By 2050 the government is aiming for around 20-35% of UK energy to be fuelled by hydrogen, with plans to continue to expand the project. Here is a hydrogen development timeline that explains where the journey began, what it involves and how we will get there.
July 2019: H21 Test facility opens
The HSE Science and Research Centre in Buxton becomes the world’s first ever testing facility for 100% hydrogen and the largest clean energy project in the world.
November 2020: 10-point plan announcement
The government’s “10 point for a Green Industrial Revolution” includes plans for a hydrogen village, town and city to support the widespread adoption of hydrogen across the UK.
December 2020: Energy white paper
The BEIS issue the Energy White paper to provide more detail on how carbon emissions will be cut over the next 10 years and support 220,000 industry jobs.
August 2021: Hydrogen Strategy Paper
The paper reveals more detail on how hydrogen will be used to help achieve net zero targets by 2050.
August 2021: HyDeploy Northeast
668 homes and businesses trial a 20/80% hydrogen/gas blend following a smaller, successful trial at Keele University.
October 2021: Heat and Buildings Strategy
£3.9bn in new funding is pledged by the Heat and Buildings Strategy to decarbonise heat and buildings. This includes the Boiler Upgrade Scheme which offers a £5k subsidy for heat pump installations.
November 2021: COP26
The UN Climate Change Conference took place in Glasgow, bringing together nearly all the world’s most influential leads to discuss plans on how to combat the climate crisis.
2023 – 2027: H100 trial
Located in Buckhaven, Fife, the H100 project will trial 300 homes with 10% hydrogen fuel for heating and cooking. As the project progresses, this will eventually be expanded to 1,000 homes.
2025: New build gas boiler installations
Initially announced as a ban and then re-worded to be more ambiguous in the Heat and Buildings Strategy, gas boilers could be banned from installation in new build homes. This has yet to be fully confirmed. All boiler installations in UK properties should use low-carbon technology by 2035.
2025: H2 village trial
2,000 occupied homes, offices and other buildings will use 100% hydrogen for a 12-month period. It will be used for heating, hot water and cooking activities.
2030: Hydrogen to 3 million homes
10GW of hydrogen production as it is supplied to towns and cities so testing can continue at scale.
2050: 25-35% hydrogen supply
Hydrogen could supply as much as 23-35% of the UK’s energy by 2050, gradually increasing as production capabilities scale up.
