Is Green Hydrogen the way to decarbonisation?

Green Hydrogen is the cornerstone of the European Commission’s Green Deal to become carbon neutral by 2050.

 

Recently I have been hearing much about how hydrogen is predicted to become the fuel of the future, and a month back we at Prospero Events Group, decided to produce a virtual conference – Green Hydrogen 2020– bringing together the pioneers in Europe. That is when I decided to read further about Hydrogen and its potential. What I found interests me a great deal and I thought it would be worth sharing with my network.

Those working within the Energy industry probably do not need the below explanation, however for my readers from other walks of life:

Hydrogen can be commercially produced by the splitting of the water molecule (electrolysis) and does not release any carbon into the atmosphere. Burning of hydrogen releases energy and releases only water vapour, and no carbon. Therefore, Green Hydrogen – the hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water using renewable source of electricity is clean with a very little carbon footprint.

Green Hydrogen could be the answer to decarbonization

Decarbonization is the most serious and immediate challenge the world faces now. One of the clear solutions to tackling this challenge is to phase out fossil fuels and replace them with low-carbon sources.

The world’s energy needs can be broadly categorized into the following – Power (for industrial as well as and domestic consumption), Transportation, Heat.

Traditionally all three of these needs were powered from fossil fuels and in the last decade or so we have been witnessing more and more renewable sources enter the mix and increased electrification offsetting fossil fuels.

Green Hydrogen in Heating: Replacing natural gas as the primary source of heating is where the Hydrogen revolution could take us. Blending hydrogen with natural gas for heating is already being experimented on successfully.

Green Hydrogen to generate power: To power homes and industrial activity, Hydrogen scores over intermittent renewable sources of energy such as wind or solar due to its low carbon, dispatchable nature and can play a big role in stabilizing the electric grid. Power intensive industries such as steel production are already exploring the use of hydrogen as a fuel.

Green Hydrogen in Transportation: The world is increasingly moving towards electrification of transportation; if Green Hydrogen is used to generate electricity that is used for transportation, it would lead to the decarbonization of the transportation industry.

Hydrogen is attracting R&D and collaboration across industries: Hydrogen’s potential has opened the participation of chemical and industrial gases industry giants directly into the energy value chain. Research & development through collaboration between these two industries is accelerating the revolution.

Green Hydrogen is not cheap now, but that is set to change

Replacing our current sources of energy with hydrogen is not an economically feasible option yet. Currently the gap between grey hydrogen (hydrogen made from natural gas) and green hydrogen is still wide at approximately €1.5/kg and €3.50- €5/ kg, respectively. However, if we are to go by the examples of solar and wind power generation and large scale energy storage systems, it can be assumed that the cost of the technology would fall in proportion to political will, industrial interest in the technology, and the resulting volume of research and development.

Why are we making Green Hydrogen 2020 now?

There are technologies that promise to change the world and then fail to deliver- for a variety of reasons. Hydrogen, however, is this one fuel that simultaneously touches power generation, heavy industries, transportation and more, and we think that it is here to make significant changes in our relationship with energy. We, at, Prospero Events Group, aim to bring together the pioneers in Green Hydrogen technologies from across different industries and create a forum for exchange of ideas and potentially develop new partnerships.

Green Hydrogen

What is your Green Hydrogen Strategy

I am delighted that we have at Green Hydrogen 2020, such a stellar line up of experts pioneering the development of this technology that promises to solve the decarbonization problem.

Earlier this year, industrial giant, Thyssenkrupp announced expanding its production capacities for water electrolysis to gigawatt scale in Europe. Working together with E. ON, Thyssenkrupp formed a virtual power plant (VPP) that will generate 600 megawatts (MW) of power from electrolysis units in Germany and the UK. Dr Christoph Noeres, Head of Energy Storage & Hydrogen, Thyssenkrupp, Germany will join Green Hydrogen 2020 and share insights on large-scale deployment of electrolysis, scaling up production and integrating hydrogen in the grid.

Earlier this year, Linde signed a MoU with China Power to jointly promote the application and development of green hydrogen in China. Tim Heisterkamp, Head of Technology & Environmental Policy, Linde, Germany is joining Green Hydrogen 2020 to share insights on the deployment & implementation of Green Hydrogen technologies by government, investors, stakeholders in public & private sectors.

In April 2019, Snam became the first company in Europe to introduce a mix of 5% hydrogen and natural gas in its transmission network. Snam is also part of the HYREADY network, that brings together European Energy majors to transform existing gas transport networks to become compatible with the injection of increasing percentages of hydrogen. We are delighted to have Cosma Panzacchi, Executive Vice President Business Unit Hydrogen, Snam, Italy share insights into the long-distance transportation for hydrogen at Green Hydrogen 2020.

Green Hydrogen plays a key role in Neste’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2035. We have from Neste, Outi Ervasti, Vice President, Renewable Hydrogen and PtX joining Green Hydrogen 2020 to share with us Neste’s path to a future with renewables.

Equinor is leading a project to develop one of the UK’s – and the world’s – first at-scale facilities to produce hydrogen from natural gas in combination with carbon capture and storage (CCS). The project aims to decarbonize one of UK’s largest CO2 emitting industrial cluster. Sveinung Hagen, Leading Advisor CCS Value Chain, Equinor, Norway will share with us at Green Hydrogen 2020 insights on the role of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in 10 years.

Key part of the hydrogen revolution would be to get hydrogen into homes and industrial zones. National Grid is partnering with Northern Gas Networks (NGN) and Fluxys Belgium to build a first of its kind offline hydrogen test facility in the UK, to understand how hydrogen gas could be used in the future to heat homes and deliver green energy to industry. Antony Green, Project Director – Hydrogen Gas Transportation, National Grid, UK joins Green Hydrogen 2020 to share insights on adapting the Current Infrastructure for Hydrogen transportation.

Related Events: Green Hydrogen 2020.

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