CPD PROGRAMME Continuing professional development (CPD) is the regular maintenance, improvement and broadening of your knowledge and skills, to maintain professional competence. It is a requirement of CIBSE and other professional bodies. This Journal CPD programme can be used to meet your CPD requirements. Study the module and answer the questions on the final page. Each successfully completed module is equivalent to 1.5 hours of CPD. Modules are also available at www.cibsejournal.com/cpd Decarbonising the UK demand for heat with green hydrogen This module considers the potential for using hydrogen as a lowcarbon alternative to natural gas to meet the UKs energy demand This CPD will consider the increasingly pressing need to decarbonise the energy networks and will focus on the potential opportunities to meet the UK energy demand by producing, distributing and burning green hydrogen (H2) in heating appliances. On 17 June 2019, the UK became the first major economy in the world to pass laws committing to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. The recent report1 by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) noted that, as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, 2020 global greenhouse gas emissions are expected to fall by a record 5-10%. But this effect is temporary, and the determination is that CO2 emissions must be cut consistently year on year to reach global net-zero emissions to halt global warming. The report suggests, as demonstrated by the rate of social change during the pandemic and drawing on the results of a UK poll that the British public are now more aware of external risks and continue to favour action to tackle climate change. Developments towards net zero are not only more commonly valued but are now inevitably linked the with the plans for a resilient recovery from Covid-19. As a further driver for change, the UK will host the 26th Conference of the Parties climate summit (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021 a year when the UK also holds the presidency of the G7. The international stakes have recently been increased by Chinese President Xi Jinpings announcement at the September 2020 meeting of the UN General Assembly that China aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 20602 with a call to all countries to achieve a green recovery of the world economy in the post-Covid era. The EU has similarly lifted expectations by recently announcing that climate legislation will be updated in 2021 to meet a 55% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2030 up from the previous goal of 40%. The UKs 23 million-plus homes account for about 60 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.3 As discussed by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU)4 and CCC,1 the route towards decarbonised heat in the UK can take several complementary paths. This includes: the use of renewable electricity to meet heating needs directly for example, by powering heat pumps; the combustion of low carbon fuels such as by replacing natural gas used with hydrogen or biomethane; fourth- and fifthgeneration5 district heat networks; hybrid systems, combining both electrification and hydrogen, where heat pumps could be used to meet the majority of heat demand (possibly linked into heat networks), with hydrogen gas boilers being used for peak lopping or to produce higher temperatures economically; and biomass used to replace more polluting fuels in off-grid properties. As illustrated in Figure 1, the demand for daily heat energy required in the UK is significant and, for most of the year, substantially more than the electrical energy demand. The current energy supply systems are only able to supply the combined load because the gas network is capable of meeting the main part of the peak winter daily heat demands, and delivers energy alongside the electrical network. Neither network could cope on its own. The UKs National Infrastructure Strategy delayed to accommodate the needs of 66 November 2020 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Nov20 pp66-69 CPD 170 Baxi v2.indd 66 23/10/2020 16:42