Hydrogen Power from Green Sources: Its Role in Mitigating Climate Crisis

Hydrogen Power from Green Sources: Its Role in Mitigating Climate Crisis - DW

Green hydrogen, an abundant element in the universe and a key component in the solution to climate change, is expected to make up less than 1% of final energy demand globally by 2035, according to a study published in the journal Nature. This article explores the challenges and opportunities in scaling up green hydrogen production to meet the urgent climate need.

Green hydrogen is produced using electricity from renewable sources to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms. However, the large-scale production of green hydrogen faces several obstacles. Insufficient infrastructure, such as delayed completion of electrolyzers and hydrogen refueling stations, the challenges in continuously securing enough green electricity for electrolysis, bureaucratic hurdles regarding regulations and permits, and the current lack of widespread hydrogen tank stations, hinder timely and large-scale production.

Two obstacles stand in the way of making green hydrogen: building electrolyzers to get hydrogen from water and the short supply of iridium and platinum, expensive metals used as catalysts for the chemical reaction in a common type of electrolyzer. If the cost of iridium and platinum comes down, the total cost of producing green hydrogen also decreases.

In many regions, green hydrogen has been able to compete with gray hydrogen, which accounts for nearly all hydrogen produced today and is made with methane gas and steam in a chemical process that emits carbon dioxide, on cost since Russia invaded Ukraine. However, if supplies of green hydrogen stay short, steelmakers who ditch coal-fired furnaces may burn fossil gas instead.

To reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the sector would need to be making 100 mt of blue and green hydrogen by 2030. Blue hydrogen is made with the same process, but the carbon is captured and stored. To decarbonize electricity and have clean hydrogen, a ramp up of 15-20 times today's renewable generation is needed by 2050.

Policymakers need to clearly define what renewable hydrogen is to help the industry attract funding, according to Vaitea Cowan. The European Union announced €5.2 billion ($5.7 billion) in funding for hydrogen projects it hopes will kick-start private investments. If all planned projects go ahead, production of blue and green hydrogen will rise from less than 1 megaton in 2021 to about 20 mt by the end of the decade.

However, building enough wind turbines and solar panels to make green hydrogen is tricky due to raw materials and factories, local opposition and rules, and high energy prices. Critics have said policymakers risk locking in fossil fuels by betting on green hydrogen to clean up parts of the economy. Policymakers also need to stop subsidizing fossil fuels, according to Vaitea Cowan.

In the United States, a climate law passed in August put a price on methane pollution and gave tax incentives to capture carbon. LNG terminals will need to be replaced, and pipelines would likely need to be retrofitted to carry hydrogen, according to Gniewomir Flis. Demand for hydrogen is set to soar as subsidies flow into clean technologies and lawmakers raise the price of polluting the atmosphere.

In conclusion, while the challenges in scaling up green hydrogen production are significant, the potential benefits for the environment and the economy are enormous. With the right policies and investments, it is possible to accelerate the transition to a hydrogen-based economy and help meet the urgent need to combat climate change.