Although it is clear that the new energy and low carbon sector will need to accelerate yet further if the UK is to achieve its National Net Zero targets, we are seeing that there is a clear – and in many areas of new energy, rapid – direction of travel in the right direction. But whilst significant progress is being made in the sector as a whole, there is a pressing need for greater understanding of the risks and following on from this, a better understanding – and adoption – of risk mitigation.
Aside from the need to protect the safety and health of those working in the sector, it’s also a vital component to building and maintaining public confidence in the new energy industry, to ensure that it continues to be seen as a safe and dependable energy source for the future.
At present, there is arguably an ongoing and widespread misalignment between the perception of renewable energy and environmental initiatives as ‘green, clean and therefore safe’, and the reality, which is that in fact that the risks are often not dissimilar to those seen in legacy industries such as oil and gas. The key difference being that such industries are often seen as dirty, polluting and dangerous, with the consequence being that safety is viewed as a vital consideration, and has, as a result, become mature and well-advanced in these industries.
So, while most people might agree that the energy transition should be carried out as quickly as possible, it is vital that any rush to do so is not at the expense of safety. Failure to consider adequately safety elements within the new energy industry may well lead to setbacks which have the potential to harm the overall goal of reducing carbon emissions and protecting the planet for future generations.
It is therefore crucial that risks are fully understood, both where they are similar to more established sectors such as oil and gas, and where they differ.
Firstly, let us consider the similarities. These include risks related to confined spaces, explosion and fire hazards, exposure to toxic gases and environments where oxygen depletion may occur; risks which continue to be present across many areas of the new energy and low carbon sectors.
Where new energy technologies differ from the traditional oil and gas sector largely currently centres around improving our understanding of the unique risks posed by the use of EV batteries and storage of carbon and other elements such as hydrogen.
Hydrogen is an interesting example to explore in more detail. Now widely considered to be an essential part of the UK’s future energy independence and security, improving education and awareness of hydrogen safety is critical for operators handling hydrogen equipment and for those overseeing its storage and transportation and will require close collaboration between industry and academia.
Dräger has been working with the University of Aberdeen for several years, both supporting its students’ understanding of the safety risks and also working to keep these same students safe when conducting research in the lab and when using gases such as hydrogen. We believe that collaboration of this kind is vitally important to support the development of safety strategies in industry, and to make possible transparent communication to the public to help establish a successful and safe hydrogen economy. It also offers the potential to enable the development of industry-leading uniform safety protocols and recognized safety standards – which will play a critical part in the evolution of good safety in the sector.
In parallel, there are also advances being made in safety technology to secure the safety of employees and other assets, for example around digital connectivity. This is particularly relevant in hazardous environments, where gases such as hydrogen are not only highly flammable but also colourless and odourless, posing an enhanced risk of fire or explosion.
In these situations, improvements in connectivity offer a number of key benefits, including live monitoring of gas levels such as hydrogen, with key information displayed in real time via a connected user interface. This digitalisation of safety systems means that alarms can be set, ventilation automatically activated and if required, or emergency services granted access to the data which allows them to manage an emergency situation in the case of, for example, a hydrogen generated fire.
Another advancement in safety technology that has been prompted by the use of new fuels such as hydrogen, is the implementation of acoustic gas detectors as a supplementary technology. These allow for the detection of gas leaks emanating from pressurised gas storage, particularly in outdoor or ventilated locations where conventional detectors may fail to pick up on leaks due to wind conditions, gas dilution, or leak directionality. These ultrasonic acoustic sensors respond earlier than traditional gas detectors by registering the sound of leaking gas, effectively ‘hearing’ the gas leak rather than relying on physical contact between the gas and the sensor. This enables coverage of a much wider area, and detection of leaks up to 20 metres away.
Although such devices are not gas-specific, so can be used to detect leaks of any gas type, they are particularly effective when it comes to hydrogen. Hydrogen molecules are around eight times smaller than methane molecules, which makes leaks are far more likely, and because it burns with a flame that is almost invisible to the naked eye and is odourless, it is more difficult to detect. However, the use of acoustic detection of leaks greatly reduces the risk of explosion, minimises the financial cost of leaks and is particularly effective in settings where hydrogen is stored.
As far back as 2020, a report by trade union Prospect stated that in 2020 the rate of lost time to injuries in offshore renewables was four times as high as in offshore oil and gas (itself a high hazard industry). Subsequently, in 2021, one of the key themes raised in the Dräger 2021 Safety at Work report was concerns that safety protocols and regulations in the UK’s renewable energy sector were failing to keep pace with the broader speed of progress within the sector.
There are however some more recent encouraging signs that as the new energy and low carbon sector grows, it is beginning to recognise the fundamental importance of safety; research carried in 2022 showed that 82 percent of those working in the UK’s new and renewable energy sector believe that safety has increased in importance within their business compared to the previous year.
The combination of greater awareness of safety issues, at the same time as improvements in safety technology, should be at least partly encouraging for the wellbeing of those who operate in the new energy and low carbon sector. There remains much work to be done as I write this article, however the direction of travel – as with the sector as a whole – suggests things are heading on the right course.
I’ll be presenting at Safety & Health Expo on Thursday 18th May, from 14.40 – 15.10 in the Operational Excellence Theatre. Come along to hear more and ask me any questions. You can register for the show here.
About Megan Hine
Megan Hine is Safe Energy Transition Business Development Manager at Draeger Safety UK, the global safety and medical technology leader. Responsible for driving awareness of safety within the energy transition, and supporting customers in this sector, Megan has a wealth of experience working with UK industry, including extensive experience spent in the oil and gas sector. Passionate about ensuring safety keeps pace within the UK’s energy transition, she is a frequent speaker on the topic. Alongside her role with Dräger, she is also Co-Chair of the Deep Wind Power2X subgroup, part of Offshore Wind Scotland.
