

Each of these innovations demonstrates the growing utility and potential demand for hydrogen across the UK economy. The UK Government has the opportunity to further incentivise this demand growth through the upcoming Hydrogen and Industrial Decarbonisation strategies later this year.

While hydrogen continues to dominate headlines, it is only part of the story. As this piece has shown, innovations across hydrogen production, blending and utilisation are already beginning to reshape the UK gas system, with important implications for infrastructure, operations and billing. In Part 2, we shift focus to biomethane and beyond, spotlighting the latest innovations in biogas production, gas quality management and carbon capture that will be critical to building a flexible, resilient and fully decarbonised UK gas system.

Get in touch

Learn more about hydrogen and the role it can play in decarbonising the gas grid on our dedicated hydrogen pillar page.

If you have any feedback or questions on any of the above, please email us at decarbonisation@xoserve.com.

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