In the pipeline19 Mar 2018 20:55
Extracts, courtesy of Registered Gas Engineer Feb 2018 article.
Next steps for the Gas Grid....says the UK would need to more than double the total amount of electricity it generates now, and invest significant sums into reinforcing the grid and increasing the storage available to cope with the extra load.
In contrast, the existing gas grid can already meet such big swings in demand, particularly during the winter, when on predominately methane: a potent greenhouse gas that releases carbon when burned. Low- carbon gas alternatives could cut emissions from heat and extend the life of the UK�s existing 280,000km gas grid - all while letting consumers keep their familiar gas appliances.
H is for heat.
Is it time to move away from methane altogether? The 2016 Leeds City Gate H21 Study makes the case for switching the entire gas grid from natural gas to 100% hydrogen, which it claims would reduce greenhouse emissions by around three- quarters.
Hydrogen emits only water and heat when combusted, but it�s production in bulk through steam methane reformation is carbon intensive and relies on CCS in order for the fuel to be classed as low carbon.
One advantage of hydrogen heating is that appliances would broadly resemble the boilers, hobs, ovens and fires that everyone knows. They would be more recognisable to consumers than other low- carbon technologies such as heat pumps, which have faced barriers to their uptake because of consumer unfamiliarity and their high cost and space requirements.
And because hydrogen does not give off carbon monoxide(CO), it would eliminate the risk to the public of CO poisoning from gas appliances.
The ongoing Iron Mains Replacement Program is already changing all metal gas pipework within 30m of a property for polyethylene ones. Due to be completed in 2032, this would make 90% of the gas distribution network suitable for transporting hydrogen.
Hydrogen production, storage and CCS infrastructure would still need to be built, and hydrogen-specific appliances developed before hydrogen power could take off at a national level. But work appears to have begun, with major gas appliance manufactures confirming that they are developing hydrogen demonstration models.
A more and immediate and less disruptive option may be to inject hydrogen into the gas grid in concentrations of up to 20% by volume (6% in energy), blending it with other gases such as natural gas or biogas. HSE research indicates that a hydrogen/natural gas blend could be injected into the grid and tolerated by most natural gas appliances.
There is only a small window of opportunity in which to test the potential of hydrogen. It�s role in the UK�s future energy mix will need to decided in the next parliament (between 2022 and 2027), as the conversion would need to begin in the 2020�s if it�s to be completed by 2050. With that in mind, both industry and the government are eagerly awaiting the results of the first f
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