Announcing results of H2Cool

Exploring acceptance of the use of hydrogen in the food cold chain, as part of the H2Cool project.

H2Cool is a £1m project to develop dual-use energy storage technology that can generate direct cooling for refrigeration. An important part of this groundbreaking project has involved work by our social scientists to explore the societal impact of deploying cutting edge, new technologies in real world scenarios.

To try and explain more, co-investigator Dr Suzanne Couloigner worked with Social Science lead, Dr Robert Cluley, to commission  a H2Cool infographic  (opens in a new window) as a way of sharing the early results of the study. We hope this is of interest to those in industry and government, and anyone who is involved in developing hydrogen for use in the food cold chain. 

More about the study:

1. We spent almost a year engaging with food transportation experts (food manufacturers, logistics companies, supermarkets) to understand their views regarding the barriers to the adoption of hydrogen technology for the transportation and supply of fresh and frozen products in the UK. We presented them the H2COOL technology, a vehicle that is dually powered and chilled by solid-state hydrogen with zero-carbon emission, which then prompted detailed conversations.
2. Among food cold chain partners, there is an overall understanding that the transition away from diesel will first go through a mix of different technologies (e.g., diesel, electric, solar, LNG, CNG, hydrogen) before hydrogen becomes the most used fuel for the transportation of fresh and frozen food. However, before reaching that stage, food cold chain partners indicated several structural and technical challenges that need to be overcome for a positive adoption of hydrogen.
3. Industry experts emphasised the need for hydrogen infrastructure to be developed (including hydrogen production, hydrogen refuelling stations, variety of hydrogen-fuelled vehicles). Such structural changes require support from the governmental, but also within the industry (horizontal collaboration), while keeping in mind that the transition should not be happening at the expense of the sector.
4. Technically speaking, industry stakeholders need hydrogen-fuelled vehicles to meet certain criteria in order to be able to continue running their businesses, particularly around mileage and refuelling time. Given that a large amount of food transport stakeholders has their own refuelling stations at their own site, the conditions to transport and store hydrogen on site was also raised at a challenge.
5. In the end, several actors can support the transition away from diesel and towards hydrogen: Research and Development in both academia and industry need to keep developing hydrogen technologies that fit industry needs and include industry stakeholders in technological developments; industries are encouraged to develop sustainable strategies for their firm and participate in trials; finally the government should support the transition by providing funding, promoting hydrogen-fuelled vehicles and setting-up standards and regulation to help guide the transition.

Suzanne said,

While there are numerous discussions regarding the costs involved in transitioning from diesel to adopting hydrogen, the study also highlights additional significant barriers to the adoption of hydrogen. One of our key findings is insufficient support that stakeholders in food transportation encounter, whether it is from the government (including funding but also standards and regulations for instance) or from industries operating within the sector (such as horizontal collaboration). The study sheds light on the obstacles hindering the adoption of hydrogen in the food cold chain, which not only encompass economic factors but also extend beyond them.

Take a look at the H2Cool infographic, (opens in a new window)

Find out more about the H2Cool project.