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Stuart discusses his role and involvement with regards to the hydrogen economy, industry challenges, what he is looking forward to at the event and why it is important for engineers to attend.
Q: Please could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with regards to the hydrogen economy and this conference?
Stuart Doherty (SD): I work as a process engineer within the Atkins Net Zero Energy Business, a new business aiming to support clients to decarbonise and grow into the hydrogen economy. As part of this business I work on a wide range of projects from optioneering through to operational support with process consultancy and design. With regards to hydrogen I have been increasingly been involved in developing hydrogen production, processing and storage projects over the last three years including Islandmagee Hydrogen Storage, Aldborough Hydrogen Storage, Sizewell C Hydrogen Projects. In this role I have experienced first hand issues with the design and planned operation of these facilities and hope to share some of these.
Q: What, in your experience, has been the biggest roadblock for utilising hydrogen in your sector?
SD: I work over a number of different sectors and the key roadblock for utilising hydrogen over these sectors has always been the economic viability and availability of hydrogen compared to other alternatives. The UK Government are taking steps to address this via the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund and Hydrogen Business Models which will support a range of ways however there is a way to go until hydrogen is mainstream.
Q: What key topics are you excited to discuss at this year's conference?
SD: Really looking forward to the opportunity to hear (in person) from some of the key stakeholders in the UK hydrogen economy such as BEIS and HSE. I will be discussing hydrogen storage methods and the pros and cons of different methods of hydrogen storage and the issues we have come across when designing such systems. Hydrogen storage is a key part of the hydrogen economy which is often overlooked.
Q: Regarding the utilisation of hydrogen, what would you say are the technologies or applications to watch for the future?
SD: There a number of really exciting technologies to produce hydrogen which may make it more efficient to produce hydrogen than the current big hitters (PEM and Alkaline). These include Solid Oxide Electrolysis, which uses high temperature steam which leads to a higher electrolysis conversion. Also thermochemical splitting of hydrogen utilising the sulphur-iodine and copper-chlorine cycles to split water at higher temperatures.
Q: Who else are you most interested in hearing from on the programme?
SD: Key to the hydrogen economy is large scale hydrogen production to enable the UK to meet its 10 MW target by 2030. Therefore I am looking forward to hearing the hydrogen production presentations (ITM Power – PEM Electrolyser, SOEC). I am also interested in understanding in more detail the hydrogen utilisation aspect and technologies (Gas Turbines and Internal Combustion Engines). It will be interesting to get a more detailed understanding of the technology, engage with the technology owners and get their thoughts on the key challenges in the hydrogen economy.
Q: Why is it important for engineers to join this conference?
SD: As the world pivots to meet its climate obligations, hydrogen is becoming a key energy vector and us as engineers will need to understand both the technical challenges of dealing with hydrogen and other important considerations such as economic and geopolitical. A greater understanding of these factors will help us deliver a better and more joined up hydrogen economy which will in turn make the world a better place!
The Engineering Challenges in the Hydrogen Economy 2023 conference will be taking place on 14-15 March 2023 in London.
Join this conference to:
- Hear case studies from mature projects addressing infrastructure challenges for production, storage and distribution
- Identify bottlenecks and barriers in moving to a hydrogen economy
- Develop your understanding of the utilisation across different engineering sectors including rail, heavy-duty, aerospace, power generation, marine and more
- Hear from leading experts in the field and explore opportunities to collaborate on new projects
- Gain insight into gaps in the market and requirements for new technology
- Take away lessons learned from other innovative companies to ensure optimal development strategies
- Understand how your existing equipment or products can be deployed in the new hydrogen economy
To book your place, please visit the event website.