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Stuart O'Brien

National Grid commits £10m to hydrogen energy project

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National Grid is partnering with Northern Gas Networks (NGN) and Fluxys Belgium to build a first of its kind offline hydrogen test facility in the UK, to understand how hydrogen gas could be used in the future to heat homes and deliver green energy to industry. 

The £10 million project will be delivered by DNV GL, with support provided by the HSE Science Division and academic partnerships with Durham University and the University of Edinburgh and involves building a hydrogen test facility at DNV GL’s site at Spadeadam, Cumbria. 

The facility will be built from a range of decommissioned assets, to create a representative network which will be used to trial hydrogen and will allow for accurate results to be analysed. Blends of hydrogen up to 100% will then be tested at transmission pressures, to assess how the assets perform. 

The plans have been submitted to Ofgem and if funding is awarded, the aim is to start construction in 2021 with testing beginning in 2022.

Currently 85% of homes and 40% of the UK’s power needs are supplied by gas. But as the UK works towards becoming one of the world’s first net zero economies by 2050, the gas sector needs to demonstrate a viable pathway for decarbonisation. 

NGN, one of the UK’s Gas Distribution Networks, is contributing to the project and owns the H21 distribution rig currently under construction at the Spadeadam site. 

A collaboration between all the UK gas and transmission networks, and now in its second phase, the H21 programme is demonstrating how the existing gas distribution network can be repurposed to safely carry 100% hydrogen to heat homes and businesses.

The hydrogen test facility will remain separate from the main National Transmission System, allowing for testing to be undertaken in a controlled environment, with no risk to the safety and reliability of the existing gas transmission network.

Antony Green, Project Director for Hydrogen at National Grid, said: “If we truly want to reach a net zero decarbonised future, we need to replace methane with green alternatives like hydrogen. Sectors such as heat are difficult to decarbonise, and the importance of the gas networks to the UK’s current energy supply means trial projects like this are crucial if we are to deliver low carbon energy, reliably and safely to all consumers.” 

Tim Harwood, H21 Project Director and Head of Programme Management at NGN, said: “This project will link with Phase 2 of the H21 NIC, by connecting the National Grid transmission assets to the distribution network being built alongside the ‘HyStreet’ of purpose-built hydrogen research houses.By adding transmission assets, we can then demonstrate a full beach-to-meter scenario, showing how the gas industry can collaborate together in a hydrogen future. “

Thierry Bottequin, Engineering Manager from Fluxys Belgium, said: “This is an important step in investigating the conversion possibilities of our infrastructure for the transmission of hydrogen-natural gas blends and hydrogen. We believe that the multiphase scope of the project perfectly complements our own research to document the reliability, safety and integrity of the existing gas infrastructure when used to transport hydrogen.”

Siemens partners with Social Enterprise UK procurement initiative

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Siemens is the latest high-profile business to sign up to the Buy Social Corporate Challenge – an initiative aimed at embedding positive social and environmental impact into everyday business spend.

The UK government-backed Challenge sees leading businesses open up their supply chains to social enterprises – businesses set up to address some of the biggest challenges we face, from the climate emergency to deepening social inequalities.

The group of businesses, now made up of 24 of some of the biggest names from the legal, professional services, construction and insurance worlds, has committed to collectively spend £1 billion with social enterprise suppliers.

There are 100,000 social enterprises in the UK, selling goods and services like any other business, but re-investing the majority of their profits to benefit society. They are found right across the economy – from catering to cleaning products, from signage to software development, and from waste disposal to workwear.

Siemens has already got to work with Social Enterprise UK, the membership body for UK social enterprises who are behind the campaign, to look at where spend can be shifted to these businesses.

Siemens is already working with a number of social enterprise suppliers, including Wiltshire Wood Recycling – part of the nationwide Community Wood Recycling network – which offers an award-winning wood collection and recycling service as well as volunteering and employment opportunities to individuals with barriers to the labour market.

Dietmar Harteveld, Head of Supply Chain Management at Siemens UK, said: “At Siemens we take our commitments to the sustainable development of the communities we work in seriously. Signing up to the Buy Social Corporate Challenge will help us increase our positive social and environmental impact as we use the power of procurement to improve lives, open up opportunities and build a greener, more equitable world. We look forward to working with Social Enterprise UK to bring more social enterprises into our supply chains.”

Peter Holbrook, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK, added: “Through buying from social enterprises, businesses are using money they would be spending anyway to change lives. With Covid-19 hitting communities and the economy hard, alongside a looming climate emergency, there has never been a more important time for campaigns like the Challenge which have the potential to shift the way we do business and build back better from the impact of the pandemic. It is fantastic to have a company with the size and influence of Siemens sign up and we look forward to introducing them to new social enterprise suppliers.”

EDF’s solar PV expansion in UK ‘to provide impetus for economic recovery’ amid COVID-19

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French utility EDF is launching a major solar-plus-battery storage hybrid initiative in the UK as part of its plans to increase its installed renewable base.

Analyst house GlobalData anticipates that this is likely to provide a boost to its solar portfolio in the country and also act as a green stimulus to the stagnant economy, which is now slowly resuming activities.

Somik Das, Senior Power Analyst at GlobalData, said: “EDF renewables has been a key player in the wind sector in the UK, however, it has not performed significantly in the solar PV sector. GlobalData’s figures suggest that more than 800MW of active wind plants are owned by the company in the UK, however, there is a notable abcense of the company in the solar sector. With this initiative, EDF Renewables would be able to strengthen its solar foothold and become a noteworthy player in both areas.”

Looking at ways to expand the current renewables portfolio in the UK, the EDF Group plans to have a 50GW renewables portfolio by 2030 becoming Europe’s market leader in clean energy.

Das concluded: “COVID-19 provided an opportunity to successfully produce electricity by minimizing the use of coal in the generation mix for over a month. It has supported the country’s target of decommissioning coal-based power plants by 2025, which might now be brought a year ahead. This is expected to reduce emissions, which had already seen a drop by 42% last year. EDF’s initiative is likely to aid the cause and help in achieving the country’s net-zero target.”

Energy Management Summit – Placs are limited, so claim your place today!

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There’s a place waiting for you at the upcoming Energy Management Summit – And you can attend either in person or virtually.

5th & 6th October – Radisson Blu, London Stansted

As our guest, you can enjoy live industry seminar sessions, a bespoke itinerary of 1-2-1 meetings with innovative suppliers, networking with peers, overnight accommodation and all meals & refreshments.

If this would be useful for your business, please confirm your attendance here – Live event and virtual attendance options are available.

Places are limited. This event is entirely free of charge – If this event is not relevant to you, please forward to a colleague.

We’ve got your needs covered at the Energy Management Summit

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Your free pass to this September’s Energy Management Summit waiting for you – and you’ll be able to attend either in person or virtually via video link.

With the increasing amount of challenges that the energy industry is facing, looking for new innovative and cost effective solutions is key.

The Energy Management Summit gives you 1-2-1 access to a range of suppliers and their solutions.

5th & 6th October – Radisson Blu Hotel, London Stansted.

Your attendance is entirely complimentary and includes overnight accommodation, access to LIVE seminar sessions, pre-recorded industry webinars, 1-2-1 meetings with innovative suppliers, all meals and refreshments. 

Plus, you can network with fellow peers who share your challenges, including those from;

Optivo
KFC
Places Leisure
Deliveroo
UBS
Hitachi Rail
Dunbia
The Royal Mint
UCL
NHS National Services Scotland
Bracebridge Holdings Ltd
Sussex Estates Facilities LLP
Hovis
Greater London Authority
The National Motorcycle Museum

Be prepared for every eventuality – Click here to secure your free place

Virtual attendance options are available.

Do you specialise in Waste Management solutions? We want to hear from you!

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Each month on Energy Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the market – and in August we’ll be focussing on Waste Management Solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help energy management buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Waste Management Solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Lisa Rose on 01992 374077 / l.rose@forumevents.co.uk.

Our features list in full:

Aug – Waste Management
Sep – Solar PV
Oct – Lighting
Nov Heating & Ventilation
Dec – Utility Management

Renewables top 2020 Energy Management buying trends

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Renewable Energy, Solar PV and Carbon Management top the list of solutions the UK’s leading Energy Management professionals are sourcing in 2020.

The findings have been revealed by the Energy Management Forum and are based on delegate requirements ahead this year’s event.

Delegates registering to attend the event were asked which areas they needed to invest in during 2020 and beyond.

A significant 71% are looking to invest in Renewable Energy, 67% Solar PV and 62 per cent each for Carbon Management and Workplace Vehicle Charging.

Just behind were Metering & Monitoring (57%) and Energy Dashboard (43%).

% of delegates at the Energy Management Forum sourcing certain products & solutions (Top 10):

Renewable Energy 71%
Solar PV 67%
Carbon Management 62%
Workplace Vehicle Charging 62%
Metering & Monitoring 57%
Energy Dashboard 43%
Energy Efficient Solutions 43%
Energy Storage 43%
Lighting 43%
Environmental Management Systems/Products 38%

To find out more about the Energy Management Summit, visit https://energymanagementsummit.co.uk.

Revealed: Companies committed to reducing their carbon footprints

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The impact of climate change continues to be in the news – e.g. rising sea levels and erratic weather patterns, both of which constitute a danger to humans and wildlife.

Thankfully, a strategy is now in place to reverse the effects of climate change and restore harmony to the planet. Back in June 2019, the UK government became the first country to sign their ‘Net Zero’ target into law – marking it as the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions.[1] Since then, other governments have followed suit, introducing their own laws and policy changes to help reduce the amount of carbon we emit. 

These changes have had a huge impact on the way businesses work, inspiring many to introduce new ways of reducing their carbon footprint. Here, we look at those businesses that are  going above and beyond to ensure their emissions are kept as low possible or are offsetting the carbon they unavoidably emit as part of their daily operations.  

Aviation – EasyJet

Airlines are a significant contributor to carbon emissions globally. In fact, it’s estimated that the flights we catch account for some 12% of all transport emissions annually.[2] Yet there are airlines that are making significant efforts to try and reduce this figure – one of which is EasyJet. In a recent report, EasyJet ranked top of the list of airlines trying to cut carbon emissions and tackle climate change and has since become the first airline to operate net zero flights across its whole network.[3]


This has been possible through carbon offsetting initiatives which helps to offset the emissions the airline uses during flights. It’s estimated that the company will spend around £25million each year carbon offsetting, lowering their impact on the environment and positioning themselves as market leaders in reducing CO2. 

Off-grid energy – Flogas

As one of UK’s leading off-grid energy suppliers who help companies offset carbon emissions, Flogas has quickly become a market leader in the fight against climate change. In its ‘2040 Vision’ manifesto, the company has laid out plans on how it intends to the support the government’s carbon emissions targets by supplying its customers with100% renewable energy solutions by 2040. As well as aiding its customers, the company has also undertaken several landmark steps in its own carbon reduction strategy such as promising to offset all Level 1 and Level 2 CO2 emissions for 2019 and became one of the first 0ff-grid gas suppliers to add BioLNG powered delivery vehicles to its fleet. Since then, Flogas has also launched its Carbon Offsetting Initiative for both its commercial and consumer customers. 

Fast food restaurants – McDonald’s

As one of the most iconic restaurants in the world, McDonald’s are firmly under the microscope when it comes to taking sustainable measures. Luckily, the company is making considerable efforts to reduce its impact on the environment wherever possible. With around 36,000 restaurants located in over 100 countries worldwide[4], McDonald’s has now began switching to energy efficient appliances to help cut energy waste by around 25%.[5] It also aims to source all its packaging from recycled materials by 2025.[6]

Automotive – BMW

Regularly named as the world’s most sustainable car manufacturer, BMW has gained a reputation for its creativity and innovation in terms of reducing carbon emissions. The company’s long list of green credentials speaks for itself – for example, from 2009 to 2019 BMW has been able to reduce its delivery fleet emissions by over 40%.[7] The company has also invested heavily in electric technology, turning to more renewable fuels to reduce carbon emissions even further. As it stands, BMW is currently on track to ensure that a quarter of all the vehicles it sells will be electrified by 2021, with a third in 2025 and half of all vehicles by the year 2030.[8]

Manufacturing – Siemens 

Manufacturing often requires energy intensive processes that create high levels of carbon emissions. However, this didn’t stop electronics manufacturer, Siemens, from becoming the first global company to commit to carbon neutrality by 2030 through using renewable energy at its factories.[9] It’s also set out sustainability goals within its ‘Serve the Environment’ programme which details how it intends to create zero waste. As it stands, zero per cent of its waste has been sent to landfill from its factory in Newcastle and the business currently boasts a 92% recycle rate overall. [10]

Software – Google 

With a reputation for creating innovative software, it comes as no surprise that Google is one of the IT giants leading the way in terms of sustainability. As well as reducing its carbon footprint through company-wide efficiency improvements, Google also uses on-site solar power as a renewable fuel supply. [11]The company then uses carbon offsetting to bring its remaining footprint to zero and goes to great lengths to ensure that the projects it supports help provide long-term global benefits.[12]

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-becomes-first-major-economy-to-pass-net-zero-emissions-law

[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47460958

[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47460958

[4] https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/help/faq/18510-how-many-mcdonalds-restaurants-are-there-in-the-uk-and-the-world.html

[5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/08/26/101-companies-committed-to-reducing-their-carbon-footprint/#5f24529f260b

[6] https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/08/26/101-companies-committed-to-reducing-their-carbon-footprint/#5f24529f260b

[7] https://www.bmwgroup.com/en/responsibility/sustainability-at-the-bmw-group.html

[8] https://www.bmwgroup.com/en/responsibility/sustainability-at-the-bmw-group.html

[9]  https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/08/26/101-companies-committed-to-reducing-their-carbon-footprint/#5f24529f260b

[10] https://new.siemens.com/global/en/company/sustainability/resourceconservation.html

[11] https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/renewable/

[12] https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en//green/pdfs/google-carbon-offsets.pdf

UK government pumps £350 million into ‘green recovery’

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UK industry will receive around £350 million to cut down carbon emissions under new plans to step up efforts to tackle climate change.

The multimillion pound investment package will build on progress towards the UK’s target to reach net zero by 2050, by helping businesses to decarbonise across the heavy industry, construction, space and transport sectors and to secure the UK’s place at the forefront of green innovation.

The investment came ahead of the PM launching the first meeting of the Jet Zero Council, which will bring together government, representatives from the environmental sector and the aviation and aerospace industry to tackle aviation emissions in line with the government’s ambition to achieve the first ever zero emission long haul passenger plane.

The projects set to receive funding will work on developing new technologies that could help companies switch to more energy-efficient means of production, use data more effectively to tackle the impacts of climate change, and help support the creation of new green jobs by driving innovation and growth in UK industries.

The package includes:

  • £139 million to cut emissions in heavy industry by supporting the transition from natural gas to clean hydrogen power, and scaling up carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology which can stop over 90% of emissions being released from industrial plants into the air by storing carbon permanently underground
  • £149 million to drive the use of innovative materials in heavy industry; the 13 initial projects will include proposals to reuse waste ash in the glass and ceramics industry, and the development of recyclable steel
  • £26 million to support advanced new building techniques in order to reduce build costs and carbon emissions in the construction industry
  • A £10 million boost for state of the art construction tech which will go towards 19 projects focused on improving productivity and building quality, for example, re-usable roofs and walls and “digital clones” of buildings that analyse data in real time
  • Launching a New National Space Innovation Programme backed by £15 million initial funding from the UK Space Agency, which will see the first £10million go towards projects that will monitor climate change across the globe, which could protect local areas from the impacts of extreme weather by identifying changes in the environment
  • Opening up bids for a further £10million for R&D in the automotive sector, to help companies take cutting edge ideas from prototype to market, including more efficient electric motors or more powerful batteries

Chaired by the Transport and Business Secretaries, the first Jet Zero council meeting discussed how to decarbonise the aviation sector while supporting its growth and strengthening the UK’s position as a world leader in the sector.

The members will look at how to work across their sectors to achieve these goals, including through brand new aircraft and engine technologies. These could include using new synthetic and sustainable aviation fuels as a clean substitute for fossil jet fuel, and eventually the development of electric planes.

The government says that over the past decade, the UK has cut carbon emissions by more than any similar developed country. In 2019, UK emissions were 42% lower than in 1990.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We’ve made great strides towards our net zero target over the last year, but it’s more important than ever that we keep up the pace of change to fuel a green, sustainable recovery as we rebuild from the pandemic.

“The UK now has a huge opportunity to cement its place at the vanguard of green innovation, setting an example worldwide while growing the economy and creating new jobs.

“That’s why we’re backing cutting edge research to cut costs and carbon across our great British industries, and even paving the way for the first ever zero emission long haul passenger flight – so that our green ambitions remain sky high as we build back better for both our people and our planet.”

Business and Energy Secretary, Alok Sharma, said: “Climate change is among the greatest challenges of our age. To tackle it we need to unleash innovation in businesses across the country.

“This funding will reduce emissions, create green collar jobs and fuel a strong, clean economic recovery – all essential to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.”

Image by Steppinstars from Pixabay 

Transition to renewables ‘to fuel post-COVID recovery’

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Investment in renewable energy expansion will be an important cog in the wheel towards the post-COVID-19 economic recovery journey.

Expanding the renewables will not only help countries deliver stronger climate action under the Paris Agreement, but also fuel the economic activities across the value chain forming a powerful recovery mechanism to recuperate from the COVID-19 crisis.

That’s according to research from GlobalData, which says due to technological advancements, economies of scale and competitive auctions, the Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE) for renewables has seen steep decline. For example, the LCOE of solar PV had witnessed a drop of 86% to reach 0.05USD/kWh in 2019 when compared with 2010. Likewise, for onshore wind the drop was 50.0% to 0.05USD/kWh.  

The declining LCOE has brought the renewable at par with fossils and in some countries even cheaper. This trend of cost competitiveness and innovation is likely to continue and could attract countries and investors to increase their renewable appetite. For instance, 2019 saw the highest solar power capacity additions and also the highest investment in the offshore wind segment. 

However, the planned investments in this sector until 2030 is lesser than the investments made in the last decade. The COVID-19 pandemic recovery stimulus provides an excellent window of opportunity for governments to channelize their investments in the renewables to offset the silos in the future investment schedule. These were earlier unable to reach the desired  2030 installations target decarbonizing the economy and putting forward a strong step towards climate sustainability. 

Somik Das, Senior Power Analyst at GlobalData, said: “ During the COVID-19 pandemic, renewable energy took the center stage. With declining electricity demand, utilities focussed on generating electricity from cost-effective renewable sources. By the end of 2030, the cumulative renewable installed capacity is estimated to be 3,600GW, about 1,900GW more than that of 2020, which is substantially lower than the required built-up of about 2,800-3,000GW for limiting the global temperature rise by 2c.  

“Incorporating higher investments in renewable energy might provide an opportunity to increase the investments and make up for the shortfall in the required installed power capacity by 2030. 

“Hence, increased investments in renewable energy in the recovery packages would benefit greatly and usher in a multitude of economic benefits. Not only it will provide a better opportunity in addressing climate change goals and global warming issues but also creates new jobs and stimulate economic activities.”