Decarbonisation of heat systems has been proven difficult and costly to achieve so far, but this latest initiative aims to change this. It could have a major positive impact on UK supply chains at a time when the government, private sector and households grapple with higher energy demands at increased costs.
The partnership includes an upcoming industrial scale demonstration hosted by Northern Gas Networks (NGN) to test a unique carbon neutral heating solution, heat-in-a-box – intended to supply heat for gas pre-heating in a safe and carbon neutral manner.
Pre-heating is an essential part of distributing gas. Before it can be transported to homes and businesses through the network, the pressure of the gas must be reduced. This process can cause it to freeze, so pre-heating takes place to allow the gas to flow. Traditional pre-heating units are highly energy and cost intensive. Additionally, the demand for heat is three times higher than the demand for power and is responsible for 40 percent of all global emissions.
Heat-in-the-box will lower the cost of pre-heating, while delivering the supply at much lower costs for applications at a massive scale.
“Our technology is at the forefront of delivering a life changing, effective and scalable solution to meet the global energy demands” said Dr Enass Abo-Hamed, H2GO Power CEO. “If successful, the pilot will be a game changer for the UK and beyond. We are also pleased to have the backing of the UK government from its £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which will go a long way in delivering our long term ambition to reduce energy costs while playing a role in the transition.”
Karen Boswell, Managing Director at Baxi UK & Ireland, added that hydrogen is a viable alternative net zero energy carrier that can meet the needs of these hard to decarbonise sectors and can be used for mass storage of variable renewables – such as wind and PV – to use at times of peak demand for heat.
“Developing practical, cost-effective ways of storing hydrogen addresses both decarbonisation and energy reliability, making this project a particularly interesting solution for multiple use cases” Ms Boswell said.
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