UK energy distributor eyes hydrogen for fast-response outage recovery

The UK’s largest electricity distribution network operator UK Power Networks plans to develop a “first-of-its-kind” hydrogen fuel cell-based energy backup system to support rural areas during power cuts.

Dubbed Smart Hydrogen and Resilient Energy Decarbonisation (SHARED), the system could produce, store, and use green hydrogen for conversion to electricity “within seconds” of a power cut.

While no technical details have been revealed, the company intends to use off-peak electricity to produce hydrogen, claiming it would remove the need for diesel generators and their transportation to affected areas.

A timeline for the system’s development was not disclosed. However, UK Power Networks, which serves around eight million customers in Southeast England, said it was now focusing on developing the unit and identifying ideal locations for deployment.

It comes as hydrogen-based backup power systems are increasingly positioned as a viable pathway to providing power resilience.

Fuel cell-based systems have been deployed for standby and backup power applications across telecoms infrastructure, data centres, hospitals, and critical industrial operations, though adoption remains early-stage.

High upfront costs for fuel cells and limited hydrogen storage infrastructure remain as barriers to widespread rollout, while diesel systems remain cheaper, more familiar, and easier to maintain.