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Why Hydrogen Boilers will be the next big thing for eco-friendly industry

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We’re living through a pandemic and are about to exit the EU – pretty dramatic – but there is still that pesky ‘world dying because of climate change’ thing looming in the periphery.

This month (thank goodness!) the Government announced a Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution (and the associated creation of 250,000 jobs). It’s an ambitious plan (that can be viewed on Gov.uk) but what will be of certain interest to business owners is what looks to be a massive investment in hydrogen as an alternative to gas.

Working with industry, the Government aims to generate 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030 for industry, transport, power and homes, as well as the first town heated entirely by hydrogen by the end of the decade. Hydrogen is kinder to the environment, which is why the Government is trialling it as a heating fuel, and if all goes according to plan, it is very likely that your business will be asked (or required) to ‘go hydrogen’ in the not too distant future.

When our boilers burn fossil fuels carbon is released into the atmosphere which is damaging to the planet. When hydrogen is burned, it produces only water and heat with no carbon. Even if one was to use a combination of natural gas and hydrogen, carbon emissions would be significantly reduced. Not only that: hydrogen could be delivered to properties through the existing gas network, and hydrogen boilers would be installed in the same way as a gas boiler and look very similar too. They would be connected to the gas network, with fuel being delivered to the unit as and when heating and hot water is needed.

There are, however, some challenges to hydrogen as a solution to carbon emission – it is expensive to produce in large quantities and the production of hydrogen can produce carbon if not captured. Which is why, in the UK, we’re still in the testing phase. It is not yet possible to buy or install a hydrogen-ready boiler. However, manufacturers such as Baxi and Worcester Bosch have developed working prototypes – and if you’re interested, you can read more about the H21 Project (that is currently demonstrating how existing natural gas networks can be repurposed to safely carry 100% hydrogen) HERE.

In the meantime, if you need to replace your boiler, a modern condensing gas boiler will be able to be powered with the proposed 20% hydrogen supply and as and when a 100% hydrogen supply is ready in the future your boiler will be able to be modified.

If you’d like to know more about how hydrogen boilers work, check out Boilerguide.co.uk or feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302
8149 or info@chsystems.cc for all your energy related questions.

Worcester Bosch suggest new ‘Hydrogen-ready’ boiler zero emissions solution

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The UK has recently agreed to a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – a massive challenge as it will mean big changes including the end of petrol and diesel cars and gas boilers. Already Worcester Bosch has met with MPs to present their first hydrogen-ready boiler as part of the zero carbon solution.

The boiler manufacturer claims that the hydrogen boiler offers a cleaner future for UK heating. The boiler can run on natural gas until the current gas grid can be converted to hydrogen, which will minimise the amount of expense and disruption involved in replacing the system. Thirty years sounds like a long time but to change there’s a lot to do.

The majority of homes in the UK are heated by combination gas boilers which will need to be phased out and replaced with renewable heating alternatives (such as heat pumps, biomass boilers or solar thermal panels, or through electrification of the network using electricity generated through renewable technology such as solar PV and wind farms) if the UK is to achieve its new zero emissions target.

After a thorough investigation and assessment, Worcester Bosch believes that gradually decarbonising the supply running through the mains gas network by adding hydrogen would not only cost three times less than the government’s current aim of electrification, but would also allow the UK’s heating infrastructure to remain.

Martyn Bridges, Director of Technical Communication and Product Management at Worcester Bosch said, “The development of hydrogen-fired boilers will mean millions of existing heating systems in our homes can be saved, rather than the entire system needing to be replaced if alternative technologies such as heat pumps were installed.”

For all your energy related questions, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.

Sources: Theguardian.com and Boilerguide.co.uk