CCS, hydrogen and twice as much power required for net zero

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The UK needs to quickly invest in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and clean power generation to stand a chance of hitting net zero by 2050, according to the Energy Systems Catapult.

Power generation will need to double – or triple if hydrogen is to be produced by electrolysis – to decarbonise heat and transport, according to its latest report.

That means massive increases in both renewables and new nuclear power, including small reactors, which alongside industrial heat pumps could enable the required 12-fold expansion of district heating networks, states the report.

The Energy Systems Catapult said while reforming methane and capturing emissions via CCS could represent the lowest cost approach to hydrogen production, “given implementation risks for these, electrolysis remains an important option for bulk production as well as offering unique opportunities for integration of renewables and more distributed hydrogen production”.

Major and rapid advances in both heat and power storage are also required.

All of the above requires a considered mix of market, pricing and regulatory interventions to shape market incentives across the economy, per the report.

The UK will also need to plant up to 50,000 hectares of forest a year, cut meat and dairy production and consumption by up to half, and fly less to decarbonise the economy, the report states.

Download the report here.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. We need to cut population of the world, human lived in caves and hunted animals for food and some grew crops including grains. As the population grew there was less animals to kill humans for food.
    Some electricity is clean if generated from waste, As climate changes we should use the solar(sun), water and natural gas and other gasses for power also storage batteries to even out supplies. The coal in the ground might be needed but might run out, tired of digging holes.
    Every property should have solar in the UK also produces jobs installing systems and repairs, they should have swing and roundabouts to play on to take the boredom from life, to many rules do you remember them, big brother will be watching you and your Energy usage., life will seem to be inhuman.

  2. “That means massive increases in both renewables and new nuclear power, including small reactors,”
    What have we been telling you?

  3. This research pays absolutely no attention to the overall impact of energy using products. Their ever greater efficiency is reckoned by the “Electric Insights” team at Imperial College (from DRAX) to be the biggest single driver of emissions decline over the past decade. Demand for electricity is already 30% lower than earlier Government projections.
    But this Catapult is entirely supply side oriented

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