National Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios (FES), published on July 27, showed hydrogen – for heating, transport and clean dispatchable thermal energy – playing a pivotal role in three* out of the four of its net zero scenarios: Steady progression (SP), Consumer Transformation (CT), System Transformation (ST) and Leading the Way (LW).
The total energy input needed for hydrogen production ranges from 190TWh in Consumer Transformation to 736TWh in System Transformation. The difference represents the potential scale of hydrogen use for heating and heavy-duty transport.
There are several ways in which hydrogen can be produced, such as steam methane reforming, biomass gasification and electrolysis using renewable electricity. However, using methane or biomass to produce hydrogen also requires carbon capture use and storage (CCUS) to meet net zero targets, while electrolysis using renewable generation can produce hydrogen with no carbon emissions.
Lee Drummee, Analyst
