The definitive guide to Britain's success in the twenty-first century
Introduction
Here we define the core elements of the new H2EV SmartGrid, along with the development of new business sectors, legal provisions and timescales.
To arrive at the final destination requires many things to happen at once, along with massive investment across many industrial sectors. This can only be done with strong government leadership and intervention. The current ‘conservative’ governments in the UK and the US and many parts of the EU do not have the right mindset or backing to achieve this massive co-ordinated change. The ‘reset’ after covid is just right to make such developments in both thinking and long-term strategic investments, cutting through the established industries and their power to influence governments.
Light may shine on this path from other countries such as the Nordic block and even from countries like Australia, who are quicker movers and already see that they must change both economically and environmentally to survive within a shorter timescale.
Post covid, it now becomes clear that such investment has many attributes with few downsides. The UK itself cannot just sit on £2+ Trillion debt and wait for some miracle economic improvement. This would be a strategy that has massive downsides and may fail completely. We already know that creating a fully joined-up Hydrogen economy will work - as all the core technical requirements such as fuel cells and storage are proven. Most of the public do not know enough about these opportunities to press for change, so it is up to the government and the key influencers to see these possibilities and plan ahead.
The building blocks for success, (assuming the UK government leads the investment and change), are set out below:
Firstly we need new legal structures and models for new businesses. CST has never believed that governments should tackle change themselves. Governments are there to promote the strategy, change the required legal structures and to put in enough investment that harnesses the will and investment of the people. Smaller organisations that are led by people who know how to get things done should provide the backbone of this Hydrogen revolution.
The new business structures, (proposed within innovation strategies), allow for this transformation with the benefit of creating efficient, highly efficient organisations providing rewarding work, while sharing the proceeds to a wider public who invest, but disallowing the actions that create the deceitful and ridiculous money-powered organisations such as the FANGS.
This has to be delivered strategically from the government. Changing the laws on fossil fuel use, processing and development along with transportation. These will go directly against the many industrial sectors, especially the oil, gas industries as well as wider industrial businesses that use such fuels for their processing of chemicals and products. But in creating such a massive medium-term change mechanism will ensure that existing companies will have to change and embrace the new paradigm of Hydrogen.
Everything will cost more due to these changes, but if we take a fifty year economic cycle, a future offering stable jobs and good prospects for all young people within a fully sustainable society. (Proper long-term investment will not create instability, but poor investment such as the ping-pong of subsidies for solar creates instability and ends up changing nothing). Brexit adds to the economic uncertainty, but also allows this investment plan to work without any legal constraints from the EU regarding direct funding for businesses. Potential new trade agreements should include Hydrogen technologies and energy exportation as a key components.
By investing now in all the necessary infrastructure along with changing the necessary legislature achieves two things; firstly it shows that this is a long-term plan that will attract the big strategic investors (pension funds et al) and change the mindset of all businesses. Secondly, by investing in all three main energy technologies together, (solar, wind, H2), it creates the ability for the excess power on sunny or windy days to be stored in the large Hydrogen facilities for future use. This really is the holy grail for energy stability and will, once in place, drive down the cost of all energy use. The UK is well placed geographically to achieve good results from such energy integration.
The main physical infrastructure required
Linked up recharging, and Hydrogen fuel distribution across the whole of the UK, in all current ‘petrol’ stations the H2EV SmartGrid
Smart local ‘grids’ to bring together battery, solar & wind production along with Hydrogen production and Hydrogen storage providing a stable energy platform with good baseload capability
Massive introduction through grants for delivering a long-term process of installing solar on every house and every building in the UK that can output energy efficiently into the new smart grids.
Development of several new main industries:
Due to Covid, these should be moved so that investments can be made now. The UK and many other countries face major economic with high unemployment for the foreseeable future. A plan for a future based on a Hydrogen economy allows for the younger people and those currently facing longer-term unemployment the hope that we all need to move forward. CST proposes the following timescales:
Following the above implementation, we can see that a whole range of underlying issues can be addressed.
Firstly, such massive investment from both the government and the people and the pension funds, will create many high level jobs. This means that we can lift people out from poverty, train our young people, re-train older people and invest long-term in the NHS as we can see a viable, profitable future for the UK.
The new business structures, will ensure that the eventual profits from many new and growing businesses will flow back to the people for the people. Gone will be the tax evasions and the fat cats living on the back the people who do the work and the consumers who pay over the odds. This is not a socialist agenda, it is commonsense, especially as the UK leaves the EU - we need a different approach to the money-led investments that inevitably provide for the few. This investment strategy provides for the future prosperity for the whole UK and all of its people.
Secondly, ramping up the use of natural gas to produce clean Hydrogen provides very significant energy increase over and above that from investment in solar and wind. This means that the UK will be a net exporter of energy and our industries gain access to plentiful ongoing energy production, this energy may not be the cheapest initially, but for the economy as a whole it provides stability for the longer-term where companies can plan ahead. There is also the longer-term possibility of using excess energy to sequest CO2 from the atmosphere. This is interesting as we can see that the fossil fuels (natural gas) could be used directly to help clean the atmosphere. On a world-wide basis this may be hugely significant over the next 50 years.
Thirdly, these developments provide significant export opportunities, the UK would become the leader in Hydrogen production, environmentally sustainable infrastructure & zero emission vehicles along with all the associated research & other technologies.
Fourthly, the more Hydrogen we produce (from methane), the more plastics and building and other products we can produce in volume, this drives down the costs and creates improved efficiencies while limiting our CO2 production. Waste plastic can also be turned into Hydrogen providing a clean alternative to dumping.
Fifthly, by improving the inner town & city environments, we directly reduce the damage to our children’s long-term health. By removing parked cars we gain significant new opportunities for local communities – cycle lanes, better walking spaces, reduced environmental noise and hazards. Removal of locally owned cars and associated parking replaced by car sharing and local taxis apps improve families wealth and improves journey times.
Once in place, these savings are significant as the average household spends over £3000 on vehicle ownership and fuel per annum, with newer electric or Hydrogen vehicles that last longer and have reduced fuel costs, the cost per household could fall to £1000 or less using car sharing and driverless taxis. This saving will be available within 15 years under this investment strategy. Such a saving will enable more funds to be spent on the NHS and care for the ever aging community.
So, we get a completely virtuous cycle – investment in new clean energy, vehicles, infrastructure, provides for massive energy production, more & better jobs, more useful green products, improved recycling & improved local environments, with excess energy to further clean the planet. The more energy we produce - the more jobs, the cleaner the air and the better the local environment becomes.
The outcome in just ten to fifteen years would be a thriving, sustainable economy based on the greenest credentials without any of the downside of attempting to curtail energy use. The export opportunities of such investments also provide for increasing UK wealth long-term.
CST Background Notes:
As the world inexorably moves towards a more automated economy, the two main elements that will be non-negotiable are growing energy requirements and transportation. Indeed both of these will continue to make up a larger part of the overall economy. Thus, this H2 investment strategy lays the ground-work for these future developments in automation.
The UK will therefore be better placed to begin the new automation transformation when the Smart Robots become a reality. Timescales are always tricky, but this energy strategy provides the best possible basis to provide for this transformation.
References:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2206546-uk-could-use-hydrogen-instead-of-natural-gas-if-it-can-make-enough/
Keele University, Oxford University research on hydrogen use and new products from CO2
The HyNet Low Carbon Hydrogen Project
https://www.theengineer.co.uk/waste-plastic-hydrogen-plant-uk/
https://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/stories/journey-to-net-zero/high-hopes-hydrogen
Ten years ago, CST started a conversation about Hydrogen fueling the world where we coined the phrase H2Grid. Now the world is beginning to see the light. CST were first in developing this wider thinking, we now take another look at the current and future possibilities with the answer of how as a society we should move ahead.
We are going to show that Hydrogen is not just the best way forward for energy use, but we are going to demonstrate that it produces a virtuous cycle.
Hydrogen will tackle climate issues, provide economic success, provide massive energy capability, create low cost transport and improve local environments;
– A virtuous cycle that takes us into a profitable, stable, better future.