Kiwa GASTEC at CRE (Coal Research Establishment) and SSE have recently announced the launch of a major investigation into future hydrogen use.
The “Hy-House” project, which has been awarded £400,000 funding from DECC’s Energy Storage Competition, will investigate the risks likely to arise from the accidental release of hydrogen or hydrogen natural gas mixtures into a three-bed domestic property.
Based in Cheltenham, Kiwa GASTEC is an energy consultancy and testing laboratory specialising in the certification of natural gas, oil, wood, heat pump and more recently hydrogen appliances.
Hydrogen has considerable potential as an energy vector in the future low-carbon energy system. It could be used, for example, as heating fuel distributed in the existing gas network or as a transport fuel. Hydrogen in the gas network has the advantage of offering a storable fuel and very large carbon reduction with minimal involvement from the end user. The project partners believe that this potential should be explored.
Gas leaks are rare but do occur from time to time. They can be caused by anything from a defective gas appliance to a DIY accident, and this study will compare the risks associated with leaks of hydrogen and natural gas. Hydrogen is more flammable than natural gas but diffuses away much more quickly. Understanding the risks fully is critical to the further development of hydrogen as an energy vector.
Mark Crowther, General Manager at Kiwa GASTEC, added:
“What could be better at reducing emissions of CO2 than a combustion-based process that only produces water as its byproduct?”
Rufus Ford, Head of Research at SSE, said:
“We are delighted to be part of the Hy-House project led by Kiwa GASTEC. SSE’s number one priority is safety, and this project will advance safety knowledge to help promote hydrogen use in the energy system of the future.”
More details regarding DECC’s Energy Storage Competition are available here.