Can Hydrogen Boilers Provide Clean Heating in the Future?
The answer as to whether hydrogen boilers are the future of clean heating is, potentially, they could be. But there are many issues to be resolved.
At the point of burning hydrogen gas can be very clean. However, whether it is actually clean overall also depends on how that hydrogen is produced.
Grey hydrogen is not clean. So a boiler running on grey hydrogen would not provide clean heat at all.
Blue and green hydrogen are potentially very clean. So a boiler running on these types of hydrogen could be pretty green.
A hydrogen-ready boiler is not any cleaner than a natural gas boiler as long as it runs on natural gas.
A hydrogen blend boiler also uses natural gas so it produces carbon emissions. A hydrogen blend boiler is probably cleaner than a natural gas boiler but it is not entirely clean.
The environmental credentials of hydrogen boilers also depend on how the hydrogen is transported, and on the actual technology used in the boiler to burn the hydrogen.
At the end of the day, it is probably true to say that there is a long way to go and many issues to be addressed before hydrogen boilers can provide truly clean and green heat.
A recent government report – The Role of Hydrogen in Achieving Net Zero – says ‘Hydrogen could play a role in domestic heating, but the extent of its potential is still uncertain and looks likely to be limited rather than widespread. We are unconvinced its deployment will prove to be economically viable by the time the Government has said it will determine the role of hydrogen boilers, in 2026.’