Government hydrogen strategy ‘not a route to net zero’ says Green Party
The Green Party has criticised the government’s hydrogen strategy this morning saying subsidies for the creation of ‘dirty hydrogen’ are an outrage.
Blue hydrogen is created primarily from fossil fuels and is included in the government plans. The Greens are clear that only green hydrogen, produced using renewable electricity and with almost no CO2 emissions, would genuinely play a role in reaching net zero. [1]
Green Party Green New Deal spokesperson and Leader of Lewes District Council [2] Zoe Nicholson said: “This is a typical government move to try and make it look as if they are making some kind of positive shift away from fossil fuels, when in fact the reality is nothing of the kind.
“Creating dirty hydrogen from fossil fuels doesn’t help make any progress towards net zero and instead takes investment away from actual sustainable energy options.
“It looks like yet again the government is putting the interests of its friends in the gas industry ahead of the environment.”
On the government’s announcement that there will be a decision made on whether to use hydrogen for heating homes by 2026 Nicholson continued:
"The idea that we can wait another five years to look at the energy we use to heat our homes is frankly ludicrous. There needs to be a focus right now on insulating homes and installing heat pumps which would both go a long way in making homes warmer and cheaper to run as well as cutting emissions right now.
“Truly green hydrogen and derived fuels will play an important role in our sustainable future, primarily for transport like HGVs and ships, industry and balancing the electricity supply and demand.”
ENDS
[1]https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/low-carbon-energy-programme/hydrogen-production/
[2] Lewes District Council is in partnership with private and public sector bodies supporting the creation of a Sussex-wide green hydrogen hub: http://www.hydrogensussex.org