The future hydrogen economy

The Government has legally binding targets, under the Climate Change Act 2008, to reach ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It was one of the first major world economies to pass such a law.[1] The Government has defined net zero as balancing any emissions:

[…] by schemes to offset an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as planting trees or using technology like carbon capture and storage.[2]

To meet the Government’s net zero target, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC – who advise the Government on emissions targets and reducing greenhouse gas emissions) has advised that “energy will need to be supplied almost entirely carbon-free”.[3] Hydrogen has been identified as an alternative option to carbon-based fuels, especially in sectors that find it hard to decarbonise, such as heating, transport (including heavy goods, shipping, and aviation) and some industrial processes.[4]

In the CCC’s 2018 report on Hydrogen in a low-carbon economy, it found that hydrogen is a credible option to help decarbonise the UK energy system, alongside energy efficiency measures and electrification based on zero-carbon electricity.  It added that hydrogen is not a ‘silver bullet’ solution and that production of low-carbon hydrogen at scale will rely on deployment of carbon capture and storage. Hydrogen was viewed by the CCC as “best used selectively”, and particularly in those sectors where “the alternative is continuing to burn unabated fossil fuels or where there are limits to feasible electrification”.[5]

This pack contains information on the production, supply and use of hydrogen and government policy, as well as relevant Parliamentary material, news items and useful links. 

[1]      In June 2019,  the Government amended the Climate Change Act 2008 (through the Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019) to commit the UK to achieving net zero by 2050, compared to the previous target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050. UK becomes first major economy to pass net zero emissions law – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), 27 June 2019

[2]      UK becomes first major economy to pass net zero emissions law – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), 27 June 2019

[3]      Committee on Climate Change, Hydrogen in a low-carbon economy, November 2018, p6

[4]      Sectors can be harder to decarbonise for many reasons, but a key reason is that the energy these sectors use cannot easily be replaced with electricity (an energy source with many low carbon generation options such as a renewables).

[5]      Committee on Climate Change, Hydrogen in a low-carbon economy, November 2018, p7