Is big oil behind the call for hydrogen to replace natural gas

[kenneal - lagger]

Is big oil behind the call for hydrogen to replace natural gas to heat our homes "sustainably"? If we had a "sustainable" "renewable" source of gas such as hydrogen we could carry on wasting heat, gas and our money heating our leaky homes and continue to live in comparative discomfort into the future so that oil and gas companies can make a bit more money for a bit longer.
Of course, the fact that most of the gas initially would have to come from reforming natural gas would not have anything to do with the argument for "clean", "renewable" "green" hydrogen, would it?
This article says that Oil Majors are indeed behind this push for hydrogen.

[Potemkin Villager]

Mass uptake of hydrogen will be an uphill battle of practicality.

Low energy density, leaks easily, makes metals brittle, must be stored at very high pressure....
I am sure there are lots more downsides.

[kenneal - lagger]

But it is still being taken seriously and lobbied for in government for heating the nation by the use of existing boilers instead of by heat pumps.

[adam2]

But it is still being taken seriously and lobbied for in government for heating the nation by the use of existing boilers instead of by heat pumps.

HMG like hydrogen because calling for research into hydrogen is a good way of avoiding doing anything much in the here and now.

Big oil like hydrogen because they can sell it instead of oil, and like HMG can also point to "green research"

Big house builders like the idea because they hope that future possibilities will allow the continuation of gas central heating provided that a small blue sticker reading "hydrogen ready" is applied to the boiler.

[Potemkin Villager]

........ they hope that future possibilities will allow the continuation of gas central heating provided that a small blue sticker reading "hydrogen ready" is applied to the boiler.

it's not funny but you have to laugh at something!
I am sure they (the stickers) have been designed already.

[adam2]

........ they hope that future possibilities will allow the continuation of gas central heating provided that a small blue sticker reading "hydrogen ready" is applied to the boiler.

it's not funny but you have to laugh at something!
I am sure they (the stickers) have been designed already.

https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/hydrogen

[adam2]

Note that "hydrogen ready" gas boilers are available right now, and are described as "green" despite being 100% fossil fuel burning.
And "hydrogen ready" means ready for a blend of mainly natural gas with little hydrogen.

[Potemkin Villager]

........ they hope that future possibilities will allow the continuation of gas central heating provided that a small blue sticker reading "hydrogen ready" is applied to the boiler.

it's not funny but you have to laugh at something!
I am sure they (the stickers) have been designed already.

https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/hydrogen

"Replacing natural gas boilers with hydrogen gas may be the simplest solution to the nation’s heating problems. "

Suggesting that maybe there are no simple solutions and that a large part of the nation's heating problems lie elsewhere is likely to fall on deaf ears.

[adam2]

No one is going to build a new distribution for domestic use of hydrogen.

Adding a Small percentage of hydrogen to natural gas for distribution via the existing natural gas network could be done, but would still be mainly natural gas with a small proportion of hydrogen.

Use of 100% hydrogen, or a mixture with a large percentage of hydrogen cant be done without inspecting and modifying or replacing EVERY existing gas appliance connected to the existing network. Not just boilers but gas lights, gas engines and other less common appliances.

[kenneal - lagger]

This is industry lobbyist telling the Treasury that there is a cheap option to solving the housing problem and the Treasury will always go for a cheap option. Bloody economists got us into this mess and they will keep us in it if there continue to be listened to.