To support the networks progressing the trials, this project aims to produce a ‘Technical Specification’ for hydrogen appliances and a ‘Development Strategy’ for domestic Fires and Cookers providing clear options for these appliances in time for the H100 Fife Neighbourhood trial. This work will also contribute to one of the crucial deliverables set out by BEIS as part of the Hydrogen Village Trial (HVT) Collaborative Appliance Supply Chain project.
- The ‘Technical Specification’ will set a benchmark for each type of appliance to ensure that the required appliances are safe, robust, reliable, easy to use, aesthetically acceptable, fully UKCA certified and of suitable quality whilst being as cost effective as is reasonably possible.
- The ‘Development Strategy’ will identify the resources required by manufacturers and set out a process by which manufacturers can develop appliances to meet the Technical Specification in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Benefits
The availability of fires and cookers for the H100 Fife Neighbourhood project has recently changed due to the withdrawal of support to both the H100 Fife Neighbourhood and the Hydrogen Village Trials by the only domestic catering appliance manufacturer (GDHA) who developed their Hydrogen appliances up to the prototype stage in the Hy4Heat program. In addition to this, H2Fires, one of the two identified fire manufacturers who developed appliances in Hy4Heat have informed SGN that they cannot offer their current 1st generation fire for the trials and would need to further develop their 2nd generation fires before these can be used as part of a hydrogen trial.
Feedback from the Trials will largely be from the householders involved in the Trial, and their feedback will largely be based on their experience of using their new hydrogen appliances. Hence, it is clear that without appliances the trials could not progress further. Consequently, understanding technical specifications required for further development of these appliances and producing a development strategy is vital to the success of the upcoming hydrogen trials. For this work, SGN has identified the requirement for assistance from relevant professional bodies who have been involved in the development of Cookers and Fires in the Hy4Heat project. Hence, they can offer the required technical consultancy support and advice to SGN regarding new and further hydrogen appliance development, R&D processes, procedures, technical specifications, realistic required timescales, and costs.
Learnings
Outcomes
The delivered Technical Specification document provides a ‘benchmark’ against which appliances can be assessed for suitability before being accepted in any hydrogen trial. The document includes a product suitability checklist in which RAG status of different product criteria (e.g, performance and function, safety, certification, reliability, etc.) can be recorded after assessment. Completion of this document can be considered to be a ‘due diligence’ or ‘risk assessment’ activity and is intended to protect the end user, the trial owner and the manufacturer by identifying and correcting any potential shortfalls before deployment takes place. The checklist also provides a framework for feeding back information to manufacturers who have failed to meet the requirements and are therefore may have been rejected for use in the trial.
The Development Strategy, which is still under review, has revealed that there are currently no fully-developed and certified fires and cookers available for inclusion in any of the trials. It is necessary to further develop both fires and cookers to meet the required standards for installation and usage in customer properties. However, despite some potential prospects for the HVT, considering the associated development costs and timelines, the identified routes outlined in this report are not viable for supplying fires and cookers for the H100 Neighbourhood trial and alternative routes should be identified and considered.
Lessons Learnt
This project has established a comprehensive guideline for all Gas Distribution Networks (GDNs) to assess the suitability of new hydrogen appliances for various trials. The evaluation criteria encompass aspects such as product safety, robustness, reliability, aesthetics, ease of use, certification, and quality.
While a Development Strategy has been successfully delivered to assist SGN in making crucial decisions for the Neighbourhood trial, it became evident during the project that the initial supplier was overwhelmed with similar assignments from multiple entities. Consequently, there was a significant delay in delivering this work.
Given the limited number of suppliers currently available in the market for similar services, it is recommended for future projects to recognize the potential risk associated with supplier workload. Early recognition of this issue can help mitigate delays and challenges that may arise throughout the project.
