Claiming a world first, Baxi and H2GO Power have announced an industrial scale demonstration of a ‘heat-in-a-box’ concept that is designed to supply heat for gas pre-heating in a safe and carbon-neutral manner.
The trial will be hosted by Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the gas distributor for the North East, northern Cumbria and much of Yorkshire, at its Low Thornley test facility, near Gateshead.
The pressure of the gas must be reduced before it can be transported to homes and businesses through the network. This process can cause it to freeze, so pre-heating takes place to allow the gas to flow. Traditional pre-heating units are highly energy-intensive, so over the last decade, the gas industry has been exploring a range of low carbon technologies capable of carrying out the process.
Heat-in-a-box combines electrolysis, H2GO’s low-pressure hydrogen storage and Baxi’s Remeha Quinta 45 hydrogen boiler for commercial applications. The end-to-end system will be powered by solar PV and supported by an AI-enabled optimisation software platform developed by H2GO Power (HyAI).
The initiative is one of a number of projects funded through the BEIS £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio under the Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator Programme, which delivers funding for innovation projects that can provide evidence on end-to-end industrial fuel switching to hydrogen.
Karen Boswell, Managing Director at Baxi UK & Ireland, said: “There are challenges associated with electrification of industry, particularly where systems and processes have been designed for higher temperatures. Hydrogen is a viable alternative net zero energy carrier that can meet the needs of these hard to decarbonise sectors and can be used for mass storage of curtailed renewables – such as wind and PV – to use at times of peak demand for heat. Developing practical, cost-effective ways of storing hydrogen addresses both decarbonisation and energy reliability, making this project a particularly interesting solution for multiple use cases.”
Mark Horsley, CEO of Northern Gas Networks, adds: “Innovation projects are critical to understanding the route for the UK to reach net zero, the role hydrogen can play in helping to decarbonise all sectors and the opportunities it offers within a whole-systems approach. We’re delighted to be hosting such an exciting whole-systems demonstration.”
