UK weighs hydrogen as ‘green form of heat’

Bloomberg

An influential panel of lawmakers in UK parliament is encouraging the government to develop hydrogen as a way to provide a green form of heat for industry and homes.
The Committee on Climate Change, which advises the government on energy and environmental policies, said ministers should write a strategy for removing carbon emissions from heat in the next three years, starting with a roll out of hybrid heat pumps.
Heat is seen as one of the most difficult and expensive elements of the energy mix to wean off fossil fuels.
It accounts for almost half of the UK’s energy use and a third of its carbon emissions, according to a government estimate. While renewables such as wind and solar are spreading rapidly to generate electricity, those energy sources are less adept than oil, natural gas and coal in providing heat.
“Hydrogen has the potential to contribute to near-zero carbon energy emissions if used strategically,” said John Gummer, chairman of the Committee on Climate Change.
“The government must now decide whether it wishes to develop a UK hydrogen option, taking decisions now that will see the first deployment in the 2020s.”