Green Hydrogen
The process of global energy transition is massive, the like of which has not been seen since the industrial revolution (1800s).
During the time natural gas, oil, and coal still accounting for over 75% of the worlds primary energy consumption, new energy storage solutions are rapidly gaining momentum, one of which is green hydrogen.
Based on current forecasts, green hydrogen could be feasible, in terms of widespread energy source within the next decade. One of the major advantages it has against gasoline is that it has three times greater energy density and is produced by renewable energy sources. It is also denser than batteries meaning that hydrogen-powered vehicles would weigh a lot less than those running on a lithium batteries.
Preliminary tests with green hydrogen-powered fuel networks have shown promising results—so what needs to happen before green hydrogen can enter the mainstream?
So what is green hydrogen?
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, although it rarely exists as a pure gas on Earth. It is usually found combined with other elements, for example with oxygen in water, H₂O. Separating it from these other elements requires energy, and energy is released when they come back together.
Electrolysis is the most accepted and widespread way of splitting water into its constituent parts: hydrogen and oxygen.
It is already common sense that another benefit of using green hydrogen is its universal nature in means of possibility of using it in a different important segments of energy – as an energy storage, as a direct fuel or for generating a clean power.
Needless to say that Green hydrogen is no different to any other hydrogen molecule, the difference of color makes the way it is produced. To be classified as green hydrogen, the energy source for the electrolysis process must be a clean, renewable energy source, such as hydro,solar or wind.
Electrolysis was first formally discovered and categorized in 1800 by English scientists, William Nicholson and Anthony Carlisele. Three decades later, Michael Faraday provided a mathematical explanation for this phenomenon in his “two laws of electrolysis.”
The process involves using an electric current to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous reaction—in other words, a reaction that requires an energy input.
By 1938, the first hydrogen fuel cell was developed to generate electricity, and by 1960, hydrogen fuel cells were being used to power spaceships in the Apollo and Gemini space missions.
Is Green Hydrogen the Future of Clean Energy?
the DOE has estimated that 10 million metric tons of hydrogen production and over 1,600 miles of hydrogen pipeline in the U.S.
However, most of this hydrogen is in the form of gray hydrogen and is used in petroleum refining and fertilizer production.
Hydrogen Forecast to 2050, DNV( independent assurance and risk management provider) predicts the amount of hydrogen in the energy mix will be only 0.5% in 2030 , 5% in 2050. Still, to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement, hydrogen should meet 15% of energy demand by mid-century.
One major barriers for the acceptance of green hydrogen is its safety. Hydrogen is non-toxic, but it is also highly flammable (ignite more easily than natural gas and gasoline). Therefore, some safety measures like ventilation and leak detection are essential to ensure quality hydrogen infrastructure.
Positively, hydrogen is already safely used for a range of applications, including rocket fuel, gas networks, it is painlessly transported and stored in liquid and compressed gas forms.
Important is to improve transportation methods so hydrogen can travel from where it is less expensive to produce to high density geographies.
Green Hydrogen As A Fuel In The Future
Companies in the U.S. are already working to introduce hydrogen into the energy mix through existing gas delivery networks.
HyGrid is the project,which plans to create a blend of up to 20 percent green hydrogen with natural gas for distribution in existing distribution systems. The pilot demonstration will be used to heat approximately 800 homes in the region and power 10 municipal vehicles.
Collaboration called H2USA was launched (By DOE) to focus on advancing hydrogen infrastructure to support the transportation and storage of hydrogen fuel.
Green hydrogen upscales natural gas but, with the volume increase of hydrogen production, the cost is expected to come down.
The world’s largest producer of electrolyzers, NEL, states that green hydrogen production could reach cost parity with fossil fuels in 2025, also the DOE has published plans to reduce the cost of hydrogen to approximately $1 per 1 kilogram within the next decade.
Shifting to green hydrogen as a new renewable source, as energy transitions, cant happen quickly, in general, they take a long time. More than 60 years – starting from the time it was introduced (1840- 1900) coal went from 5 percent of the worlds energy supply at about 50 percent. But for the course of 60 years from 1930 to 1990, natural gas reached just 20%. Therefore, the transition to hydrogen will also take time..
