A high-level group of experts have called on the government to commit to a comprehensive roadmap for the hydrogen industry to help it scale up.
The group were convened by the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering to take part in a workshop exploring the enablers, barriers, dependencies and opportunities for growing the UK’s hydrogen sector. From this, they came up with a series of ideas for policymakers for how green hydrogen can fulfil a crucial role in a future low carbon energy system.
This is centered around the development of a comprehensive roadmap for green hydrogen which builds on the hydrogen production delivery roadmap, investor roadmap, transport and storage pathways, and national strategy, and sets out the necessary direction to achieve a successful hydrogen economy.
In particular, it needs to provide long-term confidence and assurance for major capital investment in infrastructure and manufacturing facilities. There could even be scope for refined industry specific roadmaps that can be used to influence fit-for-purpose funding allocations regionally and nationally.
Moving beyond this, coordinating and balancing hydrogen supply and demand across the country is crucial, making the design of a transport and storage system flexible enough to accommodate growth at regional and local levels necessary. This will call for collaboration between national and local government, coordinated by the National Energy System Operator, aligned with national hydrogen development goals and Local Area Energy Plans.
As well as key areas for action, the group identified challenges that need to be overcome, including the development and securing of key skills. This will call for long-term support and commitment for a portfolio of educational strategies. It also wants to see technical barriers addressed through continued R&D, with efficient improvements, material costs, availability and recycling needing to be targeted, alongside overall cost reductions.
Elsewhere, regulatory frameworks need to be developed, ensuring safety, minimising environmental impacts and building market confidence, with clear standards and protocols for hydrogen use and standardisation at an international level; coordination is key, with the development of the hydrogen economy needing to be introduced in harmony with other net zero changes; and steps need to be taken to improve public understanding of the safe use of hydrogen. This means being open and honest with the public when there are accidents as doing otherwise will jeopardise the creation of a hydrogen economy in the UK.
