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Energy

Approval granted for project to heat homes using green hydrogen

By Paul Ridden
December 02, 2020
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From the end of 2022, 300 homes in Scotland will use green hydrogen instead of natural gas for heating and cooking
Cebas1/Depositphotos
From the end of 2022, 300 homes in Scotland will use green hydrogen instead of natural gas for heating and cooking
Cebas1/Depositphotos
The first phase of the H100 Fife project will see 300 households using green hydrogen to heat their homes
SGN

UK gas distributor SGN has been given approval to supply hydrogen produced using renewables to around 300 Scottish homes. Participating households should be able to start heating their homes and cooking their meals with the gas from the end of 2022.

For the H100 Fife demonstration project at Levenmouth, Fife, hydrogen will be produced by an electrolysis plant, with a local offshore wind turbine providing the electricity needed to split the gas from water.

"When powered by renewable energy, the generation and burning of hydrogen produces no carbon, making it the most effective, scalable way of providing heating while fighting climate change," states the project page.
The production plant will include on-site storage facilities to make sure that there's no disruption in supply, even in adverse weather conditions.

The project is reported to be the first of its kind to produce the gas for domestic heating using a "clean power supply," and for Levenmouth residents who opt into the trial, the hydrogen will be fed into their homes through existing pipes and there will be no need to replace such things as radiators or plumbing.

The connection, replacement appliances (such as boilers and cookers) and system maintenance will be free for the duration of the trial, and SGN says that participants will pay the same for their hydrogen usage as they would for natural gas. The project is expected to be operational until March 2027.

As well as giving the H100 Fife project the green light, energy regular Ofgem will also award up to £18 million (about US$24 million) from its annual Network Innovation Competition to support the development, while the Scottish government has added another £6.9 million to the funding pot.

The demonstration project is being viewed as an important first step on the road to the UK government's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 – the Scottish government is aiming to get there by 2045. There is also talk of having the first "Hydrogen Town" up and running in the UK by 2030, and ramping up hydrogen production to 5 GW.

Construction of the production, storage and demonstration facilities are due to being by the end of this year. The video below provides an overview of the project.

Source: SGN

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EnergyHydrogenRenewable EnergyScotland
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Paul Ridden
While Paul is loath to reveal his age, he will admit to cutting his IT teeth on a TRS-80 (although he won't say which version). An obsessive fascination with computer technology blossomed from hobby into career before hopping over to France for 10 years, where he started work for New Atlas in 2009. Now back in his native Blighty, he serves as Managing Editor in Europe.
8 comments
piperTom
Sustainable? No, not even close. This small test can "work" only because of a huge subsidy; it will not scale.
Expanded Viewpoint
Good grief! Another boondoggle in the pursuit of "zero emissions" or some other such claptrap. Instead of piping dangerous Hydrogen into those homes, why not just send them the electricity from the wind turbines directly?? Yes, Hydrogen IS a dangerous gaseous element. It cannot be smelled, seen or tasted when it is present. It makes metals brittle over time, so be looking for cracking pipes. Hydrogen atoms are so tiny, they cannot be contained for very long. Almost everything is like a sponge to it.
Somebody is looking to make a handsome profit off of this scam.
Douglas Bennett Rogers
A big forgotten advantage is that you don't need a flue!
FB36
Think about how natural gas causes houses & even whole neighborhoods to blow-up sometimes!
& also consider leakage ability & explosive tendency of hydrogen gas is much more than natural gas!
It is extremely dangerous idea to use hydrogen gas for any homes/buildings or land/sea/air vehicles!
Eddy
When holding a match to the stove that doesn't take first time as often happens, the second attempt with the gas running should give a satisfying bang.
michael_dowling
H2 is the lightest element,and any leaks will not pool like propane or gasoline fumes. Having said that,the other commenters are correct in saying H2 is also hard to contain and causes metal embrittlement. If they plan to compress it for storage,that introduces an energy loss. But then,the source of the gas is offshore wind turbines,which cost nothing to run.
Brian M
Hydrogen does have a lot to offer - but some how this seems a little bit more risky than using in a vehicle etc. Someone is sure to try and fill a balloon with it, so I'm sure both kids and adults will have fun with it before blowing themselves up.

Guess this will end up being described as energy supplies new Big Bang theory
Hellem
An other "green technology" projet without numbers: kWh to H2 then H2 to calories.
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