Hundreds of homes in Scotland will soon become the first in the world to use 100 percent green hydrogen to meet their heating and cooking needs as part of a new trial that could help accelerate the UK’s transition towards renewables.
300 homes in Fife are to be fitted with free boilers, heaters and cooking appliances. The trial has the backing of the energy regulator, Ofgem, which has awarded £18m to SGN to develop the pioneering project. The grant is part of a funding competition which supports innovation to help prepare Britain’s energy grids for a low-carbon future. The Scottish government will support the project with a grant of £6.9m.
The effort is the largest attempt so far to test whether carbon-free hydrogen, made using renewable energy and water, can help the UK meet its carbon goals. The first homes are expected to be connected to clean hydrogen in 2022, and up to 1,000 properties could eventually become part of the project if the first phase of the trial is successful.
What makes green hydrogen a favorable renewable candidate to shift Britain’s energy grids to a low-carbon future is that it can be used in the same ways as fossil fuel gas, but without leaving any carbon emissions behind.
“If we truly want to reach a net-zero decarbonized future, we need to replace methane with green alternatives like hydrogen,” said Antony Green, the head of National Grid’s hydrogen project. “Sectors such as heat are difficult to decarbonize, and the importance of the gas networks to the UK’s current energy supply means projects like this are crucial if we are to deliver low carbon energy, reliably and safely to all consumers.”
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