Wednesday 20 January 2021

Low carbon hydrogen ‘can be made at scale’

Low carbon hydrogen ‘can be made at scale’

Low-carbon hydrogen can be made at scale and offer benefits to society.

A report from the Hydrogen Council says there's not one single pathway to cleaner hydrogen, rather a variety of production methods that should be used.

There are many ways of producing hydrogen and although GHG emissions vary widely, very high CO2 savings can be achieved. The cleanest is “green” hydrogen produced through water electrolysis with renewable power.

But even “blue” hydrogen produced from natural gas with high CO2 capture and storage, can also achieve low emissions if best technologies are used and best practices are followed says the report.

In 2020, more than 15 countries launched major hydrogen plans and policies, with new projects of more than 35GW planned until 2030.

The Hydrogen Council (made up of major manufacturers and suppliers) says by 2050, the demand for hydrogen will be 21,800 TWh

To achieve this, global electrolysis of the gas would need to increase by  30-35%. This deployment rate is in line with the growth of the offshore wind and solar PV industry over the last decade.

Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of the Board of Toyota Motor Corporation and Co-chair of the Hydrogen Council said: “Hydrogen is a key part of the energy transition and can achieve very high CO2 savings with the right approach.

"All signs point to hydrogen becoming a cost-competitive, decarbonised solution for a large number of applications before 2030 – all we need now is bold action to ensure hydrogen can live up to its full potential.”

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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