Find out the facts about the Hydrogen Village

Dec 22 2022 future of energy

This project is still in the early, information gathering stages, but we understand that residents have concerns and questions. For this reason, we have a dedicated website Home - Whitby (hydrogenvillage.com) which provides information and the answers to many of our residents’ questions. We also recently opened our Hydrogen Experience Centre, which is manned every day except Sunday, to provide a place where residents can go and speak to our teams of experts and see hydrogen appliances working. Residents are free to visit whenever the centre is open, no appointment is necessary.

The UK government has committed in law to reaching net zero by 2025, the best way to do that will be through a mix of energy sources – of which hydrogen could be one. Once we stop using natural gas, as will be necessary, we will need other energy sources. The current electricity grid is not able to provide what is required.

The Whitby project is a government backed trial aimed at discovering whether we can transition from the existing, CO₂-producing natural gas to hydrogen, using the existing network. We are working with the community, carrying out In Home Hydrogen Assessments (over 1250 of these have been done so far), to see if the current local network is suitable. We will submit our findings to the government early next year for them to make their decision.

As well as the assessments and the Experience Centre we are collecting resident’s views through independent, 3^rd party research and the overwhelming response has been positive.

Many experts have published opinions on the use of hydrogen for heating in homes, the Hy4Heat report has been misquoted on occasions. However, the information has been publicly set right by the authors of that report and by BEIS (Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy), the government department responsible for the project.

We would urge anyone with questions or concerns to contact the Hydrogen Village team directly – or to come along to our next Community Information Event on January 10^th. Community Information Events announced – come along and ask your questions! - Whitby (hydrogenvillage.com)

The Experience Centre opening hours for the festive period are here: HEC Christmas opening hours - Whitby (hydrogenvillage.com)

Cadent

Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy. We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change. Day to day we continue to operate, maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network, transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency. Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve, working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the Welsh Borders to East Anglia, to keep your energy flowing.

Future of Gas: Here at Cadent we support the Government’s plans to reach Net Zero by 2050. That means we’re backing the introduction of hydrogen as a low carbon alternative to natural gas for the future. We know people love the controllability of gas and, with our network already in place, it makes sense to switch to the lower carbon alternative offered by hydrogen, which we believe can keep homes and businesses warm for generations to come.

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