Oil and gas abolished: England will have a hydrogen city by 2030

Recently, Novye Izvestia published a material in which the strategic task of the Russian authorities - the creation of megaprojects in the petrochemical industry - was questioned. Indeed, why waste a lot of money down the drain, while the world is increasingly switching to alternative energy sources, including actually free and affordable hydrogen?

And now Bloomberg reported exciting news that British gas network operators have developed a strategy to create the UK's first hydrogen-heated city by 2030.

The hydrogen network plan follows Prime Minister Boris Johnson's commitment to harness the potential of clean fuels in his November 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution.

The enthusiasm for hydrogen is growing rapidly, and many countries see it as the key to decarbonising some of the most polluting sectors.

The hype around clean-source hydrogen production is picking up steam as governments unveil plans for generous subsidies to support expensive and untested technologies.

The European Union has said it plans to spend up to 470 billion euros ($ 570 billion) on fuel production infrastructure in the coming decades.

“Building the UK's first hydrogen city is more than just replacing the natural gas on which most of our homes today depend; it's about reducing carbon emissions safely and reliably", - says Chris Train, former CEO of Cadent Gas Ltd. and Program Manager Gas Goes Green at the Energy Networks Association.

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Meanwhile, in Australia, the world's first household hydrogen battery will go on sale this June. It is designed for residential and commercial applications and is capable of storing up to 40 kWh of energy, which is three times the capacity of the famous Tesla Powerwall 2.1 battery. 13.5 kWh.

The device is about the size of a household refrigerator and weighs just over 300 kg. will collect and store solar energy in order to use it in the dark. It connects to a solar photovoltaic system and a water pipe through a purification system so that internal electrolyzers can convert excess energy into hydrogen, which is stored in four canisters, and oxygen, which is removed. in atmosphere.

When stored energy is required, LAVO activates the fuel cell to supply electricity to the home, with a built-in 5 kWh lithium battery providing a buffer that responds instantly to power shortages or power outages.

The initial price of the device is about 35 thousand dollars, but as the scale of its production increases, it will fall. On the other hand, it has an expected lifespan of 30 years, and at the end of it, the metal hydride alloy can be simply melted and reused, providing significant environmental benefits over competitive battery storage technologies.

In this regard, Dmitry Chugunov, a Russian expert, author of the "Hydrogen Concept" for Russia, writes:

“It seems at first glance incredible that in Russia it is possible to supply cities with hydrogen. The majority have already been crammed into their genes that the gas monopoly named “Narodnoye Heritage” will not allow anyone to do this. However, if you think about it?"