Other sectors with a long history of hydrogen use include Food, Metal working, Welding, Flat Glass Production, Electronics Manufacturing and Medical. It is also heavily adopted in the hydrocracking process by refining industries to create petroleum products, including gasoline and diesel. Hard to abate sectors which cannot be electrifiedįor decades, hydrogen has primarily been used by the chemical, agricultural and refining industries to produce ammonia, fertilizers, and methanol. However, this process creates higher methane emissions compared to ‘Grey’ hydrogen, which warms the planet faster than CO2, in order to power the carbon capture.īy contrast, ‘Green’ hydrogen is created using electricity from renewable energy – such as wind, solar and marine energy – and is by far the cleanest form of hydrogen production. This type of production is described as ‘super-polluting’ releasing CO2 and unburnt fugitive methane into the atmosphere.Īnother derivation known as ‘Blue’ hydrogen is also produced using gas, with the distinction of CO2 being captured and stored underground. To become a major player in our decarbonised future the dirtiest forms of hydrogen production, using fossils fuels, quickly need replacing with renewable energy to create ‘Green’ hydrogen.Ĭurrently, more than 90% of the world’s hydrogen comes from coal and gas, classed as ‘Brown’ and ‘Grey’ hydrogen respectively. The very small molecule is also notoriously hard to handle, which bring practical challenges. Due to the thermodynamics involved, it is simply costly in energy terms to produce. One of the greatest challenges with creating hydrogen is the high energy requirement. Greater education is also required to dismantle a misleading ‘hydrogen for everything’ narrative, with many applications benefiting more quickly and substantially from other solutions such as direct electrification and batteries.Īt this pivotal moment in the hydrogen revolution the public purse must be invested wisely in research and projects which avoid wasting time, money and resource. Without clear guidelines on future clean hydrogen production, governments risk spending billions propping up hydrogen production facilities with enormous carbon footprints, wiping out many of other climate gains. However, its inexorable rise comes with a cautionary note.Īs many commentators are reporting – see articles from The Guardian, New York Times and Grist – while hydrogen will clearly contribute to the future clean energy mix, the way in which future hydrogen is produced, and the focus of its end use, will have a major bearing on its ability to actually reduce emissions. Hydrogen continues to generate waves of political support, with €25billion of US taxpayer money now available for new hydrogen hubs and demonstration projects.
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