Are we accelerating decarbonization? Is green hydrogen a key part of this solution to save us?

Green hydrogen could play an essential role in transitioning the world to a future of sustainable energy and net zero emissions. The world is experiencing unprecedented momentum toward fulfilling hydrogen's long-standing potential as a clean energy source. Now is the time to harness hydrogen's potential to solve critical energy challenges. Clean energy industries can be built through policy and technology innovation, as demonstrated by the recent success of renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles. With hydrogen-based fuels, renewable energy can be transported over long distances - from regions with abundant energy resources, to energy-hungry regions thousands of kilometers away. Hydrogen is emerging as one of the leading storage options for renewable energy.

Hydrogen has been recognized by both government and industry as a key component of a net zero economy. Terms such as 'grey', 'blue', and 'green' might be used in describing hydrogen technologies. Green hydrogen is the only type produced in a climate-neutral manner, making it crucial to reach net zero by 2050.

Let us see how green hydrogen could contribute to the era of net zero emissions?

Green hydrogen technologies:

The green hydrogen process involves splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity. Compared to both gray and blue, this path is very different. For green hydrogen production to be significantly scaled up and reduced by at least three times in the next decade or two, unlike renewable power, which is the cheapest source of electricity in most countries and regions today. The good news is that electrolysis is a commercially available technology on the market today, unlike CCS and methane pyrolysis.

Green hydrogen energy solutions:

What are the advantages of a 'green' hydrogen economy in terms of energy transition? Is it possible to transition to a green hydrogen economy from the gray hydrogen economy we have now?

In order to achieve the energy transition, green hydrogen is an important component. To decarbonize existing power systems, we must first accelerate the deployment of renewable electricity, then accelerate the electrification of the energy sector to utilize low-cost renewable electricity, before decarbonizing sectors that are difficult to electrify – such as heavy industry, shipping and aviation – by using green hydrogen.

In order to achieve net zero emissions, we will need green hydrogen, especially for industry, shipping, and aviation. Our most urgent needs are:

1) Energy efficiency

2) Electrification and

3) The generation of renewable energy should be accelerated.

Once these three factors are achieved, we will be left with approximately. Decarbonizing 40% of the demand requires green hydrogen, modern bioenergy, and direct use of renewables. As renewable power capacity is scaled up to produce competitive green hydrogen and to decarbonize hard-to-atbate sectors, we will be able to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors with minimal extra cost.

The future of green hydrogen:

What is your vision of how hydrogen energy technologies will evolve by 2030?

Is it possible to anticipate hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles?

As hydrogen demand increases, we see an opportunity for rapid uptake of green hydrogen in the next decade: decarbonizing ammonia, iron, and other existing commodities. The hydrogen used in many industrial processes can be replaced with green, provided CO2 is appropriately priced or other mechanisms are put in place to decarbonize those sectors.

Ships will be able to switch to green ammonia in the near future, a fuel produced from green hydrogen and nitrogen from the air, which doesn't emit CO2, but it is currently much more expensive than fuel oil.

It will take a long time to develop hydrogen (or ammonia) planes, which will be essentially new planes to replace existing jet-fuel-powered planes - clearly not feasible by 2030 - but green jet fuel - produced with a combination of green hydrogen and sustainable bioenergy - may be a solution that can be deployed soon.

Ultimately, the main actions that need to be taken to accelerate decarbonisation are:

1) Energy efficiency

2) Electrification with renewables

3) Rapid acceleration of renewable power generation

4) Sustainable, modern bioenergy needs to be scaled up - among others - to produce green fuels which use carbon dioxide

5) Decarbonizing gray hydrogen with green hydrogen would bring scale and reduce electrolysis costs, making green hydrogen competitive and ready for further scale-up in the 2030s, aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Rohit Pathak Girish Tanti Steve Abbott Stephen Lund ICD.D Pete Dennis Manoj Kannanthodath