A research study has cautioned that using hydrogen as a fuel source could lead to a doubling of energy bills, and is not as eco-friendly as it may seem. Although hydrogen gas can be created through superheating water and has been presented as a clean substitute for fossil fuels, investigative NGO Global Witness has warned that the cost of switching European consumers to this gas would amount to £210 billion, which gas companies intend to pass on to consumers.
Renewable energy, such as heat pumps and district heating powered by renewable electricity, is a more cost-effective and sustainable alternative, according to Global Witness. Another study published this month concluded that using green hydrogen for home heating would be two to three times more costly than electrification. Global Witness has recommended that households should rely on renewables, such as ground and air source heat pumps, while heavy industries and transportation sectors such as shipping and long-haul air transport could benefit from hydrogen fuel. The report emphasizes that “switching to hydrogen would make Europeans already facing energy poverty even poorer.”
Global Witness is an international NGO established in 1993 that works to break the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide.Global Witness states that its goals are to expose the corrupt exploitation of natural resources and international trade systems, to drive campaigns that end impunity, resource linked conflict, and human rights and environmental abuses.