Architecting the Hydrogen Economy

Last year, after driving back from the #Handelsblatt #Hydrogen Summit, I posted an article here in which I was looking for the Hydrogen Economy Explorer. Now, one year later, where do we stand with the #hydrogeneconomy?

There are still two use-cases of hydrogen—either as chemical reactant and/or as energy carrier. Over the past three years, I’ve seen increased cases of hydrogen being used as a chemical reactant to produce green steel, as well as to transform hydrogen into other chemicals like ammonia or methanol. Visiting the Hannover Fair, this year’s Handelsblatt Hydrogen Summit (#Wasserstoffgipfel) and the Hydroverse Convention organized by H2UB , I feel the general mood of the industry has moved from an enthusiastic phase of exploration to a more realistic phase of execution. The discourse has shifted from lofty goals toward strategic discussion about the challenges of implementing a hydrogen economy—from production, transport, distribution, and storage, all the way to the players using the green hydrogen. Based on political decisions, available funding and investment by early movers in the industry, many of these aspects are now lining up.

There are still areas to explore of course—this is just the first step of a longer journey. To help us move further along, cost reduction of hydrogen is the key! How can we get there? Realistically speaking, I think we need to be open to whatever technology is the best fit, rather than trying to push just one kind of electrolyzer. There is probably opportunity for all, based on their respective characteristics (though physics may pose a limit). At 3M 公司 , we see room to innovate towards full commercialization of the hydrogen industry based on our technologies and prior experience in other industries. We have architected a program that combines the forces of our #3Mer #scientists, New Growth #Ventures, and division partners toward enabling the future of hydrogen production.

In 2015, I started my previous journey of enabling large-scale production of electric vehicle batteries with materials targeted towards large scale automation of assembly. I see similar needs, but also trends, in the current hydrogen economy. What we learned over the years is that design of the product, material, and application process must be developed together. Basically, we need to architect the next generation of hydrogen production with global scale as our target.

This change in perspective on the hydrogen economy coincides with a change in my job title earlier this year. As the 3M Hydrogen Technology and Business Architect, I am still looking for the Hydrogen Economy Explorer to gain a shared vision of when and where hydrogen will be relevant. More importantly, I am looking for fellow architects of the hydrogen economy—influential leaders who are creating vital building blocks and willing to partner with potential materials and solution providers like 3M for a brighter future.