EWS IN BRIEF Hydrogen has heating role, says Rumford Club speaker Digital map uncovers utilities underground A new digital map of underground pipes and cables for many parts of England has been created. The National Underground Asset Register includes data from energy and water providers, telecoms firms, transport organisations, and local authorities. It currently covers the South East, South West, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the East of England. The map is projected to contribute 5bn to the economy over a decade, and aims to enhance construction efficiency, reduce damage to infrastructure, and minimise public disruption. Hydrogen for home heating is new, exciting and logical, says Tommy Isaac Using hydrogen for heating is logical, according to a guest speaker at the latest Rumford Club dinner held last month in London. In a heated debate, Tommy Isaac, former head of hydrogen research at Progressive Energy, and now at KPMG Energy, said hydrogen was a signicant player in the energy mix and had a number of benets. He added that the UK has a great geological advantage, with a huge capacity to convert onshore gas storage to hydrogen, and emphasised hydrogens potential as a storage medium for large-scale industrial use. Isaac told the audience: There arent many options on the table; hydrogen is the conclusion with the most logic. The hydrogen industry is already pretty big, but hydrogen for home Oil and gas industry faces moment of truth A new International Energy Agency (IEA) report has found that oil and gas producers account for only 1% of clean energy investment globally, with more than 60% coming from just four companies. The oil and gas industry in net zero transitions analyses the challenges and opportunities that would arise for the industry from stronger international efforts to reach energy and climate targets. The report states that demand for oil and gas is set to peak by 2030 and would fall 45% below todays levels by 2050 if governments stick to their national climate pledges. IEA executive director Fatih Birol said: The industry needs to commit to genuinely helping the world meet its energy needs and climate goals which means letting go of the illusion that implausibly large amounts of carbon capture are the solution. heating is new and exciting. However, dissenting voices in the audience expressed reservations about hydrogens inefciency and low energy density, storage challenges, and the environmental costs associated with its production and disposal. One member raised concern about the oil and gas industrys inuence on hydrogen schemes and was suspicious of its shortterm prot motives. He called for a focus on developing better technologies instead of investing in what he deemed a distraction. Isaac said consumer choice and commercial frameworks would ultimately drive the balance between hydrogen and electricity. He emphasised the need for a diverse energy mix and the importance of keeping all options on the table until there is sufcient evidences. The Rumford Club holds engineering debates and dinners throughout the year. Rijnen replaces Boswell as Baxi MD Jan Rijnen Karen Boswell OBE stepped down as managing director of Baxi Heating UK & Ireland at the end of November. During her three-year spell at the helm, she led Baxi through considerable reorganisation and consolidation in the UK and Ireland, the Covid pandemic, and major supply chain challenges in 2022. The company also said that Boswell has driven signicant improvements in Baxis sustainability and safety performance. Boswell will continue in her role as chair of the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council, which she took up earlier this year. She will be replaced at Baxi by Jan Rijnen, former CEO of insulation specialist De Isolatieshop. He previously worked for Bosch, and was managing director and a board member for Net-Bosch, one of the Netherlands largest central heating manufacturers and supplier. For today and tomorrow Our commitment to the environment extends to our use of renewable resources and increasing the opportunities to recycle our products. Through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Swegon is the first major HVAC supplier in Europe to transparently disclose the environmental impacts of our products. To learn more, search Swegon Sustainability 6 December 2023 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Dec 23 pp06 News.indd 6 24/11/2023 17:43