Baxi joins hydrogen industrial demonstration

Baxi has teamed up with H2GO Power, an AI and hydrogen storage specialist, to create Heat in a Box, an industrialscale demonstration to create carbon-neutral heating.

The Heat in a Box trial will be hosted by NGN to supply heat for gas pre-heating and has the potential to supply renewable heating for other operations.

Pre-heating is an essential part of distributing gas, says Baxi. Before gas can be transported to homes and businesses through the network, its pressure must be reduced. This process can cause it to freeze, so pre-heating takes place to enable the gas to flow.

Traditional pre-heating units are highly energy-intensive and, over the past decade, the gas industry has been exploring a range of low-carbon technologies that can carry out the process.

Heat-in-a-box is a containerised solution, combining electrolysis, H2GO’s proprietary low-pressure hydrogen storage and Baxi’s hydrogen boiler for commercial applications. The system will be powered by solar PV and supported by an AI-enabled optimisation software platform. HyAI will be installed on NGN’s existing infrastructure to integrate and optimise the overall system operation.

It also introduces the concept of a smart hydrogen gas network. The initiative is being funded as part of the £1 billion BEIS Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which provides funding for projects that can provide evidence on industrial fuelswitching to hydrogen.

Karen Boswell, managing director at Baxi UK & Ireland, says: “Developing practical, cost-effective ways of storing hydrogen addresses both decarbonisation and energy reliability, making this project a particularly interesting solution for multiple use cases.”

New UK MD for Ariston Group

Ariston Group has appointed Edoardo Pauletta d’Anna as its UK managing director. Edoardo has been part of the company for more than a decade, in senior managerial commercial positions. His new role makes him responsible for the growth and development of the Ariston, ELCO and ATAG Commercial brands in the UK.

Edoardo says: “I am looking forward to building upon Ariston’s reputation and offering in the UK. As one of the key international markets for the heating industry, our products and services have so much to offer, especially in terms of improved sustainability and comfort.”