TPi September 2018

Business & market news

Using gas grid to store excess electricity According to a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), government and industry should boost investment in technology to promote the use of hydrogen as a way of storing energy. One of the barriers to increasing renewable capacity in the UK is the inability to store excess electricity – if, for example, it is very windy but demand levels are low. The proposed technology would allow the gas grid to be used to store excess electricity, in the form of hydrogen, and support an expansion of renewable power in the UK. The recommendation is made in the report ‘Energy from Gas: Taking a Whole System Approach’, which outlines key ways that gas could be used to make the UK energy system greener, cheaper and more efficient.

Power-to-gas technology uses excess electricity on the National Grid – from either high levels of renewable generation or low demand – to create hydrogen through electrolysis. This can be used locally or injected into the gas grid at a low hydrogen concentration. Apart from producing ‘green’ gas, it can also be used to balance the electricity grid. The UK gas grid has the potential to store excess electricity in the form of hydrogen for a greater amount of time than some other forms of energy storage, such as batteries. The report makes three recommenda- tions for how power-to-gas technology could be used to transform the UK energy system: 1. UK Government must commit to creating an industrial forum that brings together the nuclear, renewable power and gas sectors to promote the generation and storage of hydrogen for use across the UK energy system in heat, transport, power generation and heavy industry. Investment now in the future hydrogen economy will begin to encourage further innovation. 2. UK Government must work with the gas industry to promote the use of up to 20 per cent hydrogen in the gas distribution network, including changes in pipes and materials by 2023. Fund- ing programmes and demonstration sites are crucial to decarbonising gas. Government has the power to finance research, development and demonstra- tion and support deployment through programmes such as Innovate UK, as well as bespoke programmes designed to deliver future UK infrastructure. 3. UK Government should commission a comprehensive comparative study of the long-term sustainability of materials used to create lithium ion EV batteries versus power-to-gas/gas systems and fuel cells, to identify appropriate technology and life cycle approach. By understanding this more clearly, UK Government can make evidence-based investment decisions that meet the requirements of sustainable development in the transport and heat sectors. Institution of Mechanical Engineers – UK www.imeche.org

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