Our Gas Goes Green plans for 2021: Time for our next steps

1. 2020 was a great year for hydrogen

2020 will surely go down as the year when hydrogen really took off as a solution for reducing our carbon emissions. From ‘Jet Zero’ in our skies to ‘Hy4Heat’ in our homes, there's a growing consensus around the role it can play in meeting a wide range of energy needs in a net zero world, cracking some of the thorniest challenges we face.

Gas Goes Green is playing its part by contributing as a leading source of industry learning, knowledge and expertise and we’d like to thank all the stakeholders who have taken part so far. As you can see from the launch document we’ve published today, we’re looking to build on that work as we head further into 2021, to turn the UK’s hydrogen ambitions into reality.

2. We’re taking the next steps

All of our work in 2020 was focussed on the Planning & Research phase of our six step Pathway to Net Zero. This year we’ll be continuing that, but in parallel we’ll be taking the first steps in the next phase too, Facilitating the Connection of More Green Gas. To find out more, just click on the 2021 programme document on the right of this page.

What does that mean in practice? Well, it means we’ll finding new ways to connect more biomethane plants more quickly than before. It means we’ll be start putting in place the right licensing arrangements to build the infrastructure to deliver hydrogen to Britain’s industrial heartlands. And it means we’ll be looking at things like hydrogen connection agreements, which will allow hydrogen producers to bring their goods to market as easily and speedily as possible.

3. There’s a bigger picture too

All of this work has to feed into a bigger picture, of course. One of the biggest challenges we face as a society is the need to reduce our household carbon emissions by 95% in the next thirty years and hydrogen and biomethane, working in partnership with electricity, are our best bet for doing achieving that.

Why do we think that’s the case and what are gas network companies doing through their innovation work? In the broadest sense, we think that hydrogen in our homes will deliver a whole range of different benefits - from ensuring that your living room is warm on the coldest night of the year, all the way up the supply chain to creating green jobs and investment in industries old and new.

We’ll be setting out more of that through our ‘Tomorrow’s Heat, Today’s Opportunity’ campaign this year, which we’ve also launched today. Head on over to our new digital hub here to find out more.