Around 500TWh of hydrogen-generated power could be consumed annually in the UK by 2050 - equivalent to 50% of national demand - provided that ambitious supports from policy and large businesses are put in place, new analysis has found.
Aurora Energy Research assessed multiple adoption scenarios for hydrogen in the UK through to 2050 in its
latest major report, published today (24 June). In a high-adoption scenario, hydrogen is likely to provide around half of the energy needed to power the UK’s industrial sector, heating and transport, the report explains.
In order for this scenario to become a reality, policy supports for pilot projects, research and education would need to be widely implemented within a decade. Then, between 2030 and 2035, policy and industry will need to collaborate to rapidly scale up the hydrogen market. Due to technological barriers to producing “green” hydrogen – hydrogen produced using 100% renewables – being likely to persist into this timeframe, Aurora foresees most of this growth being attributable to “blue” hydrogen, produced using energy like nuclear or natural gas, in conjunction with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
