Hydrogen produced by electrolysis powered by a nuclear power plant is regarded as pink hydrogen and could be used to create large quantities of the clean energy carrier for various different industries.
Read more: Nuclear energy could produce affordable hydrogen for Europe
Read more: Nuclear derived hydrogen being explored for UK gas grids
The new think tank explores nuclear energy’s current and future role in the hydrogen economy and how it could support the UK in attaining its net zero emission targets.
The Nuclear Derived Hydrogen to Gas Networks collaboration is set to provide deeper evidence to support key up-coming government policy decisions on the role of hydrogen in buildings and for heating and will be fed into the work of the UK HFCA working group going forward.
With this, it could see nuclear integrated as an important vector to spearhead the hydrogen revolution.
Celia Greaves, CEO of the UK HFCA, said, “Hydrogen is too important a part of the UK’s journey to net zero for us to let up. The UK HFCA will continue to do all it can, leading co-ordination with relevant groups to ensure the Government receives consistent, practical, and expert advice.
“Nuclear power plants can produce hydrogen through a variety of methods that would greatly reduce carbon emissions while taking advantage of the constant thermal energy and electricity it reliably provides.
“In future, we could see nuclear power plants functioning as part of an energy system that is very different from the one that existed during the construction of the nuclear plants currently in use.”
Nuclear energy plants could help accelerate hydrogen adoption with reduced costs
With the breakthrough of hydrogen technology in various decarbonisation strategies across the world, nuclear reactors could be given a new lease of life by providing almost perfect conditions to produce green hydrogen on a massive scale.
It is not often you find two products that, ethically, are at opposite ends of the spectrum but complement each other so significantly. The reputational facelift that nuclear power has needed since it was first introduced in the last century could be realised with the introduction of technologies that utilise by-products of nuclear power to generate alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen.
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