The UK government has decided not to progress work on a hydrogen heating town pilot scheme until after 2026, after a village trial in Redcar was scrapped in December.
The decision raises further doubts about the role of hydrogen in decarbonising home heating in the UK, after another trial in the Cheshire village of Whitby was also called off last year following protests.
In a statement, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said the decision follows “careful consideration” after the decision to scrap the Redcar trial.
“We believe that low carbon hydrogen may have a role to play in heat decarbonisation, alongside heat pumps and heat networks, but in slower time in some locations,” DESNZ said.
“We plan to take a decision in 2026 on whether, and if so how, hydrogen will contribute to heating decarbonisation.”
DESNZ said it would assess evidence from the ongoing H100 hydrogen trial in Fife and similar schemes in Europe, as well as its own research, to inform its decision.
© Supplied by DNVDESNZ senior policy adviser Matthew Aylott said the UK government expects heat pumps, alongside district heat networks, to be “the principal means of decarbonising heat in people’s homes”.
‘Game over’ for hydrogen home heating?
The town pilot delay adds further doubt around the future of UK hydrogen use, with gas network operator SGN having already pushed back its H100 trial by 12 months.
A recent report from the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) stating there is “no public policy case” for hydrogen for heating homes.
The NIC report followed a 2022 review of more than two dozens studies which found hydrogen will not have a major role to play in heating UK homes.
Responding to the news on social media, Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre professor in decarbonisation Dawid Hank said “finally someone made the right call” on hydrogen use for domestic heating.
“The amount of effort could have been better spent on raising awareness around energy efficiency and heat pumps,” Mr Hank said.
UK Networks Services managing director Simon Gallagher also welcomed the move, saying that “despite the intense lobbying, the raw economics of hydrogen for mass heating will rule it out”.
“The government seems to agree now, which is good because this is all public money getting spent on projects that will tell us what we already know – hydrogen cannot be used for residential heating at scale,” Mr Gallagher said.
Meanwhile, former UK energy minister Chris Skidmore said it is “time to accept it is game over for hydrogen for domestic heating”.
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