The National Grid have revealed a £10 million trial project to test hydrogen heating in UK homes. They are hoping the trial will be a success and enable them to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from industry.
They plan to build their test facility at Spadeadam in Cumbria, which will be ran by energy group DNV GL along with support from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) science division, Durham University and the University of Edinburgh. There will also be input from Northern Gas Networks (NGN) and Belgium's gas network operator Fluxys.
The project will use retired assets to make a network where hydrogen can be tested at transmission pressures so they can see how the equipment performs. The test facility will be kept controlled and separate from the national transmission system to ensure safety.
National Grid have submitted plans for the project to Ofgem and if approved aim to begin construction in 2021, with hopes to test the hydrogen heating one year later.
Projector Director for Hydrogen at National Grid, Antony Green, commented: ''If we truly want to reach a net zero decarbonised future, we need to replace methane with green alternatives like hydrogen. Sectors such as heat are difficult to decarbonise and the importance of the gas networks to the UK’s current energy supply means trial projects like this are crucial if we are to deliver low carbon energy, reliably and safely to all consumers.''
