RenewableUK’s first green hydrogen event highlights innovative technology’s benefits

The enormous opportunity for the UK to capitalize on green hydrogen’s industrial opportunities was highlighted today at RenewableUK’s first-ever green hydrogen event, Green Hydrogen 2022, held by ITM Power at their Gigafactory in Sheffield.

The company manufactures state-of-the-art electrolyzers that generate green hydrogen from renewable energy sources.

Green hydrogen can be used to decarbonize a wide range of industries, most notably industrial operations such as glass, steel, and chemical production, as well as heavy-duty transport, while also increasing the flexibility of our current energy system by ensuring that the grid is always balanced. It will be critical in assisting the UK in achieving net zero more quickly and enhancing our energy security.

The conference brought together leaders in this cutting-edge sector, as well as government officials and significant stakeholders such as National Grid. They explored strategies for accelerating the creation of a vibrant green hydrogen economy over the next decade.

Over 120 delegates were informed that this cutting-edge technology has the potential to create thousands of highly skilled jobs across the country. Additionally, it will open up prospects for the UK to export green hydrogen, particularly to continental Europe. We are already capitalizing on this opportunity; ITM Power’s plant in Sheffield is the world’s first electrolyzer Gigafactory, and the company has already sold electrolyzers to Germany’s largest hydrogen plant.

RenewableUK has released a new report, “Green Hydrogen: Optimising Net Zero,” in conjunction with the event. The report contains a series of policy recommendations to assist the Government in meeting its target of 10GW of low carbon hydrogen by 2030, including at least 5GW from green hydrogen production. Additional information on the report is accessible here.

RenewableUK’s Director of Future Electricity Systems Barnaby Wharton said: “Green hydrogen will play a critical role in our decarbonised energy system. Our new report outlines in detail the next steps which the Government needs to take to maximise the opportunity for the UK. The Prime Minister’s Energy Security Strategy sets a target of 95% clean power by 2030, driven by the growth of clean, cheap renewables. If we get the framework right, we can rapidly scale up our green hydrogen industry which will bring down costs, create global export opportunities and boost our energy independence”. 

Also speaking at the event, Dr Graham Cooley said “There are many UK trade bodies interested in hydrogen, but there’s only one exclusively interested in green hydrogen. With RenewableUK, we now have a stronger voice in the UK. Let’s be clear in this, the oil and gas industry has a louder voice. So, it’s critical to have a clear counterbalance and the support of RenewableUK. You can’t get to net zero without green hydrogen, so there’s a net zero driver, a fuel security driver, and an industrial driver.”

RenewableUK also unveiled a new market intelligence service, EnergyPulse, at the event, which delivers complete data on green hydrogen projects in the United Kingdom at every stage of development for our member companies.