The government has revealed its intention to start a ‘hydrogen revolution’ in the UK, with the aim of replacing fossil fuels in sectors such as transport and heavy industry.
The broad “Hydrogen Strategy” results from the Prime Minister’s commitment to a green industrial revolution, under which new sales of gasoline and diesel cars will be banned from 2030.
By then, the government estimates a hydrogen economy could be worth £ 900million and supporting 9,000 jobs, up to as much as £ 13 billion and 100,000 jobs by 2050 – the target date for the country to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
Today’s announcement includes a consultation on a £ 240million Net Zero Hydrogen fund to support the commercial deployment of hydrogen production plants in the UK, as well as funding of £ 105million. pounds previously earmarked for testing low-carbon fuels and energy efficiency solutions, as well as a subsidy for alternatives to red diesel.
In addition, a public consultation has been launched on how best to close the current cost gap between fossil fuels and hydrogen.
The government estimates that hydrogen could provide 5 GW of energy capacity by 2030 and, replacing natural gas, it could power three million homes, businesses, heavy industry and parts of the transportation sector.
The analysis suggests that between 20% and 35% of the UK’s energy use by 2050 could be met by hydrogen-based technology, and that a thriving hydrogen economy could equal the carbon capture of 700 million trees by 2032.
HGVs in particular are an area of interest: unlike passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles, the case of battery-powered electric trucks is much more difficult to make a case for due to the implications of excessive weight and charging times.
“Today marks the start of the hydrogen revolution in the UK,” Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said. “This clean, locally grown energy source has the potential to transform the way we power our lives and will be essential in tackling climate change and achieving net zero.
“With the potential to supply a third of the UK’s energy in the future, our strategy positions the UK as a leader in the global race to accelerate hydrogen technology and seize the thousands of jobs and the private investments that accompany it. “
Last month, Viritech co-founder Matt Faulks warned Autocar the UK was “in fairly serious danger” of sabotaging its green energy progress due to a lack of focus on battery technology fuel. “The problem is, we can’t market it from now on because we don’t have the infrastructure in terms of government support to really get things done,” he said.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-08-16 23:01:23
