Video: First green hydrogen heating network gets green light
S. Himmelstein | December 10, 2020Funding and regulatory approval have been granted to implement a hydrogen heating network in eastern Scotland. The H100 Fife demonstration project conceived by gas distributor SGN will deliver renewable hydrogen to about 300 homes in Levenmouth, Fife, for heating and cooking by the end of 2022.
Hydrogen will be produced by an electrolysis plant powered with electricity generated at a local offshore wind turbine. The project is reported to be the first of its kind to produce the gas for domestic heating using a renewable energy source and is intended to contribute toward realizing the U.K. goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
An on-site storage facility will hold enough hydrogen to ensure supply won’t be disrupted during adverse weather conditions. Customers opting in to the project will receive a free hydrogen connection, free replacement hydrogen appliances and free maintenance over the length of the project, and will pay the same amount for hydrogen gas as for natural gas.
Hydrogen produced by a wind turbine-powered electrolysis plant will be supplied to about 300 homes for heating and cooking. Source: SGN
What odor are they going to add to the hydrogen so people can smell a leak?
It would be more efficient to simply use the electricity to directly cook and heat the homes.
However, the primary unstated benefit of this scheme is that the 'energy' can be stored for later use on a demand basis.
How will people determine the 'heat level' of their cooking flame? On a natural gas or propane stove, you can easily view the flame from the burner. Not so easy with hydrogen.
In reply to #2
Well charging batteries is probably around 70% efficiency averaged, so as a storage medium, that has to be taken into account comparing apples to apples....
In reply to #3
I believe electrolysis is about the same....
I wonder if using the hydrogen to power fuel cells was considered. The end result could be the same. For comparison, is burning hydrogen safer than natural gas or propane?