Research exchange hopes to accelerate take up of hydrogen energy technologies

An expert from The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia has arrived in Portsmouth to work on a project hoping to accelerate take up of hydrogen energy technologies by exploring the factors shaping societal acceptance of these technologies.

Dr Mitchell Scovell will join the University’s Technology Acceptance Research Group: Energy technologies (TARG:ET) for a 10-week research visit. 

He will work alongside academics on The UK Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels (UK-HyRES) project; a five year collaboration between several UK universities which is looking at the commercialisation of hydrogen and alternative liquid fuels.

UK-HyRES is being funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) via a £11m investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). 

Hydrogen is a clean fuel that when used to produce energy emits only water. Because of this, hydrogen and hydrogen-based, low-carbon liquid fuels, such as ammonia, could play a key role in helping the UK to reach its ambitious 2050 ‘Net Zero’ emissions target. 

Portsmouth academics have been leading the research effort on the 'social acceptance' of hydrogen within UK-HyRES. Their studies stand to help improve understanding of the factors shaping societal perceptions and attitudes towards the production, storage and use of hydrogen. Other teams across the UK are looking at the economic, safety and environmental dimensions of hydrogen, as well as technical themes relating to its production, distribution, storage and end-use. 

Dr Chris Jones, Associate Professor of Applied Psychology at the University of Portsmouth and Lead of the TARG:ET project, said: “Welcoming Mitch to the team is a real boost for us here at Portsmouth. He is a knowledgeable, experienced and enthusiastic social scientist, who stands to bring an international perspective to our studies.”

While based in the Department of Psychology, TARG:ET is linked to other parts of the University of Portsmouth, through PGR supervision and research collaboration, including in the School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences and School of Civil Engineering & Surveying.

“We are really excited to continue to develop our work programme around the social acceptance of hydrogen through this international collaboration”, added Dr Louisa Wood, a Senior Research Fellow for the UK-HyRES Project. 

Dr Scovell is a Research Scientist in the Sustainability Pathways Program, CSIRO Environment. With a background in psychology, his main research interest is in applying qualitative and quantitative methods to understand how people think and behave in response to environmental changes. 

The team will be exploring the acceptance and perceived risk of two hydrogen applications, hydrogen for aviation and geological storage of hydrogen, with a focus on investigating the effects of information provision, message framing and social influence. Dr Scovell will also get the opportunity to network with other UK-based environmental psychologists and the broader UK-HyRES team. 

Speaking about the research exchange fellowship with the University of Portsmouth, he said: “Being part of TARG:ET is a great opportunity for me as it strongly aligns with a core focus of my research at the CSIRO. I look forward to working with Chris and Lousia on this research, which has implications for many countries trying to scale up their hydrogen industries.”

The University of Portsmouth is part of a £53m programme of investment by UKRI to help drive forward change in the energy system and help to meet the UK’s net zero target by 2050.
UKRI has awarded:

• £15 million for a new Energy Demand Research Centre that will provide solutions for energy demand reduction, understand the impact on consumers, and enable equitable policy decision-making.
• £17.5 million investment in three Supergen research hubs that will boost innovation in energy distribution, both nationally and internationally, and propel discoveries in renewable energy into impactful new technologies.
• £20 million in two hubs that deliver options to integrate clean and sustainable hydrogen into the domestic, industrial and transport energy systems.

The government has set a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, requiring rapid decarbonisation of our energy systems. 

Find out about UK-HyRES here.