courtesy : wikipedia
green hydroden
Green hydrogen is hydrogen generated entirely by renewable energy[1] or from low-carbon power.[2] Green hydrogen has significantly lower carbon emissions than grey hydrogen, which is produced by steam reforming of natural gas, which makes up the bulk of the hydrogen market. Green hydrogen produced by the electrolysis of water is less than 0.1% of total hydrogen production.[3] It may be used to decarbonize sectors which are hard to electrify, such as steel and cement production, and thus help to limit climate change.
The high cost of production is the main factor behind the low use of green hydrogen. Nonetheless, the hydrogen market is expected to grow, with some forecasts of the cost of hydrogen production falling from $6/kg in 2015 to around $2/kg by 2025. In 2020, major European companies announced plans to switch their truck fleets to hydrogen power.
Green hydrogen can be blended into existing natural gas pipelines, and also used to produce green ammonia, the main constituent of fertilizer production. It is suggested that green ammonia will be cost competitive with ammonia produced conventionally (gray ammonia) by 2030.
Green hydrogen is produced by using renewable energy to power the electrolysis of water.[4]
Certified green hydrogen requires an emission reduction of >60-70% (depending on the certification body) below the benchmark emissions intensity threshold (= GHG emissions of grey hydrogen, for example benchmark values according to the renewable energy directive RED II).[5][6][7]
Market
The high cost of production is the main factor behind the low use of green hydrogen. Nonetheless, the United States Department of Energy forecasts that the hydrogen market is expected to grow, with the cost of hydrogen production falling from $6/kg in 2015 to as low as $2/kg by 2025.[8] The price of $2/kg is considered a potential tipping point that will make green hydrogen competitive against other fuel sources. Siemens has already developed offshore wind turbines which are equipped for a hydrogen blend and, consequently help increase production of green hydrogen.[9]
The majority of hydrogen produced globally in 2020 is derived from fossil fuel sources with 99% of hydrogen fuel coming from carbon-based sources, and is not green hydrogen.[10]
Green hydrogen has significantly lower carbon emissions than grey hydrogen, which is produced by steam reforming of natural gas and represents 95% of the market. On the contrary, green hydrogen, specifically, that produced by electrolysis of water represents less than 0.1% of total hydrogen production.[11]
Uses
According to BloombergNEF, “. . . hydrogen offers the greatest potential to decarbonize difficult-to-abate sectors like steel, cement and heavy duty transport.”[12] Green hydrogen has been used in transportation, heating, and in the natural gas industry, and can be used to produce green ammonia.
Transportation
Hydrogen can be used as a hydrogen fuel for fuel cells or internal combustion engines. Hydrogen vehicles are not limited to automobiles, with trucks also being designed to run on green hydrogen. In 2020, major European companies announced plans to switch their truck fleets to hydrogen power.[13] Additionally, hydrogen-powered aircraft are already being designed by Airbus, with a planned release of the first commercial aircraft by 2035.[14] Nevertheless, Airbus has warned that hydrogen will not be widely used on aircraft before 2050.[15]
Heating
Hydrogen can be used for cooking and heating within homes. Hydrogen heating has been proposed as an alternative to power most UK homes by 2050.[16] The British government intends to launch demonstration projects to show how the fuel can power regions containing hundreds of homes.[17]
Natural gas industry
Natural gas infrastructure could possibly become a roadblock if countries intend to become carbon neutral. As a result many countries are considering using the current gas infrastructure to transport hydrogen.[18] While making gas pipelines carry hydrogen is feasible, it also presents challenges, as many pipelines and their equipment would have to be altered for the new fuel.[19] A pilot program in Cappelle-la-Grande‚ France has already mixed hydrogen into the gas grid of 100 homes. Natural gas-fired power plants can also be converted to burn hydrogen serving to provide backup power during periods of high demand.[20]
Green Ammonia Production
Green hydrogen can be used to produce green ammonia, the main constituent of fertilizer production. It is suggested that green ammonia will be cost competitive with ammonia produced conventionally (gray ammonia) by 2030.[21]
Economy
As of 2020, the global hydrogen market was valued at $900 million and expected to reach $300 billion by 2050.[22] According to analysts at Fitch Solutions, the global hydrogen market could jump to 10% by 2030.[23] The number of investments in green hydrogen has risen from almost none in 2020 to 121 gigawatts across 136 projects[23] in planning and development phases totaling over $500 billion in 2021.[citation needed] Companies across countries have formed alliances to increase production of the fuel fifty fold in the next six years.[citation needed][24]
Africa
Countries in Africa such as Morocco, Tunisia,[25] Egypt[26] and Namibia have proposed plans to have green hydrogen as a part of their overall climate change goals. Namibia is already partnering with European countries such as Netherlands and Germany for feasibility studies and funding.[27]
Australia
In Australia, green hydrogen has cost twice as much as conventional hydrogen and blue hydrogen, but a 2020 Australian National University report estimated that Australia could be producing it for much cheaper, even currently, and it could equal the price of conventional and blue hydrogen (at about A$2 per kilogram) by 2030, which would be cost-competitive with fossil fuels. An energy market analyst suggested in early 2021 that the price of green hydrogen would drop 70% over the coming 10 years in countries which have cheap renewable energy.[28] In 2020, the government fast tracked approval for the world’s largest planned renewable energy export facility in the Pilbara region. The following year, energy companies announced plans to construct a “hydrogen valley” in New South Wales at a cost of $2 billion which would replace the region’s coal industry.[29]
Asia
China
China is the leader of the global hydrogen market with an output of 20 million tons, accounting for ⅓ of global production. Sinopec aims to generate 500,000 tonnes of green hydrogen by 2025.[30] Researchers from the Harvard China Project have indicated that hydrogen generated from wind energy could provide a cost effective alternative for coal-dependent regions like Inner Mongolia.[31]
Japan
In order to become carbon neutral, the Japanese government intends to transform the nation into a “hydrogen society”.[32] The energy demand in Japan would require the government to import 36 million tons of liquefied hydrogen. The nation’s commercial imports are projected to be 100 times less than this amount by 2030, when the use of the fuel is expected to commence, which represents a serious challenge. Japan has published a preliminary road map that called for hydrogen and related fuels to supply 10% of the power for electricity generation as well as a significant portion of the energy for other uses like shipping and steel manufacture by 2050.[33]
The country has created a hydrogen highway consisting of 135 subsidized hydrogen fuels stations and plans to construct 1,000 by the end of the decade.[34][35]
Oman
A consortium of companies have announced a $30 billion project in Oman which would become one of the largest hydrogen facilities in the world. Construction will begin in 2028 and by 2038 the project will be powered by 25 GW of wind and solar energy.[36]