To decrease CO2, we need to increase H2
Have I got your attention? Good. I had to ask that question. How many people would think “Oh good, an article about H2 - namely hydrogen”? Not many, especially anybody who snored through their chemistry classes in school. But you have made it this far, so please keep reading. Hydrogen is the sexiest element in town and we all are going to hear a lot more about it in the coming years and decades.
I couldn’t overstate the importance of hydrogen to life in this universe. We wouldn’t be anywhere without hydrogen as it powers the sun and every star in the universe. It is the source of all our warmth, food and is the building block for everything you can see, and has been since nearly the dawn of time. What a cold, miserable place this universe would be without it. #GlobalWarming would certainly not be an issue.
But it is. Global warming and the CO2 crisis is here posing the biggest issue facing mankind. We, however, are going to talk about solutions. We are facing already irreversible negative impacts from climate change, but there is still time to act. There is no time for pessimism, things are on the move. Every day brings new good news about #COVID vaccines. There are no vaccines for global warming, but many innovative solutions.
To reverse global warming will take a jigsaw of solutions, all fitting together to make a beautiful and bright picture of our future, or our living space for generations to come. A significant puzzle piece is hydrogen next to other green gazes. Some carbon neutral homes of the future could be powered by green molecules, others by green electrons. And we could all sleep a little more peacefully, without a single guilty conscience.
How to make this a reality? This is an issue close to my personal and my 12,300 family members’ hearts for many reasons. We must assume global responsibility, making hydrogen a competitive option and further developing a market for hydrogen technology.
According to Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety @SvenjaSchulze: “The National Hydrogen Strategy will give Germany a dual boost – for the climate and for a sustainable economic recovery after the COVID-19 crisis. Hydrogen gives us an opportunity to better mitigate climate change in areas where there were no solutions available before”
Let’s talk about the building and the heating industry in specific: There are approximately 42 million residential and commercial buildings in Germany, and the German Climate Action Plan 2050 promises carbon neutral energy in all buildings by 2050. Blending hydrogen into the current natural gas pipeline network represents an immediate opportunity for decarbonisation and could abate up to a 100 million tonnes of CO2 annually, equal to the yearly CO2 emissions of some European countries.
Hydrogen-compatible heating systems for residential, commercial and district sectors have been available on the market for some time and condensing heating systems sold today are technically able to accept up to 30% hydrogen gas at zero extra cost for the end-users. A retrofit of the burner unit in the field can even ensure that the heating system is able to accept 100% hydrogen.
From a consumer perspective, there is no noticeable difference in the operation or appearance of their heating systems. From a homeowner or building owner perspective, a heating system that can accept a blend of hydrogen at no extra cost is an incredible advantage when building or renovating a property. So, both ‘no-regret’ moves
The challenges facing humanity concerning environmental sustainability, safe, dependable, and secure energy supplies, global economic growth, and ensuring that our planet remains liveable living space for generations to come, are not unsurmountable. But we must all pull in the same direction. The vision is there. The technology is there. The will is there. Green heating, cooling and fresh air for everyone! I firmly believe that a smart and well-dosed use of hydrogen in heating will contribute to sustainable living spaces for generations to come.
H2 readiness today from Viessmann for generations to come:
Overall Responsible Electrician (GVEFK) of ebm-papst group | @#influFANser @ebm-papst | proud Leader of VEFK e.V.
3 年Great Job H2 Heroes!
Responsable logistique chez Viessmann France SAS
3 年Really interesting, especially according our condensing heating boilers able to work with 30% h2 By the way i like the picture, may the hydrogen be with us !
Gemeinsam statt einsam: #ZukunftsSchw?rmer
3 年Dear Maximilian Viessmann. I agree with your headline, but still I am not completely convinced by your proposals. 1. H2 is not the bottleneck of our energy supply yet. Renewable electricity is! 2. Once we have a surplus of renewable energy, we should transform it into H2 to stabilize our grid. 3. Feeding even more H2 into our gas grid can give you some quick wins, even on conventional heating systems, BUT: 4. H2 is the champaign of all energy storing methods. And electricity is the gold standard of all available power forms. While heat ist the lowest quality level and always the last step of any chain of energytransformation. 5. Whenever you transform any energy, you should always try to harvest as much of electric energy as possible. Just burning H2, which had consumed and lost a lot of electricity before, is not a really good idea. You should use the H2 first to produce electricity, use the waste heat for heating, and maybe the electricity to run a heat pump. Doing so, you could reach a much better efficiency. So I am afraid that your proposals maybe fine for some quick wins, but not as a long-term perspective.
serious about corporate sustainability since 1992 views are private
3 年Spot on. Employ H2 where it makes sense