A new report by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) outlines the crucial needs and challenges that must be addressed to boost the hydrogen economy and support the UK in reaching its net zero goals.
The NPL report, “Measurement challenges in the hydrogen sector”, identifies measurement challenges in four areas of the hydrogen economy: production, storage, distribution and end-use. Solving these challenges is integral for growing the hydrogen economy and enabling the UK to reach its net zero goals.
The challenges include:
• Reducing the production cost of electrolytic or “green” hydrogen
• Supporting the rollout of hydrogen storage and distribution infrastructure
• Developing new test facilities capable of advanced material research to support emerging hydrogen technologies
• Filling gaps in regulation, technical and measurement standards across the hydrogen value chain
• Enabling the decarbonisation of different industries by supporting the progression of hydrogen end-use technologies
Commenting on the report, NPL scientist Ali Al-Sikab said, “The last few years has seen increased investment in the rapid development and rollout of hydrogen technologies in the UK. The UK government has committed to channelling up to £500 million into green hydrogen over the parliament in a bid to deliver clean power by 2030. As with many new technologies and innovations, metrology (the science of measurement) lies at the heart of their standardisation and successful operation, which in turn leads to wider commercial uptake.
“NPL is ready to work with government, industry, and academia to solve the needs and challenges identified in the new report so that hydrogen technologies continue to gain momentum as a commercially alternative energy source that contributes significantly to the UK’s energy transition.”
