Decarbonizing heating is a globally recognized challenge, and one which must be quickly overcome if the ambitious target of net-zero is to be achieved by 2050. The newly formed technology company HYTING has developed a safe, highly efficient, carbon-free forced-air heating system (patents-pending) that uses a unique catalytic process to turn H₂ and oxygen from air into heat. Unlike systems that rely on H₂ combustion to generate heat, HYTING’s technology does not produce any CO₂, NO_x, or particulate emissions, the only byproduct is water.

The process is also inherently safe, as it does not use flammable concentrations of H₂ at any operating point. The H₂ is supplied at the same low pressures typical of natural gas supplies (around 1.5 bar) so costly and energy-intensive compression and storage is not used. And unlike other technologies which rely on H₂, such as fuel cells, HYTING’s heating system works on commonly available H₂ sources: high-purity grades are not necessary.

HYTING’s technology is as robust and cost-effective as it is innovative because it uses many proven, existing components from the heating and automotive industries. It’s also modular and highly scalable in design, with outputs of 10 kW−300 kW, enabling it to be configured for a wide range of different heating applications, including industrial, commercial, and residential buildings – both new-builds and retrofits, agricultural greenhouses, portable heating units, and heating systems for commercial vehicles (e.g., buses, coaches and heavy-duty trucks). It’s even suitable for pizza ovens. Prototypes are currently undergoing testing, with the first customer trials expected in Germany by the end of this year.

Tim Hannig, Founder, HYTING said, “Just as H₂ is recognized as an ideal means to decarbonize hard-to-abate transport sectors such as aviation, shipping, and trucks, we also see H₂’s potential to contribute to the decarbonization of the building sector. We’re preparing our technology for the first customer trials, with the ambition to quickly scale to volume production within the next two years. We want to play our part in accelerating the transition from fossil fuels towards a more sustainable future by placing our zero-emissions heating systems at the heart of the clean H₂ economy.”

Heating is responsible for a significant proportion of the world’s carbon emissions, accounting for 15% of CO₂ emissions, with natural gas used to heat 42% of homes. Gas- and oil-fired heating is slowly being phased out in favor of air- and ground-source heat pumps, but although they are a promising alternative they are not efficient at very low ambient temperatures, or periods of high demand.

HYTING’s technology can work alongside heat pumps to form a hybrid and completely CO₂-free heating system that can overcome these shortcomings and ensure effective heating under all conditions. This also optimizes installation and running costs because the heat pump can be sized at the power rating where it is most energy-efficient, with the HYTING technology supplementing total heating output on cold days and taking care of peak loads. The scalability and flexibility engineered into the technology from day one also means that it can function as a back-up heating source, if needed, or as a standalone system.

Achieving net zero by 2050 is challenging, but achievable. H₂ heating systems can make a contribution to that now, using existing sources of H₂, with the added incentive that the cost of H₂ relative to natural gas is predicted to fall over the next three decades. The global energy requirements for heating can also help to spur the development and expansion of the H₂ economy, since green H₂ is an ideal method of storing excess energy produced by renewables including solar, wind and hydro power. Converting this H₂ directly into heat for heating requirements is more efficient and simpler than reconversion coupled with electrical heating. The green H₂ market has enormous potential, with predictions of a value of $642 B in 2030, rising to $1.4 T in 20503.

While there are significant challenges to adoption of H₂ worldwide, one near-term measure to kick start the market would be building on existing infrastructure, such as the millions of kilometers of natural gas pipelines that already exist and which would become otherwise redundant in future. Using clean H₂ to replace just 5% of the volume of the world’s natural gas supplies would significantly boost demand for clean H₂ and drive down costs, making it an even more attractive, sustainable source of heating worldwide.