A hydrogen-natural gas blend – a potentially easy win in the journey to net zero

Global net zero emissions targets, and how we get there, are proving to be a breeding ground for innovation. While many may be looking at technologies to take us straight to the finish line, technologies which also help us along the path to the end goal will still provide hugely valuable contributions.

In our transition to net zero, it is well accepted that fossil fuels and their associated infrastructure will play a key role, wherein existing reserves will still be used to ensure the world’s energy needs are still met, while net zero technologies are established and implemented.

One easy win on the route to net zero, involving the use of existing natural gas infrastructure, appears to be using a blend of hydrogen and natural gas to heat our homes (as opposed to purely natural gas); saving as much as 5% on carbon emissions in contrast to burning natural gas alone.

The blended fuel, which has been named ‘hythane’ can be transported in existing gas pipelines, and can be used in current domestic appliances and heating equipment. Given that the amount of hydrogen blended in the fuel does not exceed 20% by volume, modifications to existing infrastructure and equipment are not required.

Additionally this method of gradually introducing hydrogen into our energy networks will likely lessen the impacts of using fossil fuels while building our net zero infrastructure (given that hydrogen only produces water when burned or used in a fuel cell), while also building consumer confidence in using hydrogen as an alternative energy source.

While this blended fuel does emit what has been termed ‘grey hydrogen’, as an amount of carbon dioxide is still released from the burned fuel, there may also be an opportunity to combine this process with carbon capture and storage, producing the cleaner ‘blue hydrogen’.

Further, if at least 42% of the carbon emissions are captured, there will be an overall "well-to-combustion" emissions reduction across the energy supply chain. The more carbon emissions are reduced, the cheaper the fuel becomes due to savings in the carbon tax, especially when carbon prices are more than £200 per ton. The reduction in the amount of gas actually being used would also bring very welcome savings to consumers.

While blue hydrogen may still not be as desirable as green hydrogen, the costs of producing green hydrogen are still significantly higher than producing its blue counterpart. Therefore, while the ultimate goal may be green hydrogen, producing higher volumes of blue hydrogen would still be a significant step on the road to net zero.

Therefore, given the potential reduction in carbon emissions, the savings that could be reaped from using a hydrogen/natural gas blended fuel, there not being a requirement to update existing infrastructure, and the potential utilization with carbon capture and storage methods, using hythane to advance us along the path to net zero appears to be extremely low hanging fruit.