February 11, 2022
Dr Katriona Edlmann, HyStorPor project coordinator, has been appointed as Specialist Advisor to the Scottish Affairs Committee’s inquiry into hydrogen and carbon capture in Scotland.
The inquiry, which was launched last month, will look at Scotland’s potential as a world leader in hydrogen and the steps needed to realise this ambition.
“I am absolutely delighted to support the work of the Committee to consider Scotland’s role in the growth of the hydrogen economy and its contribution to net zero,” said Dr Edlmann, Chancellor’s Fellow in Energy within the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh.
“Hydrogen has an extremely important role to play in our future energy system to support both increased renewables and the decarbonisation of heavy industry and transport. This role will allow me to support ambitions for Scotland to become a world leader in green hydrogen and support the long-term sustainability of the Scottish energy sector’s workforce.”
The Committee will consider both blue hydrogen (produced from natural gas) and green hydrogen (produced using renewable energy), as well as carbon capture which can be used to remove the emissions from blue hydrogen production. It will explore what further support is needed for the sector to incorporate hydrogen into the UK’s energy mix and how a ‘just transition’ for the oil and gas sector can be achieved. It will also examine the training and skills required to build a hydrogen-ready workforce.
“HyStorPor’s research into the feasibility of storing hydrogen in porous rocks, such as depleted gas fields, will provide evidence to support the discussions around the just transition and skills development for the oil and gas sector,” Dr Edlmann said.
The inquiry follows on from the Committee’s report on renewable energy in Scotland, published last September. This identified multiple opportunities arising from Scotland’s considerable wind and tidal energy resources, including harnessing them for green hydrogen potential.
The Committee has issued a call for evidence with submissions due by March 1. Among other things, it is asking for views on whether the ambitions of the, published August 2021, are adequate for Scotland and on the investment, market mechanisms and policy support the sector needs.
