- £5 million government funding to support the development of
innovative new technologies that will generate hydrogen from
biomass and waste
- paired with carbon capture and storage methods, these
technologies have the potential to remove carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere
- new technology will help generate green jobs and attract
private investment, while also supporting the UK’s net zero goals
The government has today (Wednesday 12 January) launched a new
programme to help develop innovative technologies to produce
hydrogen, a clean energy source, from sustainable biomass and
waste.
Backed with £5 million in government funding, the new Hydrogen BECCSInnovation
Programme will support the development of technologies to
produce hydrogen generated via BECCS
(bioenergy with carbon capture and storage). The BECCS process
produces hydrogen from biomass and waste, with the ability to
capture and store the carbon released during the process.
BECCS
technology can uniquely offer the ability to remove carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere, as the CO2 absorbed during the
growth of the sustainable biomass and the organic content found
in waste can then be permanently removed from the atmosphere
using carbon capture technologies. Hydrogen BECCS
technologies therefore have a key role to play on the UK’s path
to net zero emissions, providing hydrogen as a clean fuel for
hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as transport and heavy industry,
while also removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
Energy and Climate Change Minister said:
This innovative technology offers incredible potential for
removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, crucial to reaching
our net zero goals. This government funding will help support the
development of this new technology in the UK, boosting green jobs
and investment while slashing carbon emissions.
From today, applicants from small businesses and large companies,
to research institutions and universities, will be able to bid
for a share of £5 million new government funding under Phase 1 of
the Hydrogen BECCSInnovation
Programme. Each project will be able to bid for up to £250,000 to
help develop their project plans and demonstrate the feasibility
of their proposed innovation. Phase 1 will then be followed by a
second Phase, that will provide further funding to support the
most promising Phase 1 projects to demonstrate their projects.
This new programme will support the government’s plan to develop a thriving
low-carbon hydrogen sector as part of the UK’s green
industrial revolution. As a clean fuel, emitting only water
vapour when combusted, hydrogen has a critical role to play in
our transition to net zero, with the potential to help reduce
emissions from hard to decarbonise areas of the economy, such as
transport and heavy industry.
Hydrogen BECCS
technologies therefore present a key opportunity for the UK. This
new programme will be crucial in supporting this new type of
technology to be developed and scaled up for commercialisation
here in the UK, helping the nation on the path to net zero while
also providing new green jobs and encouraging private investment.
Notes to editors
- The Hydrogen BECCS
Innovation Programme is funded through the Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation
Portfolio, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation
of innovative clean energy technologies and processes through
the 2020s and 2030s
- the programme seeks to support development of innovative
hydrogen
BECCS technology solutions across 3 categories:
- feedstock pre-processing: the development of low cost,
energy and material efficient technologies which will
optimise biomass and waste feedstocks for use in advanced
gasification technologies
- gasification components: the development of advanced
gasification technology components. Advanced gasification
technologies are thermal conversion technologies which can be
used to convert biomass or waste into aviation fuel, diesel,
hydrogen, methane and other hydrocarbons
- novel biohydrogen technologies: the development of new
biohydrogen technologies which can be combined with carbon
capture, for example dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion,
waste water treatment
- the programme will be conducted in 2 phases, one building on
the other, to support the development of core technologies
essential for the generation of hydrogen from biomass and waste
with the ability to capture carbon
- in Phase 1, successful applicants will receive funding to
develop their hydrogen BECCS
innovation, demonstrating its feasibility and preparing project
plans for Phase 2. Under Phase 2, Phase 1 projects will be able
to apply for further funding to support a physical demonstration
of the hydrogen BECCS
technology
