As they say, a good start is half the battle, and initial hydrogen trials in the UK have found great success so far. 

A key element to a smooth transition from oil and gas-powered home heating to renewable fuel is instilling confidence in the public – which is what these trials can do.

Early success for hydrogen

The hydrogen trials across the country have continued without issue, which is an auspicious sign of their future success. 

This is cause for optimism for the whole heating industry as it serves as a good indicator and a confidence boost for consumers to make the switch in future. The aim is for the public to see that it is a viable option for fuelling our home heating systems, while reducing our carbon emissions on our way to net-zero. 

Come and see for yourself

The trials are currently taking place in Northumberland and Low Thornley in Gateshead, and are an up and running showcase for visitors to see for themselves how efficient it is to use hydrogen to power heating, cooking, and gas fires.

The public can see how a hydrogen-powered home covers all bases that traditional oil and gas power does, but without the carbon emissions. This is crucial for people to see in real terms how the system operates and how they will not be left shorthanded by adopting hydrogen power in their day-to-day lives.

Successful scaling 

The next phase of the project are the green hydrogen trials at Fife, where some 300 homes will be opting in to using a hydrogen heating and cooking system. 

Following this, the project will again be expanded; this time to one of two villages currently being considered. The first one is Ellesmere Port, while the second is in Redcar.  

The technical surveying of the properties is taking place and will be submitted no later than March 2023. The village that has the most suitability to adapt to full hydrogen power will be the one chosen for funding in what will be the largest hydrogen trial to date, and a watershed moment for the industry. 

This is a significant advancement in the trialling phase, as we will be looking at an entire community of around 2,000 domestic properties being fuelled by hydrogen. 

A vote of government confidence

A recent addition to this is the target milestone set out in Boris Johnson’s Ten Points for a Green Industrial Revolution, of having a hydrogen town up and running by the end of this decade. 

With new power, comes new infrastructure required for its successful implementation. The network providers have begun their research and will be compiling a shortlist of suitable locations for where the hydrogen town could occur. 

It is expected that this will be formed of around 10-20,000 properties running from hydrogen, which is an exciting prospect.

This firmly underpins the government’s position that hydrogen and heat pumps will be the base of our domestic heat source in the future and prove to be a model for fuelling the nation more sustainably.