Hydrogen

Sustainable hydrogen is an energy carrier and feedstock that is a clean alternative to fossil fuels and a path towards the decarbonization of our economy. Some even refer to a hydrogen revolution or hydrogen decade as the roll-out of development of hydrogen is boosted by strategic investments across Europe.

Today hydrogen’s production involves natural gas, resulting in significant amounts of CO2 emissions and so-called grey hydrogen. Grey hydrogen is mostly used to produce chemical products, such as plastics and fertilizers and for industrial processes.

On the other hand, sustainable or low-carbon hydrogen is produced either via electrolysis using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen or using the conventional processes and methane pyrolysis using biomethane. Sustainable hydrogen can be used in the transport sector, think of airplanes powered by hydrogen, heavy trucks or personal cars, or as a feedstock for industrial processes, such as green fertilizers and steel. Furthermore, hydrogen storage is a promising solution for a seasonal storage of surplus of energy from renewable energy source and grid balancing, if a sustainable energy-efficient hydrogen storage technology is identified. 

The production cost of sustainable hydrogen and scarcity of renewable energy, coupled to the difficult storage of hydrogen, sometimes called a “game stopper” for a hydrogen economy, are the most important bottlenecks for the larger expansion of sustainable hydrogen economy.