LEH2M Response to APPG Inquiry into Hydrogen
In a recent online global seminar to thousands of interested hydrogen entrepreneurs and
national representatives, Daryl Wilson, Executive Director of the Hydrogen Council (“HC”), a
worldwide organisation of large multi-national companies to promote the development and
take up of Hydrogen, showed the slide above as a guide to how far various countries, and
the world, had to go to develop the infrastructure and get the benefits of a Hydrogen
Economy. As can be seen, there are about 6 countries leading the pack, 5 further countries
close behind and then Britain and Chile follow having developed roadmaps without
significant national strategies or funding having been developed. Therefore the first step of
the APPGH2, or indeed any UK organisation is the development of a national
comprehensive strategy and the funding to start work on such a national strategy.
Another slide Mr Wilson showed which is also in HC’s “Hydrogen Insights 2021” (at page
13)
As can be seen there is no mention of the UK on this slide and indeed this is emphasised by
the HC (at page 6) pointing out that Europe/EU leads globally in projects and policy.
This is surprising as the UK can legitimately claim to lead globally in usage and generation of
renewable energy, generally regarded as a concomitant of Hydrogen (and particularly green
hydrogen) in the battle against climate change and carbon emissions. This should mean
that the UK, with nearly 50% electricity generated by wind mainly, should be a leader
worldwide in the adoption of Hydrogen, and its use, and then expertise in roll-out for other
countries – were the investment, funding and planning to be made available early enough
such as not to hand that advantage to other countries.
LEH2M’s principal, Chandra Sekar, has already provided a response to the APPGH2’s
previous inquiry in June 2020. In that response it was pointed out that the UK did not have
adequate strategy and funding to develop the undoubted expertise in industry and
universities in Hydrogen and allied technologies to allow the UK to become a world leader
where other countries were fully aware of the market benefits in becoming a world leader,
and so were putting many tens of billions of funding in the whole of converting their expertise
into jobs and export income. There are numerous studies on the potential economic and
other benefits of which one is an analysis of 139 countries by Stanford University about the
economic advantages and possibilities of large scale transition to renewables and hydrogen
over the next 30 years referred to here, individual analyses of 139 countries here, and a
summary for the UK, including the production of associated new jobs in the UK at 2050 here.
Integration
The key to the Hydrogen economy is integration; matching renewable energy to hydrogen as
storage and fuel for both the electricity and gas grids, and for transportation. AT present the
level of funding and planning by the Government does not match that to be expected of the
world’s 5th largest economy, particularly where there is the expertise in British companies,
organisations such as the Hydrogen Task Force, and the research facilities in universities,
for a push in the next 5 years to be at least one of he leading countries embracing the
manifold advantages of Hydrogen.
The Aims (by sector)
1. Government with industry and universities developing a national and sectoral
strategy and funding model for the next 5 years within the next 6 months;
2. Integrating the UK’s growing renewable capacity with hydrogen generation and
storage for the electricity and gas grids, transportation, and export;
3. Putting money into hydrogen infrastructure and in particular, generation, gas grid
upgrading for hydrogen, electricity grid balancing using hydrogen as storage
(including preventing curtailment of excess windpower generation), and a network of
Hydrogen Refuelling Stations;
4. Using Scotland as a test bed for the integrated renewable/hydrogen economy where
it has already taken large steps in that direction;
5. Exploring export of expertise and UK manufactured products to other countries,
particularly the developing world where renewables and hydrogen offer the best
means of achieving energy security and development.
Chandra Sekar
Low Emission and Hydrogen Mobilisation Ltd (LEH2M)
This submission is made by LEH2M, a consultancy on developing Hydrogen and FCEV infrastructure and products. Our aim is
1. To encourage the minimisation/elimination of emissions and so address climate change and air pollution;
2. To maximise the use of green hydrogen, using other forms as a transition for the minimum period possible;
3. To put together different organisations, companies and governmental agencies working in the Hydrogen Economy to maximise their contribution to the development of an emission free and efficient economy;
4. To maximise the efficiency of any of its products in terms of resources used (Circular Economy);
5. To try to enhance the lives of those involved in industry, consumers and people generally by encouraging the spread of the Hydrogen Economy.