Balancing Aspirations and Realities in Pursuit of Hydrogen Technology
The use of hydrogen is incredibly important for reducing carbon emissions in the global economy. To achieve a net-zero world, organizations like the IRENA and Hydrogen Council predict that hydrogen will contribute 12-20 percent of our overall energy needs.
Governments and people are paying more attention to hydrogen lately, and it's a good thing. But it's not without its downsides. The reason is that hydrogen is not a primary fuel; instead, it's used to transport energy, and producing it requires energy. This means that if we spend money and resources creating hydrogen for uses where it's not the best fit, it might take away from our efforts to reduce carbon emissions. It would be better to focus on making clean hydrogen for applications that can't be efficiently electrified.
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Hydrogen is a highly adaptable element, with advantageous features that can effectively reduce carbon emissions in important economic processes that aren't easily electrifiable, especially in industries such as refining, steel and cement. However, there are various uses that don't take advantage of the strengths that hydrogen brings to the table - something decision makers should be cautious of.
On top of these drawbacks, the capacity for energy transportation via hydrogen – even when in its liquid state – is only 40 percent of the amount that can be transported via an equivalent volume of liquid natural gas.
Eventually, it is improbable that liquid hydrogen's export and import can make use of the present liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. Hydrogen embrittlement demands novel storage tanks, piping, pumps, and valves. Moreover, to attain a liquified temperature of −253 degrees Celsius, instead of −162 degrees Celsius for natural gas, ground-breaking and more massive compressors are compulsory. These massive and time-consuming alterations would unfavorably affect project economics.
The UK Parliament conducted research on hydrogen and discovered that it might be useful for home heating; however, they are unsure of how much potential it has and believe that it may not be very widespread.
Although hydrogen has certain drawbacks, it will undoubtedly play a crucial part in reducing carbon emissions in several crucial applications. Unlike natural gas, hydrogen has a higher combustion temperature of 2182 degrees Celsius, but its combustion only produces water as a byproduct. For this reason, it's an excellent option for industries that require high amounts of process heat, such as steel manufacturing, responsible for emitting 7-9% of the world's total greenhouse gases.
At present, there is a great need for hydrogen, with a demand of approximately 100 million tons each year. Yet, only a small fraction, less than one million tons annually, is produced through the utilization of “low-carbon” methods of hydrogen generation. However, it is possible to increase this figure to 16-24 million tons per annum by 2030 if all currently planned projects are successfully implemented.
A blend of uncertainty and need
An important aspect to keep an eye on is reducing the carbon footprint of heavy-duty vehicles, specifically ones used in mining and construction, as their needs may differ from those of long-distance trucking. Finding the most efficient way to decarbonize haul trucks, for example, remains unclear since the batteries required to power them weigh so much in comparison to their size. Some organizations, like nuGen, are experimenting with hydrogen-powered haul trucks for mining locations and have already deployed models that are more powerful than their traditional diesel counterparts.
There are other fields that are difficult to reduce emission from, and they present a lot of uncertainty. Finding the best way to decrease carbon output is still unclear. Aviation is one of these areas, but there's hope that hydrogen could be used for low-emission flights in some instances. Methanol, a hydrogen carrier, could be the solution for the shipping industry.
Regardless, achieving universal access to electricity is currently impractical with the existing technologies that we have. Therefore, hydrogen must be recognized and valued as an indispensable component of a net-zero energy system. To expedite the deployment process for those energy-intensive practices, clean hydrogen should be reserved only for the most economically feasible tasks. It is imperative that we shift towards electrification wherever possible to make the most significant impact.
William Tobin works as a program assistant for the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center.
Joseph Webster holds the position of a distinguished senior practitioner at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center.
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