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The Hydrogen Economy
Factsheets
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The UK Hydrogen Energy
Network (H2NET) was established in April 2000 as a joint collaboration between UK industry and
academia interested in the development of hydrogen as an energy vector.
The network was originally funded for 3 years by the Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and, from April 2003 to July
2007, was partially supported by the UK Department of Trade &
Industry (DTI).
Concerns over the adverse
effects of continuing fossil fuel consumption, such as global climate
change and urban pollution, have led to consideration of alternative,
'clean', energy sources. The term hydrogen
economy describes an overall national energy infrastructure based on
hydrogen produced from non-fossil primary energy sources. Within this
concept, hydrogen is regarded as a suitable storage and transmission
vector for energy from renewable or nuclear power systems, allowing the
generator or utility increased flexibility in responding to fluctuations
in wind or solar input or consumer demand, on a diurnal or seasonal basis. Hydrogen can be stored and transported in pressure
vessels or transmitted by pipeline to the point of end-use. It is a
versatile fuel, which can easily be substituted for traditional fuels,
whether for stationary or transport applications, resulting in improved
efficiency and negligible pollution. In the transportation sector, many
automotive manufacturers consider hydrogen to be the leading contender for
a new generation of highly efficient 'zero-emission' vehicles.
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