Jim Ratcliffe: UK must act now to kick start the hydrogen economy. Hydrogen is the dream fuel, but UK authorities have yet to get out of the starting blocks. If electrified, a big truck needs to cart around seven tonnes of battery packs and it cannot afford to hang around recharging. The same is true for buses. Hydrogen offers an attractive alternative. A hydrogen engine (known as a fuel cell) is the same size as a normal petrol or diesel one and takes the same amount of time to fuel up, so there is no waiting around and no range issue. In the home, a gas boiler could be replaced by a hydrogen boiler. You would hardly notice. So, what does it take to make the hydrogen economy work? For it to be practical and effective? Three things: it needs manufacturers to produce engines and boilers that run on the gas; it needs industry to make the hydrogen; and it needs hydrogen infrastructure in the form of filling stations and underground pipes like we have for natural gas.
Telegraph 17th Oct 2021 read more »