Ofgem has just announced the winners of its annual Network Innovation Competitions (NICs). And we’re delighted to say that NGN’s H21 project is one of those seven winners.
The win means that funding is secured for the next phase of this ground-breaking venture, which will see Leeds used as a pilot area for conversion of the existing gas grid to hydrogen. QEM Solutions are privileged to provide professional services to NGN throughout this pioneering enterprise.
Mark Danter, Managing Director of QEM Solutions, is pleased about the news:
“The Ofgem funding for H21 Hydrogen conversion is the initial step in decarbonising the UK gas network, and the biggest step towards reducing carbon emissions that the UK has seen. QEM Solutions are proud to be part of the H21 project.”
The H21 project could herald the conversion of the entire UK gas grid to hydrogen – a carbon-free alternative to natural gas. Leeds was selected because of its size, location, grid complexity, and high demand. It serves gas to 1.25% of the UK’s population alone. Simply put: if hydrogen works here, it’s likely to work anywhere.
Using the strategies successfully applied in the 70s when the gas grid was converted from towns gas to natural gas, the H21 project proposes an incremental conversion of the City of Leeds during the summer months when demand is invariably at its lowest. Upgrades to customers’ existing appliances complete the loop, and it’s foreseeable that Leeds could be methane-free by 2019.
But the success of the project could bring much more than a reduced UK carbon footprint. The immediate benefits for Leeds and the North are obvious, with a growth in the economy, new jobs, and a position as leader in hydrogen production and carbon capture – the carbon-free “Powerhouse of the North”.