EDITOR’S COMMENT
JON EXCELL
Hydrogen hopes for
UK economy
In last month’s issue we celebrated the engineering response to Covid-19 and
expressed a hope that the spirit of collaboration engendered by the crisis will
endure as we set out about meeting the challenges and opportunities of the
future.
Barring the sudden appearance of civilisation-ending asteroid on a collision
course with our planet, there can be few bigger challenges than reducing our
emissions to zero and averting a climate catastrophe.
Whilst meeting the 2050 net zero emissions targets that are enshrined in UK
law will require collaboration between government and businesses across the
economy, developing and deploying the systems that will achieve this is fi rst and
foremost an engineering challenge requiring unprecedented levels of innovation
and collaboration across a range of technology areas.
From carbon capture and storage to modular nuclear reactors; ba ery
technology; off shore wind; solar and more, no stone should be left unturned on
the route to zero-carbon. Indeed – at a time where the human tendency to take
sides has perhaps never been more pronounced - many in the sector are wisely
cautioning against the perils of “energy tribalism”.
But as we report, whilst the UK might be playing catch up in some fi elds
(perhaps most notably ba eries) there is one distinct area of expertise that could
play a particularly key role in helping it achieve a genuine competitive edge,
whilst meeting its low carbon ambitions. And that is hydrogen.
Versatile, energy dense and clean at point of use hydrogen is already widely
used in a range of processes, but most of the gas that’s currently used is produced
using emissions-heavy fossil-fuel powered processes.
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MISSION
STATEMENT
The aim of
The Engineer
is to champion
and promote
engineering
innovation and
technology
development
across all of
the UK’s key
engineering
sectors. Jon Excell EDITO R • JON.EXCELL@MARKALLENGROUP.COM
Against this backdrop the quest for a greener form of hydrogen is a major
driver of innovation, and in this issue’s main feature (page 14) we look at how
the emergence of so-called green hydrogen production techniques - that marry
hydrogen production to renewables generation - could fi nally enable the gas to
deliver on its much-touted potential to reshape our energy economy.
On the subject of collaboration, there’s still time to enter The Engineer’s 2020
Collaborate to Innovate Awards. Now in its fi fth year, the awards were established
to celebrate inspiring examples of engineering collaboration. It’s hard to think of a
time when championing this dynamic has been more important. You can fi nd out
more and enter this year’s competition by visiting awards.theengineer.co.uk
5THINGS
WE’VE
LEARNT
THIS
ISSUE
1 Drones have
been used to
deliver COVID-19
testing kits in the
Scottish Highlands
2 NASA’s
Perseverence
rover will take a
helicopter to Mars
3 The SpaceX
crew Dragon
orbited Earth at
speeds of upto
17,500mph on its way
to the ISS
4 Renewably
produced
hydrogen could be
used to meet all of the
UK’s heating gas
needs
5 Williams
Advanced
Engineering delivered
the battery system
for Formula E in just 12
months
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