The potential role of hydrogen in the decarbonisation of energy

Hydrogen has been identified as potentially a key component in decarbonising energy, and in particular, heat, given the need to achieve the UK government’s commitment of ‘Net Zero’ emissions by 2050, and 2045 in Scotland. One of the key challenges associated with the use of hydrogen in heat networks relates to storage in order to manage daily and seasonal variations in demand. It is this requirement to be able to store, but also withdraw hydrogen, that poses one of the greatest challenges to a hydrogen-based heating sector, particularly when considering large-scale storage requirements. This talk presented some of the geological and environmental challenges and opportunities associated with the geological storage of hydrogen.