Knowledge exchange

The lessons from this trial have already translated to national policy, with hydrogen blending explicitly referenced by the Government as a policy objective. Members of the HyDeploy project team have directly engaged with several heat and decarbonisation-related teams at the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to disseminate the findings, as well as manufacturers, industry leaders, and energy network and trade bodies. 

This trial also enabled our academics to conduct the first research with consumers that were actually using hydrogen-blended gas, to ascertain their opinions on using the blend in a domestic setting. The users who had the hydrogen blend in their homes experienced no disruption and no impact on their everyday activities, all while reducing carbon emissions, and their evidence will be critical for the Government’s future decision-making on rolling hydrogen out more widely. Important materials testing and research into thermoacoustic modelling of hydrogen blend flames was also undertaken. 

Consumer perceptions formed a key enquiry for the researchers, to ensure maximum uptake of hydrogen blending when it is eventually rolled out more widely.

Residents and staff who live and work on the University campus were the primary users of the blended gas, with their overwhelmingly positive feedback forming a key part of the overall HyDeploy study.

Without this project, the UK – and wider world – would not have gained such valuable insights into the efficacy of using hydrogen to heat our homes, data which will be essential in implementing the Government’s plans for Net Zero, which have hydrogen at their core.