Tom Baxter – professor of chemical engineering at Strathclyde University and a retired technical director at Genesis Oil and Gas. Heat pumps will heat a property using around a quarter of the energy of hydrogen. Annual fuel bills will consequently be much lower for the consumer. Whilst in time the lower fuel bills will cover the cost of the heat pump, the upfront cost will remain a barrier for many. Could we change the funding model? The electricity supplier covers the cost of the heat pump but raises the electricity tariff to recoup the cost. Since there is such a large difference between electrical heat pump and hydrogen energy costs there is significant scope for the electricity supplier to increase tariff. That to my mind would a much more attractive outcome than using costly hydrogen fuel. It is also worth considering that hydrogen will require four times as many turbines and solar panels than a heat pump. Furthermore, as a consequence of the lower energy requirement for heat pumping, the need for energy storage will be smaller compared to hydrogen.
Energy Voice 12th Oct 2020 read more »