Ofgem has selected 18 projects to receive Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) grants totalling around £8 million as they move forward to the next (‘alpha’) phase of development, out of 31 that requested funding.
The SIF will fund five follow-on projects on whole system integration, eight on data and digitalisation, two on zero emission transport and three on heat.
Among the winning projects were several that addressed issues in using the existing high pressure gas transmission network to transport hydrogen. One would examine ‘deblending’ hydrogen transported in the gas network so it can be used for transport applications (trains and heavy duty trucks have both been identified as possible hydrogen users).
Among the data and digitalisation projects, one will use predictive tools to analyse which actions contribute the most to worksite safety and productivity, then amplify them across the network. That could be applied to other networks, Ofgem said.
A second project will develop an ‘intelligent gas grid’ by using network data alongside external data such as weather, with machine-learning, to optimise network pressures and provide insights on network performance. This should lead to reduced methane leakage and allow for other gases, including biomethane and hydrogen, to be injected into the network.
In the next (‘beta’) phase the projects can apply for further funding by March 2023 and the beta phase will begin in September 2023.
Read details of all the projects here.