COP26 has brought issues such as net zero and climate change to the front of the world stage. As well as the headline announcements on methane emissions, deforestation and carbon reporting, several recurring themes will impact the future of the energy sector, and the demand for legal services from market participants and consumers.
Hydrogen holds the potential to heat homes, replace natural gas in industrial processes and power vehicles. Some say the hydrogen economy in 2050 could be the size of the oil and gas industry now. However, hydrogen still comes with question marks around storage, transportation and efficiency. To address these, the UK’s gas network operators are developing demonstration projects to prove the concept and ensure the country’s infrastructure is where it needs to be for hydrogen to be used as a mainstay in the energy supply chain.
This push for hydrogen networks is potentially at odds with the government’s focus on installing electric heat pumps in homes, although there
