With detail on how we will reach the targets in the government’s net zero strategy still lacking, Tom Mason looks at fuel cells and the green energy jigsaw.
The UK government’s net zero strategy, set out in 2021, has been – understandably – heavily criticised for its lack of detail on how exactly these targets might be reached. Even a high court ruling stated that the strategy lacked any explanation or quantification of how the government’s plans would achieve the emissions target. As such it had failed to meet its obligations under Climate Change Act (CCA) 2008.
Despite important reductions to carbon emissions through a range of projects and innovations in certain industries, the UK remains a long way off from where it needs to be. The Climate Change Committee warns that the UK is on track to cut just 40% of the emissions required to reach net zero. Hydrogen is tipped as a key player, described as a ‘vital super-fuel’ in the latest update to the UK Government Hydrogen Strategy in July.
Delivering a hydrogen economy
An important piece in the clean energy jigsaw, hydrogen is a versatile energy vector, and one with only a single by-product: water. From the production of green, home-grown hydrogen to the role of hydrogen fuel cells, the UK tech ecosystem already has plenty in place to support the delivery of a hydrogen economy for the future. But how?
Long described as a solution of the ‘future’, fuel cell technology has very much arrived. We are seeing significant investment and developments in the inherent technology performance, making hydrogen fuel cell technology a viable net zero solution. Traditional fuel cells have broadly fallen into two camps. The first are the original construction fuel cells, using graphite-based plates. The second are metal plate types – typically coated stainless steel. However, with the years of innovative development and technological advances in fuel cell technology, fuel cell products have evolved from traditional monolithic ‘off the shelf’ blocks. Today, a much broader range of fuel cells are available that can be more easily tailored according to application, opening up the market to this practical zero emission alternative.
Applications of fuel cells
The applications of fuel cells are vast and far reaching and have a fundamentally important role to play in the UK hitting net-zero targets. From materials handling to marine and aviation, fuel cells offer several benefits aside from zero emissions. They are a truly smart solution with quick refuelling which means no downtime or recharge, and can offer cost savings to users as servicing becomes minimal. There will be no one solution that can decarbonise across all sectors and fuel cells are a great option to complement other technologies for example they can work with batteries adding greater range and greater power-to-weight ratio for road transport. As our grid moves towards a 100% renewable electricity system, intermittency from renewable sources such as solar and wind will become more of a problem that needs solving. This is where the production of green hydrogen can help in the storing of electricity over time, and fuel cells can generate power on demand in any location, supporting the electrification of our energy system.
There are many great examples of hydrogen fuel cells being deployed and working with net zero policies in the most efficient way. Aberdeen and London are both home to hydrogen fuel cell bus fleets which have already covered thousands of miles. The Metropolitan Police has added 21 fuel cell vehicles to their operational fleet since 2017. Both Amazon and Asda are already using the technology for materials handling in their distribution centres, with their machinery able to run for 24 hours a day with no need for downtime in order to recharge. Microsoft has also been testing hydrogen fuel cells as a backup power source for their data centres, which allow them to keep functioning even when the grid is not.
Hurdles to fuel cell adoption
The main hurdles that now stand in the way of this technology reaching its full potential is a lack of investment in infrastructure, lack of education surrounding fuel cells, and the need for strong governmental policy to drive the scale that will be necessary to meet net zero.
Public and private investment has been unlocked for hydrogen and its associated technologies, but the level of funding so far has been centred around research, development and demonstrations. Driving higher investments and scaling at pace will mean hydrogen can compete with traditional electricity generation technologies to displace fossil fuels on a commercial basis and create a more stable and resilient energy market.
We must move from the demonstration phase – which has proved the value of hydrogen fuel cell technology to the net-zero crusade – to being fully operational by the end of this decade. There now needs to be a huge drive towards decarbonising hydrogen production and making it accessible as a clean energy solution across a wide range of sectors. But in order to make this happen, there has to be a greater understanding of how we can achieve this. It all comes down to the granular details, and a net zero strategy has to be thorough and clear. If a more explicit roadmap is set out by the government – and we invest more in infrastructure, its associated technologies, and continue research into improving efficiency – then the net zero goal may just be in reach.
