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Tory heat pump plans may be full of hot air
- GordonS 5y agoAn interesting idea, mentioned by one of the writers, would be to generate hydrogen using renewable energy, and send the hydrogen through our existing infrastructure instead of natural gas. I don't know how practical that is - would it need to be pressurised more than natural gas, and would the hydrogen be OK (that is, not leak out) in the existing system of pipes?
- _0ffh 5y agoI would expect diffusion to be a problem. Those hydrogen molecules are small and tend to find their way through the tightest spots.
- llampx 5y agoHydrogen needs a whole different infrastructure because of how light it is and how small the molecules are. It also makes tanks and pipes brittle over time because it finds a way through them to the outside, and leaves tiny holes behind.
- diordiderot 5y agoThis is the current plan. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-hydrogen-strategy https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-hydrogen-strat...
- GordonS 5y agoThanks, I had no idea the government was actually being proactive about this!
- igor47 5y agowhy is this on HN? it's some random people's letters to a newspaper, what does that tell you? the objections raised here are FUD, probably sourced from the fossil gas industry lobby. heat pumps are one of the most no-brainer ways to combat climate change. they're cheap to buy and operate (especially mini splits), safer than alternatives, better for air quality, and become better for the climate as we transition to cleaner grids. source: I did a lot of research and modeling work on, among other things, heat pumps as part of Rewiring America.
- dx034 5y agoAlso, the noise argument doesn't really count. I have some neighbors with heat pumps, you can't hear them unless you're standing next to them. Obviously cheap or wrongly installed heat pumps can be louder, but so are fossil heating systems.
- GordonS 5y agoI posted this because I thought it would generate interesting discussion around heat pumps, which are a bit of a hot (hurhur) topic right now.
- beardyw 5y agoWhat worries me is that these announcements are being made in the run up to hosting the United Nations climate change conference. Time will tell if it all becomes reality.