Energetica India Magazine May-June 2021

HYDROGEN The Road to Greener Hydrogen Whether hydrogen fuel holds the key to delivering widespread renewable power remains under heavy debate. What cannot be argued is the shear investment that backers are putting into the energy source — as much as 470 billion euros by 2050. When sceptics protest hydrogen’s potential, as both an effective and eco-friendly fuel source, it’s important that they see the bigger picture. 36 energetica INDIA- May-June_2021 Currently, around 96 per cent of hydrogen is generated from fossil fuels. The gas is predominantly produced by reforming methane, which creates carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon cap- ture and storage can make this production method more sus- tainable, but that’s also under development. Concentrating on where hydrogen is right now could make anyone uncertain about its future. So instead, let’s consider where hydrogen could be, and what it will take to get there. Green, Grey and Blue Hydrogen produced using fossil fuels is just one type of hy- drogen — the grey variety. The three types of hydrogen refer to the different ways it can be produced. Blue hydrogen is also made using fossil fuels, but carbon capture technologies at hydrogen plants prevent CO2 from being released into the at- mosphere. The third type, green hydrogen, is the end goal for hydrogen producers, as it produces zero carbon emissions. This is be- cause it is produced through electrolysis that’s powered by renewable resources like offshore wind. While this produces CO2, it doesn’t add any new carbon into the biosphere, and could be combined with carbon capture and storage. Currently, producing grey hydrogen is the cheapest option and estimated costs are around 1.5 €/ kg for countries in the European Union (EU). However, there are drawbacks to grey hydrogen’s lower rate as CO2 emissions carry an increasing cost. The price of CO2 ranges from €20 to €25 per tonne, meaning that CO2 could add almost €0.50 to the price of a kilo of hydrogen, making the cost-efficiency of grey hydrogen unsustainable. A scale-up of electrolysis could boost the feasibility of green hydrogen, increasing both its availability and cost-efficiency. Countries across the globe are focusing on green hydrogen production. France has set a ten per cent target for green hy- drogen use in the industry by 2022 and the UK Government has revealed £350 million worth of funding to help decarbonise industry, including dedicated funding for green hydrogen. The Bigger Picture Another reason why sceptics may underestimate hydrogen is because they do not realise its full potential. Hydrogen could certainly replace gas to fuel our vehicles and heat our homes — but those applications are drops in an ocean of possibility. When green hydrogen takes off, it could decarbonise indus- tries that already rely on hydrogen. Today, around 70 million tonnes of hydrogen are produced globally, used across sec- tors including petrochemicals, solar panels and glass manu- facturing. Selling green hydrogen into these industries, espe- Mats W. Lundberg Head of Sustainability, Sandvik