What impact can hydrogen and fuel cell technologies have in addressing the energy trilemma: energy security, energy cost, and CO2 emissions?
The H2FC SUPERGEN has commissioned four evidence based White Papers that will inform key stakeholders, especially policy makers, of the roles and potential benefits of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in addressing these issues.
White Papers for Download
1. The role of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in Providing Affordable, Secure Low-carbon Heat (2014)
- Hydrogen and fuel cells are part of the cost-optimal heating technology portfolio in long-term UK energy system scenarios.
- Fuel cell CHP is already being deployed commercially around the world.
- Hydrogen can be a zero-carbon alternative to natural gas. Most technologies that use natural gas can be adapted to use hydrogen and still provide the same level of service.
- Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies avoid some of the disadvantages of other low-carbon heating technologies.
“Most heating technologies that use natural gas can be adapted to use hydrogen and will provide an identical or similar service, in contrast to other current low-carbon heating technologies such as heat pumps that are characterised by high capital costs, sensitivity to operating conditions and high space requirements for an average home. In the short term, injecting small amounts of hydrogen into the gas networks, or injecting synthetic natural gas produced from hydrogen and waste CO2 effluent, could reduce the emissions intensity of the delivered gas.”
2. The role of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in delivering Energy Security for the UKÂ (2017)
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Fuel cells can contribute to UK energy system security, both now and in the future.
- Hydrogen can be produced using a broad range of feedstocks and production processes, including renewable electricity.
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Adopting hydrogen as an end-use fuel in the long term increases UK energy diversity.
3. The role of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in Future Energy Systems (2017)
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Hydrogen and fuel cells are now being deployed commercially for mainstream applications.
- Hydrogen can play a major role alongside electricity in the low-carbon economy.
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Hydrogen technologies can support low-carbon electricity systems dominated by intermittent renewables and/or electric heating demand.
- The ‘hydrogen economy’ is not necessary for hydrogen and fuel cells to flourish.
4. The Economic Impact of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the UK (2017)
This white paper makes an assessment and limited early macro-economic analysis of the likely impact of an emergent hydrogen and fuel cell sector to support particularly private transport on the UK economy.
The paper’s headline finding from modelling in respect of the private transport sector is that a significant move away from current UK use of refined fuels towards hydrogen can be expected to yield a valuable increase in GDP and employment. The likely gains will come not only from the production and distribution of hydrogen in the UK but also from the range of service sector activities, including finance, involved in a potentially strong domestic supply chain.
Watch Videos from the White Paper Launch Event
5. Opportunities for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to contribute to clean growth in the UK (2020)
Hydrogen is expected to have an important role in decarbonising several parts of the UK energy system. This white paper examines the opportunities for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies (H2FC) to contribute to clean growth in the UK.
Watch Video: Report Launch: Opportunities for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to contribute to clean growth
6. Delivering Negative Emissions From Biomass Derived Hydrogen (2020)
This white paper evaluates whether biomass-derived hydrogen with carbon capture and storage (BHCCS) could possibly deliver net negative CO2 emissions, making comparisons against the other bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) technologies that generate electricity and heat.