Hydrogen & Sustainability

Hydrogen can be produced from diverse domestic resources with the potential for near-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Once produced, hydrogen generates electrical power in a fuel cell, emitting only water vapour and warm air. It holds promise for growth in both the stationary and transportation energy sectors but the pipeline of hydrogen projects is continuing to grow, but actual deployment is lagging.

However, the vast majority of car companies have turned away from hydrogen because of the high density of energy consumed in its production, as well as poor funding and backing from governments, which is stopping the hydrogen revolution from expanding ever more.

A Brief History of the Harnessing of Hydrogen Power

With many actors increasingly putting their faith in the progress of hydrogen energy, perhaps it is instructive to take a look at how far we’ve come over the 400-plus years that people have been tinkering with the technology.

1625, Hydrogen is Identified

In Brussels, Jan Baptist van Helmont first identifies the substance hydrogen. Van Helmont is also considered the father of pneumatic chemistry and first coined the term ‘gas’.

1895, The First Zeppelin is Patented in Germany

Control of hydrogen comes in many forms, and one of them was in providing zeppelins – those massive airships that were en vogue for transatlantic travel in the first half of last century – with their signature buoyancy.?

Zeppelins soon fell out of favour following the Hindenburg disaster of 1937.?

1960, GE Develops Hydrogen Fuel Cells for NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

In the run up to the Apollo and Gemini space missions, General Electric arrives at the technological end to produce electricity from hydrogen fuel cells.?

Early 2000s, Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Submarines Arrive?

Again in Germany, hydrogen powered submarine technology begins to take off.?

The type 214 submarine is an avatar of this technology, but the DeepC autonomous underwater vehicle is also powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

2016, Toyota Motor Corporation launches its first hydrogen fuel cell car

As the climate crisis intensifies, automotive companies seek new ways of powering cars. Enter: hydrogen.?

With the Toyota Mirai, the world’s first hydrogen-powered car comes on the market.

2022, Saudi goes all in

In one of the biggest yet concerted pushes for hydrogen power, Saudi Arabia announced the construction of a $5bn green hydrogen plan in NEOM . It is to be powered by renewable energy and will supply 650 tonnes of hydrogen daily.

The main source of hydrogen today is natural gas, which is the methane we extract from the ground and feed into our boilers. Steam reforming, which removes the carbon atom from methane, results in the production of hydrogen gas. However, the gas itself is nothing particularly new, despite how much more people talk about it these days.

This, or "grey hydrogen," as it is also known, is already generated in large quantities in refineries and facilities all over the world. Hydrogen serves as a feedstock for numerous chemical reactions, aiding in the production of plastics and other petrochemicals, but perhaps its most significant usage is in the production of fertilisers.

Millions of us would have starved if not for all those molecules of grey hydrogen that were created and converted into ammonia in recent decades. Therefore, hydrogen is already fairly huge deal. However, as you've already seen, there are a lot of carbon emissions associated with grey hydrogen production.

Now, one solution to this is to try to capture those carbon emissions out of the chimney and store the CO2 away underground. Do this and you have a low carbon form of hydrogen (you can't capture every single carbon atom) commonly known as blue hydrogen. Black hydrogen is created using coal, pink hydrogen using nuclear energy, turquoise hydrogen using methane pyrolysis, and so on. ?

But the holy grail of hydrogen these days is "green hydrogen". By running water through an electrolysis cell that is fueled by electricity produced from a renewable resource, such as wind, sun, or hydropower, green hydrogen can be produced. Water's hydrogen and oxygen atoms are split apart by the electricity, releasing hydrogen gas at one electrode and oxygen gas at the other.

But why hasn't it happened yet?

• Cleaner hydrogen is more expensive to make - A kilogramme of grey hydrogen can be produced for about $1, or it did before gas prices skyrocketed. On the other side, producing one kilogramme of green hydrogen costs about $5.
• Hydrogen needs big investment - and the UK's strategy is uncertain - However, no one is quite certain of the UK government's position on hydrogen at this time (or the previous two, for that matter) and little money has been set aside for the sector
• High energy consumption - The production of hydrogen in general and green hydrogen in particular?requires more energy?than other fuels.
• Safety issues - Hydrogen is a?highly volatile and flammable element?and extensive safety measures are therefore required to prevent leakage and explosions.

Good job but More to Do: The UK Releases its Net Zero Review

After a study led by former UK Energy Minister Chris Skidmore, the British government has released its Net Zero Review. The gist of the report is easily reducible: the UK can do much more to reap the economic benefits of green growth.?

To meet these ambitious goals, the Net Zero Review proposed 129 recommendations covering diverse swathes of the economy and society. Notable among these are the following:

• Backing businesses to include incentives for investing in decarbonisation (including through the system of taxation and offering advice to small businesses)
• Putting in place a planning system that will keep net zero transition at the forefront, both on the national and the local level
• Driving the construction of energy efficient homes via legislating for the Future Homes Standard (eg, no gas boilers after 2025, widespread heat pump technology);
• The development of cross-sectoral infrastructure in a way that encourages the adoption of green energy sources like hydrogen.

“My recommendations are designed to make the most of this historic opportunity, covering the length and breadth of the economy, so that people in every part of the country can reap the benefits of this both in their communities and in their pockets.” - Chris Skidmore

Find out more here

Why the UK Needs to Play Catch up on Hydrogen

With the demand for transition fuels rising, how does the UK’s hydrogen credentials stack up against its European counterparts?

There have also been questions over the UK’s conflicting investment into blue hydrogen, which is produced using conventional fuels like gas with carbon capture. Find out more here

In Case you missed other big Hyrodgen News!

劳斯莱斯汽车 & easyJet test run hydrogen airplane engine

- Find out more

Hydrogen-powered high-speed urban train unveiled in China

- Find out more

Hydrogen boilers heat homes in first-ever pilot programme

- Find out more

In The Spotlight this Week....

John Wilgar , Chief Procurement Officer at NSG Group , discusses fundamental changes to its procurement functions to become more diverse and sustainable.

NSG has been working to introduce alternative fuels such as hydrogen that will power the production of glass as well as biofuels as drop-in replacements for their fossil fuel counterparts. It is in areas such as these that partners like Shell can help NSG accelerate on its path to decarbonisation.

Find out more

Imagine a time when the United Kingdom (and the rest of the globe) might have a totally green electrical system if there were enough wind turbines and green hydrogen production plants. However, getting there will need a substantial investment commitment and vision.

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