Heating homes with hydrogen fails on economic and climate merit: report

(EurActiv, 18 Nov 2021) As homeowners across Europe worry about the fate of their ageing gas boilers, some have pinned their hopes on switching them to hydrogen – but this may not be the way forward, a new study suggests.

The new ’12 Insights on Hydrogen’ report published by German think-tank Agora Energiewende gives a closer look at the “enormous hype” around hydrogen over past two years and tries to determine whether it is here to stay.

“The role of hydrogen for climate neutrality is crucial but secondary to direct electrification,” write the authors, who forecast that hydrogen will account for 16-25% of final energy demand in Europe by 2050.

For homeowners who are reluctant to ditch their gas boilers, the report carries some bad news. “We don’t see a role for Hydrogen in building-level heating through boilers or fuel cells,” says Gniewomir Flis, hydrogen expert at Agora Energiewende and one of the authors of the report.

“Net-zero scenarios see very limited use of hydrogen in buildings,” Flis explained.

Supporters of hydrogen say existing gas networks can carry up to 20% hydrogen without the need for costly revamp. Provided the hydrogen is low-carbon, this would offer immediate greenhouse gas emission reductions, they argue.

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EurActiv, 18 Nov 2021: Heating homes with hydrogen fails on economic and climate merit: report

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