Why safety is so critical when it comes to hydrogen

Responsible for driving awareness of safety within the energy transition, and supporting customers in this sector, Megan has a wealth of experience working with UK industry, including the oil and gas sector. Passionate about ensuring safety keeps pace within the UK’s energy transition, and specifically in relation to the use of hydrogen, she is a frequent speaker on the topic.

Megan guest writes for the North West Hydrogen Alliance on the topic of why safety is so critical when it comes to hydrogen.

When the Government announced its ambitious energy transition programme to deliver a decarbonised electricity system by 2030, this brought the energy transition and the use of hydrogen into renewed focus, with plans to accelerate investment in the industry.

However, the practical reality behind the headlines is that to meet ambitious timeframes, safety must be prioritised. Without comprehensive safety procedures in place, there is a very real risk of setbacks, particularly in the area of investment, which may impact the ability to meet the Government’s 2030 goal.

We’ve identified five key safety areas to be addressed as the energy transition accelerates:

1. Challenge perceptions – Unlike the oil and gas sector, many people view green energy as ‘clean, green and safe’, while in reality the safety risks involved in energy transition industries are not vastly dissimilar to those faced in the oil and gas sector.

Understanding and accepting the safety realities is a vital priority for those operating in the clean energy sector, and every opportunity should be taken to encourage the transfer of safety knowledge from other, related industries such as oil and gas.

It’s vital that the move away from a carbon-based economy doesn’t come at the expense of safety. To do so risks setbacks which have the potential to harm the overall end goal of protecting the planet for future generations.

2. Put safety first – The safety industry has a key role to play in communicating the need for rigorous safety standards across industries which use hydrogen, in line with the well-established safety standards in the oil and gas industry.

Indeed, research has found that injury rates in some renewable energy sectors are higher than in the offshore oil and gas industry, a trend which it is anticipated will increase because of the growth and implementation of new technologies creating additional challenges.

But the success of renewable energy, including the use of hydrogen, will depend on confidence and trust in these newer industries. Having comprehensive safety measures in place is a vital component to building and maintaining public trust in the new energy industry, and to ensure that it secures the required level of investment.

3. Boost research & development (R&D) collaboration – With a growing emphasis on the need for innovation to help reduce the global reliance on fossil-fuels, many of the current advances being seen in the energy transition are new to market, and in some cases, not yet widely tested.

Partnerships with academia, R&D and industry experts as well as those with working experience of new safety risks, are vital for the innovation to move forward in a safe and optimum way.

Dräger has been working with the University of Aberdeen for several years to support its research into hydrogen, working to advise on safety technology installations for the University’s hydrogen lab. Once complete, the lab will provide a safe environment for their research into the use of hydrogen.

The very nature of R&D is to encourage blue-sky thinking, often through highly interdisciplinary and disruptive solutions – something that is not necessarily as easy to do, or indeed possible to do, in an industry setting.

4. Embrace the potential of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) – Technology and AI offer significant potential for safety in areas such as the transportation of hydrogen. While advances in technology involved in remote satellite observation and remote monitoring of safety systems offer further potential.

At a more fundamental level, better and more connected technology as well as improved user interfaces offer scope to make safety easier: Easier for managers or those with overall safety responsibility to monitor colleagues and more quickly identify potential issues, and easier for colleagues to be alerted to hazards in the vicinity in which they are working.

One additional consideration in relation to the fastening pace around AI is the energy penalty associated with its use, somewhat ironically further driving the need for a clean energy transition to support its increased adoption. At the time of writing, governments around the world have just debated an international AI accord in Paris, the first debate to also consider the energy use driven by adoption of AI.

5. Safety must keep pace and respond to new intelligence – As mentioned earlier, we need to know and understand the safety risks involved but currently there is a very limited track record, and new technology, and techniques are being constantly developed so there is an element of the unknown when it comes to safety.

This means that the safety sector must be nimble and ready to keep pace in order to address constantly evolving safety requirements and to put in place comprehensive safety training for employees in areas such as hydrogen detection.

The bottom line is that if those involved in industries which use hydrogen don’t get safety right now safety related incidents are likely to lead to further challenges, such as difficulty getting planning permission, insurance, investment and public backing.

Safety does not need to hinder progress nor speed of deployment. Instead, getting safety right will ultimately speed things up both now and in the long term.

For information on renewable energy safety: https://www.draeger.com/en_uk/Safety/Clean-Energy-Solutions