Green Hydrogen is key to Net Zero and future careers

Construction Worx correspondent Peter Haddock talks to Clare Jackson, Chief Executive of Hydrogen UK, about the trade body’s future vision for hydrogen.

In 2022 the word Hydrogen was everywhere, with key prototype machines launched at Bauma from Liebherr and Hyundai, quickly followed by a special Hydrogen press event from JCB revealing and operating its Hydrogen machines and mobile refuelling solution.

And there was a lot more activity last year thanks in part to the formation of its own industry trade body Hydrogen UK, in November 2021. With over 60 members all focused on bringing Hydrogen into the UK's energy mix, the organisation's CEO, Clare Jackson, is pushing hard to ensure the UK has a share of a global market set to be worth trillions of pounds.

Clare: "The aim of Hydrogen UK is to develop a common vision for what Hydrogen could and should look like in the UK and then to work out what we need to do to make that a reality. This involves developing a whole infrastructure for Hydrogen, from the creation of green Hydrogen to its storage, transportation and use in an increasingly varied range of applications.

“In the UK, we are one of the front runners in what will be a huge global market and an enabler for supporting our road to Net Zero. The key to this is the creation of green Hydrogen from renewables, and in 2022 the Government supported this with the launch of a new Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard, which defines what constitutes 'low carbon hydrogen' at the point of production.

“By having a defined standard, we can ensure Hydrogen production is measurable and that industries wanting to use Hydrogen have confidence in the fuel. Having this standard also allows us to accelerate the Hydrogen economy and benefit from the economies of scale this will deliver.

“We are already seeing large industrial clusters which are located near storage solutions like salt caverns, ramping up investment in Hydrogen powered equipment like boilers. And

Hydrogen is also being considered by the aviation sector as a decarbonisation pathway. Similarly, Hydrogen in the form of ammonia is also being used in the maritime sector.

But what is exciting is the work being done with on and off road vehicles.

For example, the West Midlands already has 20 hydrogen double decker buses in operation, and it will soon have 144 hydrogen buses on the streets, the largest fleet in the Western World.

When it comes to this sector, there are two ways of using Hydrogen, the Fuel Cell and combustion. A fuel cell is essentially a reverse electrolyser, extracting electricity to power a motor by mixing Hydrogen with oxygen, whose only emission is water. With combustion, you won't produce carbon emissions, but you will still produce Nox and Sox, so engine after treatment will need to be considered.

“Like all alternative fuels, it really depends on the application you are looking to use Hydrogen for as to what method you choose. And if we are to deliver on Net Zero, the more solutions we have, the better chance we have of pulling it off.

For me, it's all about pulling the Hydrogen puzzle pieces together at the same time. Now we've got the production, were able to enable the infrastructure, which includes storage. Then we have the demand sides technologies like the mobile plant and equipment from OEM's like JCB.

“And all of these must be ready simultaneously, which means we need to think about the jobs and skills puzzle piece. Here we are very fortunate to have adjacent sectors that are used to working with gases, so we can upskill individuals to work on Hydrogen.

But critically, if we are to fill all the new roles and build careers, we need to talk to young people about getting excited about STEM subjects and getting Hydrogen onto the curriculum. As it's not just about getting people into engineering degrees but also about getting people into technical courses to develop the skills we need to deliver Net Zero, in general.

And with Hydrogen set to be worth over £2 trillion globally by 2050, it's certainly a great career path to take.