The Government right to ditch plan for hydrogen boilers in homes - Yorkshire Post Letters

It was a good decision by Grant Shapps, Energy Secretary, to ditch a planned trial to replace gas boilers in homes with hydrogen-based ones.

There are several very valid reasons why hydrogen for home heating is not suited to our necessary, rapid drive towards net zero.

Hydrogen is used across the world today primarily in fertiliser and chemical production, but it is important to distinguish between grey, blue and green hydrogen.

Grey and blue hydrogen rely on extracting fossil fuels, which must stay in the ground if we are to have any hope of preventing catastrophic climate and ecological breakdown.

Green hydrogen is different because it is produced from water by electrolysis; if the electricity for this process is generated from renewable sources, then that can be part of our net zero future.

Unfortunately, 96 per cent of the hydrogen we use today is grey - produced from fossil fuels – and tackling this first is essential. Once this is done, priority must be given to sectors such as heavy industry and shipping which require high temperature combustion or the need to carry lots of fuel, and where other solutions are limited.

Home heating requires relatively low temperatures meaning it can be met very efficiently by other options such as heat pumps, heat networks, and making our homes more energy efficient.

Dozens of independent studies have repeatedly concluded that hydrogen for home heating will be too expensive and inefficient compared to the alternatives.

In relation to heating our homes and other buildings there needs to be an ambitious programme of insulation, with a move towards replacing gas boilers as well as the use of gas or oil for cooking or heating.

Many jobs in the fossil fuel industry, or those that currently depend on the use of fossil fuels will need to change, but there are so many possible new jobs in the green transition that with the knowledge, vision and skills this can be the start of a brighter, greener future.

Our leaders in industry and politics need to understand the realities of climate change, grasp this nettle, and make the bold, rapid decisions necessary to ensure a liveable future for us all on this planet.