Research conducted by Centrica Business Solutions has found that 59% of UK businesses are set to explore hydrogen technologies to decarbonise.
According to the How to tackle risks on the path to net zero report, 24% of firms are also said to already be working towards implementing hydrogen solutions using blue hydrogen, a colour that is used to identify hydrogen from non-renewable sources.
In contrast, just 10% of companies have started developing any sort of capability to adopt green hydrogen. Alongside this, only 2% of businesses said they are currently investing in hydrogen technology.
This is something that is expected to change in the near future as green hydrogen becomes more affordable and the clean energy carrier takes up a larger role in the journey to net zero. As well as this, the report found that technology maturity is another common obstacle with 56% citing this.
The research surveyed 300 senior executives from business across a wide range of sizes and sectors and asked about plans for tackling the cost, compliance and technology challenges related to net zero goals.
“The transformative potential of hydrogen power systems is no secret. It will play a vital role in achieving a secure, decarbonised power system fit for the future,” said Justin Jacober, director of UK and Ireland at Centrica Business Solutions.
“It’s clear that there is still a long way to go before hydrogen can challenge traditional energy sources. Our partnership with 2G Energy AG for hydrogen ready combined heat and power units is proof that the technology is ready, and it’s only a matter of time before the hydrogen delivery infrastructure catches up. There is clearly an appetite among businesses to adopt a hydrogen pathway as it eliminates stranded asset concerns.”
In 2022, the UK government increased its hydrogen production target for 2030 to include 10GW, with 5GW coming from green hydrogen. This was released as part of the Energy Security Strategy in early 2022.
