Regen was commissioned by Cornwall Council and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP to conduct a short opportunity study, identifying the potential for hydrogen as a low carbon fuel and as a driver for innovation and economic growth in the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly area, focusing on the period to 2030.
Project duration: April 2021 – July 2021
Project lead: Grace Millman
Hydrogen is set to play a critical role in enabling the UK economy to achieve net zero carbon. As well as providing a low carbon energy source for difficult to decarbonise sectors, such as heavy transport, aviation and various industrial processes, hydrogen could also play an important role in system balancing as a multi-vector fuel, using very low-cost electricity during times of over-supply to convert, store and transport renewable energy for many applications.
The opportunity assessment summarised the current UK hydrogen policy landscape, outlined current and pipeline hydrogen activity in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and identified several sector-specific and general opportunities for hydrogen development in the region. As part of the assessment, Regen engaged several key Cornish organisations and stakeholders to gauge the scale of opportunity for hydrogen in the region generally and for specific sectors.
The report found that there are opportunities for hydrogen in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly by 2030, but they are focused on specific applications that are difficult to decarbonised through more conventional methods, including the decarbonisation of maritime vessels and heavy vehicles. Many of these opportunities will not be realised until the latter part of this decade or beyond. Hydrogen is still set to be a relatively expensive fuel, and this could be a big hurdle for many sectors. Government support combined with demand will be required to bring down the price of green hydrogen and incentivise fuel switching in carbon intensive industries.
