In today's podcast we focus on hydrogen – zero carbon fuel of the future or an exercise in wishful thinking?

That said, as the UK sharpens its focus on delivering a net zero future, hydrogen is increasingly taking centre stage in the national energy conversation. 

Touted as one of the cleanest and most versatile fuels available, hydrogen holds significant promise for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy industry, construction, and long-haul transport. 

It also offers a route to greater energy resilience and system flexibility – two critical ingredients in the UK’s evolving low-carbon economy.

But while the direction of travel is clear, the path to delivery is far from smooth. Despite a government ambition to scale hydrogen production to 10GW by 2030 – with at least half from green electrolytic hydrogen – progress has been slow. Today, only a fraction of this capacity has reached final investment decision, and fewer still are under construction.

However, the recent announcement of 27 shortlisted projects in the government’s second Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2) has been welcomed as a step forward in terms of putting in place the subsidies that might secure future production business models. 

But, and there are always many buts… major questions still remain about how this fuel production might be scaled.

Can we develop the infrastructure, market frameworks, and demand signals needed to unlock investment? And crucially, where does hydrogen genuinely add value – rather than simply an expensive distraction on route to zero carbon?

Well to find out, I’m joined today by Brett Ryan, Head of Policy and Analysis at Hydrogen UK, the industry’s leading trade body in the sector. He is the ideal person to chat through the commercial and policy challenges that are shaping the market, the opportunities that hydrogen presents for UK industry and innovation, and what needs to happen now to convert ambition into action. 

Resources

• Hydrogen UK website
• Brett Ryan Linked In
• UK Government HAR2 announcement 
• National Infrastructure Commission: Needs Assessment tech annex on hydrogen
• Hydrogen UK - the hydrogen story