IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v60y2013icp305-316.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The future of the UK gas network

Author

Listed:
  • Dodds, Paul E.
  • McDowall, Will

Abstract

The UK has an extensive natural gas pipeline network supplying 84% of homes. Previous studies of decarbonisation pathways using the UK MARKAL energy system model have concluded that the low-pressure gas networks should be mostly abandoned by 2050, yet most of the iron pipes near buildings are currently being replaced early for safety reasons. Our study suggests that this programme will not lock-in the use of gas in the long-term. We examine potential future uses of the gas network in the UK energy system using an improved version of UK MARKAL that introduces a number of decarbonisation options for the gas network including bio-methane, hydrogen injection to the natural gas and conversion of the network to deliver hydrogen. We conclude that hydrogen conversion is the only gas decarbonisation option that might enable the gas networks to continue supplying energy to most buildings in the long-term, from a cost-optimal perspective. There is an opportunity for the government to adopt a long-term strategy for the gas distribution networks that either curtails the iron mains replacement programme or alters it to prepare the network for hydrogen conversion; both options could substantially reduce the long-term cost of supplying heat to UK buildings.

Suggested Citation

  • Dodds, Paul E. & McDowall, Will, 2013. "The future of the UK gas network," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 305-316.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:60:y:2013:i:c:p:305-316
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.05.030
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421513003625
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.05.030?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Usher, Will & Strachan, Neil, 2012. "Critical mid-term uncertainties in long-term decarbonisation pathways," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 433-444.
    2. Anandarajah, Gabrial & Strachan, Neil, 2010. "Interactions and implications of renewable and climate change policy on UK energy scenarios," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 6724-6735, November.
    3. Mitchell, Catherine & Sweet, Jim & Jackson, Tim, 1990. "A study of leakage from the UK natural gas distribution system," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(9), pages 809-818, November.
    4. Unruh, Gregory C., 2000. "Understanding carbon lock-in," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 817-830, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Abeysekera, M. & Wu, J. & Jenkins, N. & Rees, M., 2016. "Steady state analysis of gas networks with distributed injection of alternative gas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 991-1002.
    2. Dodds, Paul E., 2014. "Integrating housing stock and energy system models as a strategy to improve heat decarbonisation assessments," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 358-369.
    3. Andrade, Carlos & Selosse, Sandrine & Maïzi, Nadia, 2022. "The role of power-to-gas in the integration of variable renewables," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    4. Bolton, Ronan & Foxon, Timothy J., 2015. "Infrastructure transformation as a socio-technical process — Implications for the governance of energy distribution networks in the UK," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 90(PB), pages 538-550.
    5. Gordon, Joel A. & Balta-Ozkan, Nazmiye & Nabavi, Seyed Ali, 2023. "Price promises, trust deficits and energy justice: Public perceptions of hydrogen homes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    6. Jalil-Vega, F. & Hawkes, A.D., 2018. "Spatially resolved model for studying decarbonisation pathways for heat supply and infrastructure trade-offs," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 1051-1072.
    7. Charitopoulos, V. & Fajardy, M. & Chyong, C. K. & Reiner, D., 2022. "The case of 100% electrification of domestic heat in Great Britain," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2210, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    8. Kolb, Sebastian & Plankenbühler, Thomas & Frank, Jonas & Dettelbacher, Johannes & Ludwig, Ralf & Karl, Jürgen & Dillig, Marius, 2021. "Scenarios for the integration of renewable gases into the German natural gas market – A simulation-based optimisation approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    9. Fumey, B. & Buetler, T. & Vogt, U.F., 2018. "Ultra-low NOx emissions from catalytic hydrogen combustion," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 334-342.
    10. Danieli, Piero & Lazzaretto, Andrea & Al-Zaili, Jafar & Sayma, Abdulnaser & Masi, Massimo & Carraro, Gianluca, 2022. "The potential of the natural gas grid to accommodate hydrogen as an energy vector in transition towards a fully renewable energy system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    11. Federica Leone & Ala Hasan & Francesco Reda & Hassam ur Rehman & Fausto Carmelo Nigrelli & Francesco Nocera & Vincenzo Costanzo, 2023. "Supporting Cities towards Carbon Neutral Transition through Territorial Acupuncture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-31, February.
    12. Blanco, Herib & Gómez Vilchez, Jonatan J. & Nijs, Wouter & Thiel, Christian & Faaij, André, 2019. "Soft-linking of a behavioral model for transport with energy system cost optimization applied to hydrogen in EU," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    13. Eyre, Nick & Baruah, Pranab, 2015. "Uncertainties in future energy demand in UK residential heating," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 641-653.
    14. Sarah E. Heaps & Malcolm Farrow & Kevin J. Wilson, 2020. "Identifying the effect of public holidays on daily demand for gas," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 183(2), pages 471-492, February.
    15. Hall, Lisa M.H. & Buckley, Alastair R., 2016. "A review of energy systems models in the UK: Prevalent usage and categorisation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 607-628.
    16. Zeyen, Elisabeth & Hagenmeyer, Veit & Brown, Tom, 2021. "Mitigating heat demand peaks in buildings in a highly renewable European energy system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    17. Speirs, Jamie & Balcombe, Paul & Johnson, Erin & Martin, Jeanne & Brandon, Nigel & Hawkes, Adam, 2018. "A greener gas grid: What are the options," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 291-297.
    18. Davis, M. & Okunlola, A. & Di Lullo, G. & Giwa, T. & Kumar, A., 2023. "Greenhouse gas reduction potential and cost-effectiveness of economy-wide hydrogen-natural gas blending for energy end uses," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    19. Quarton, Christopher J. & Samsatli, Sheila, 2018. "Power-to-gas for injection into the gas grid: What can we learn from real-life projects, economic assessments and systems modelling?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 302-316.
    20. Hickey, Conor & Deane, Paul & McInerney, Celine & Ó Gallachóir, Brian, 2019. "Is there a future for the gas network in a low carbon energy system?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 480-493.
    21. Balcombe, Paul & Speirs, Jamie & Johnson, Erin & Martin, Jeanne & Brandon, Nigel & Hawkes, Adam, 2018. "The carbon credentials of hydrogen gas networks and supply chains," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 1077-1088.
    22. Azadeh Maroufmashat & Michael Fowler, 2017. "Transition of Future Energy System Infrastructure; through Power-to-Gas Pathways," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-22, July.
    23. Quarton, Christopher J. & Samsatli, Sheila, 2020. "Should we inject hydrogen into gas grids? Practicalities and whole-system value chain optimisation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    24. Hobley, Alexander, 2019. "Will gas be gone in the United Kingdom (UK) by 2050? An impact assessment of urban heat decarbonisation and low emission vehicle uptake on future UK energy system scenarios," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 695-705.
    25. Jalil-Vega, Francisca & Hawkes, Adam D., 2018. "The effect of spatial resolution on outcomes from energy systems modelling of heat decarbonisation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 339-350.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. DeCarolis, Joseph & Daly, Hannah & Dodds, Paul & Keppo, Ilkka & Li, Francis & McDowall, Will & Pye, Steve & Strachan, Neil & Trutnevyte, Evelina & Usher, Will & Winning, Matthew & Yeh, Sonia & Zeyring, 2017. "Formalizing best practice for energy system optimization modelling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 184-198.
    2. Bale, Catherine S.E. & Varga, Liz & Foxon, Timothy J., 2015. "Energy and complexity: New ways forward," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 150-159.
    3. Hall, Lisa M.H. & Buckley, Alastair R., 2016. "A review of energy systems models in the UK: Prevalent usage and categorisation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 607-628.
    4. Foxon, T. J. & Gross, R. & Chase, A. & Howes, J. & Arnall, A. & Anderson, D., 2005. "UK innovation systems for new and renewable energy technologies: drivers, barriers and systems failures," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(16), pages 2123-2137, November.
    5. Piotr Lis & Zuzanna Rataj & Katarzyna Suszyńska, 2022. "Implementation Risk Factors of Collaborative Housing in Poland: The Case of ‘Nowe Żerniki’ in Wrocław," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-12, February.
    6. Natalie Slawinski & Jonatan Pinkse & Timo Busch & Subhabrata Bobby Banerjeed, 2014. "The role of short-termism and uncertainty in organizational inaction on climate change: multilevel framework," Working Papers hal-00961226, HAL.
    7. Johannes Urpelainen, 2012. "How do electoral competition and special interests shape the stringency of renewable energy standards?," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 14(1), pages 23-34, January.
    8. Francesco Lamperti & Giovanni Dosi & Mauro Napoletano & Andrea Roventini & Alessandro Sapio, 2018. "And then he wasn't a she : Climate change and green transitions in an agent-based integrated assessment model," Working Papers hal-03443464, HAL.
    9. Curci, Ylenia & Mongeau Ospina, Christian A., 2016. "Investigating biofuels through network analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 60-72.
    10. Bessi, Alessandro & Guidolin, Mariangela & Manfredi, Piero, 2021. "The role of gas on future perspectives of renewable energy diffusion: Bridging technology or lock-in?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    11. Zhang, Hui & Cao, Libin & Zhang, Bing, 2017. "Emissions trading and technology adoption: An adaptive agent-based analysis of thermal power plants in China," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 23-32.
    12. Pye, Steve & Sabio, Nagore & Strachan, Neil, 2015. "An integrated systematic analysis of uncertainties in UK energy transition pathways," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 673-684.
    13. Hellsmark, Hans & Hansen, Teis, 2020. "A new dawn for (oil) incumbents within the bioeconomy? Trade-offs and lessons for policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    14. João Tovar Jalles, 2024. "Financial Crises and Climate Change," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 66(1), pages 166-190, March.
    15. Mander, Sarah. L. & Bows, Alice & Anderson, Kevin. L. & Shackley, Simon & Agnolucci, Paolo & Ekins, Paul, 2008. "The Tyndall decarbonisation scenarios--Part I: Development of a backcasting methodology with stakeholder participation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 3754-3763, October.
    16. Anandarajah, Gabrial & Gambhir, Ajay, 2014. "India’s CO2 emission pathways to 2050: What role can renewables play?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 79-86.
    17. Newbery, David, 2018. "Policies for decarbonizing a liberalized power sector," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 12, pages 1-24.
    18. Hötte, Kerstin & Pichler, Anton & Lafond, François, 2021. "The rise of science in low-carbon energy technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    19. Balkrishna C. Rao & Ingo Liefner, 2023. "Frugal Engineering of Advanced Frugal Innovations for Global Sustainability Entrepreneurship," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 32(2_suppl), pages 69-88, November.
    20. Shum, Kwok L. & Watanabe, Chihiro, 2007. "Photovoltaic deployment strategy in Japan and the USA--an institutional appraisal," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 1186-1195, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:60:y:2013:i:c:p:305-316. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.