UK Hydrogen Activities Update: Policy, Certification, Safety, and a UKHA?
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association


The UK Policy
The 2003 Energy White Paper, Our Energy Future: Creating a Low Carbon Economy, set the United Kingdom Government's policy on renewable energy, including a provision for a future increase in electricity consumption, and an increase in energy efficiency. One of the White Paper's four goals is to cut the UK's carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, as recommended by the Royal Environmental Commission on Pollution, with real progress by 2020, while maintaining reliable and competitive energy supplies. The Government recognises that increasing the use of renewables can make a significant contribution to achieving this. The White Paper also recognises the decline of the UK's indigenous energy supplies.

The UK already imports nearly 50 per cent of the coal it uses. By around 2006, the UK will also be a net importer of gas, and by around 2010 of oil. By 2020, the UK could be dependent on imported energy for three-quarters of our total primary energy needs. It has recognized that the best way of maintaining energy reliability will be through energy diversity.

The UK needs many sources of energy, many suppliers and many supply routes. Renewables and smaller-scale, distributed energy sources - e.g. micro-combined heat and power (CHP) and fuel cells - will help us avoid over-dependence on imports and can make us less vulnerable to security threats. With hydrogen made from a broad array of domestically available sources, this will diversify the primary energy portfolio.

Distributed energy resources, such as turbines, advanced gensets and fuel cells, provide opportunities to meet increased power needs without increased transmission infrastructure. These systems can operate independently of the grid and when these systems are operated on hydrogen and/or hydrogen blended fuels, significant reductions in urban air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions will be realized. Hydrogen offers a strategic opportunity to meet increasing UK energy needs in a highly efficient way without increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Much like the US, the UK is well positioned to transition from oil and gas as primary energy carriers to hydrogen. Hydrogen will then be the principal energy carrier, along with electricity, that will be used in all sectors of society and generated from all available feed stocks. The UK has a range of industries dedicated to creating a hydrogen energy infrastructure, including several major multinational energy suppliers.

Hydrogen energy is clean at the point of use. The production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources offers the potential to create an almost zero emission energy chain, with hydrogen used in fuel cells, internal combustion engines, and turbines. These can be used to power everything from households (providing both heat and power) to mobile phones and cars. Hydrogen can also be added to more conventional fuels, such as natural gas and diesel, to reduce CO₂ emissions.

Areas such as Teesside, with its long history of petrochemical innovation, are pioneering the initial development of the necessary technology and infrastructure to produce larger-scale hydrogen fuel cells and help speed the creation of a hydrogen economy.

It is widely acknowledged that a shift to a hydrogen-based economy is the likely goal over the next 50 to 100 years. This is due to its versatility, range of potential applications, and almost zero emissions when used.

On 14 June 2005, the DTI announced a hydrogen strategy worth a further £15 million. This will include demonstration programmes for hydrogen and fuel cells and the establishment of a Hydrogen Coordination Unit and represents a step change in the Government's commitment to hydrogen energy. Previously disparate efforts on hydrogen and fuel cells R&D will be brought together for the first time within an overall strategy. It will help to ensure that the UK's participation in international initiatives such as the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy is fully effective and benefits both the UK and our international partners.

The Government has responded positively to the report A Strategic Framework for Hydrogen Energy in the UK. The Government announced a funding package of around some £15 Million over four years for UK demonstrations of hydrogen and fuel cell energy technologies (most likely in the form of capital grants). The Government accepted the recommendation for the establishment of a Hydrogen Coordination Unit (HCU) to enable the development and deployment of low carbon, low cost and secure hydrogen energy chains for transport in line with national policy objectives. The Government will consider the potential options before deciding on the precise form which such a Unit should take.

International collaboration will also be important, and the Hydrogen Coordination Unit will help to ensure that the UK both contributes to and benefits from such collaboration wherever this is appropriate through global partners such as the International Energy Agency and the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy.

Certification
Naturally, as the UK is a member of the EU, CE marking will be required for many hydrogen energy systems. CE Marking is a mandatory mark for many of the products sold on the EFTA plus European Union (EU) market.

EU legislations, e.g. EU directive concerning Liability for Defective Products, make EU importers liable for the products they import, including the machinery they provide to their employees for work. Equipment manufacturers from outside the EU may find that no matter how interested a prospective EU importer may be in the product, the importer will NOT risk importing products without an appropriate CE Marking.

CE Marking may be achieved through several routes. One of the most practical ways, which is preferred by many EU importers who are neither specialized in the complicated CE Marking process nor willing to take risk, is that the manufacturer designates an Authorized Representative in the EU member states who will take care of the CE Marking issue. This allows the importers and/or distributors to focus on the marketing and sales of the products. The manufacturer may need only ONE Authorized Representative in the EU whereas they may have many importers and/or distributors.

The Authorized Representative may in some cases register the product(s) in the EU member states and thus obtain a Certificate of Registration. The Product Certificate of Registration for CE Marking obtained from one EU member state is valid for the entire EFTA plus EU market, i.e. 28 countries.

In general, CE Marking is most probably required if you want to sell to the 25 European Union (EU) and three European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states, the following 22 groups of products:

appliances burning gaseous fuels, cableway installations to carry persons, construction products, electrical equipment, equipment and protective systems for explosive atmospheres, explosives for civil uses, hot water boilers, household refrigerators & freezers, lift, machinery, marine equipment, measuring instruments, medical devices, active implantable medical devices, in vitro diagnostic medical devices, non-automatic weighing equipment, personal protective equipment, pressure equipment, simple pressure vessels, recreational craft, radio equipment & telecommunications terminal equipment, toys, trans-European conventional rail system.

1. All stationary fuel cell devices/installations fuelled by hydrogen and ventilated to the outdoors.
   
   
2. Does not apply where the hydrogen fuel is made by internal/adjacent reforming of other fuels.
   
   
3. Does not apply to portable or transport applications.
   Except where specifically prescribed below, the design, location and installation of hydrogen storage systems for fuel cells should comply with EIGA IGC Doc15/96 "Gaseous Hydrogen Stations". No storage of hydrogen shall be allowed within the occupied space of domestic dwellings.