A Moonshot — Hydrogen in Europe — Things you need to know!
Is clean hydrogen a perfect means towards our goal of climate neutrality?
At the moment, hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels are trending all over the world, including Europe. Hydrogen is seen as a solution that will come to support the incredible challenge of reducing carbon emissions and therefore aid in fighting the climate crisis. But is this really a new solution? And is it really as important as it seems?
The processes of production of hydrogen fuel are nothing new. In fact, they have been around for centuries. Similarly, the usage of such fuel by a fuel cell was also not a recent invention. For example, in 1932, Francis Thomas Bacon (British) invented a fuel cell that, later on, would be used in the mission Apollo 11. Without it, the crew wouldn’t have had the power necessary for essentials like lights, air-conditioning and communications.
So, fuel cells already helped the first man to get to the moon!!!
When inquired about the usage of the Fuel Cell in 1968, Francis Thomas Bacon replied, “I always hoped that it would be used for driving vehicles about, road and also rail vehicles”. Well, he was not wrong!
Listen to the full interview at BBC Archive.
With time, this technology has started to grow, not only in terms of research and development but also in the demand for hydrogen fuel and the deployment of infrastructure. Pilot projects, such as this hydrogen bus project in Aberdeen, Scotland, are becoming ever-increasingly more prominent in the European landscape while more and more focus is being placed on renewable energies as a path towards carbon neutrality.
Global demand for pure hydrogen, 1975–2018
Unprecedented Momentum for Green Hydrogen — IRENA, 2019
Hydrogen is today enjoying unprecedented momentum. — Dr. Faith Birol, IEA, 2019
Why the momentum?
Even though approximately 95 % of hydrogen is produced by fossil fuels currently, hydrogen is strongly associated with clean energy.
One of the many ways of producing hydrogen is generating ‘green or clean hydrogen’ fuel which results in the usage of renewable energy via electrolyzers. This is a zero-carbon fuel when consumed and almost neutral when produced. This makes it appealing for the climate targets set worldwide and especially appealing in the media. It is also interesting for the fossil fuel industry to push this technology forward because it has the potential to co-exist with the usage of fossil fuels. The so-called blue, grey and turquoise types of hydrogen are still the cheapest options. However, the declining costs of photovoltaics and wind power along with the placement of electrolyzers in strategic locations will soon tip the balance (check here for production costs of hydrogen by source in 2018).
Clean hydrogen is a perfect means towards our goal of climate neutrality. It can power heavy industries, propel our cars, trucks, and planes, store seasonal energy, heat up our homes. All of this with almost zero emissions.
-President Ursula von der Leyen, 19.01.2021 (Full interview and video below)
Accordingly, the European Union has Hydrogen very high on its agenda. The development of alternative fuels, including hydrogen, was already strongly supported by the EU Green Deal and further developed into concrete plans for the energy system of the future and clean hydrogen. (published on the 8th of July 2020). The European Commission proposed a phased approach with the following goals: a minimum of at least 6GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers and up to 1 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen in the EU by 2024; a minimum of at least 40GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers and up to 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen in the EU by 2030; and from 2030 to 2050 the deployment at large scale across all hard-to-decarbonise sectors.
Find the EU Hydrogen Strategy here.
Below is a representative two-way scenario of how the hydrogen landscape will be in the EU28 by 2030:
5 hydrogen initiatives you must know about!
Hydrogen Europe — The biggest Hydrogen Association in Europe
It is the European association representing the interest of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry and its stakeholders — promoting hydrogen as the enabler of a zero-emission society. It has more than 200 companies, 80 research organizations, and 25 national associations as members from the entire value chain of the European Hydrogen and fuel cell ecosystem.
The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking — The biggest Public-Private Partnership related to Hydrogen Energy in Europe
A joint undertaking by the European Commission and the above-mentioned, Hydrogen Europe. As a mission, they aim to work on facilitating the market introduction of fuel cells and hydrogen technologies in Europe, supporting their carbon neutral potential.
European Clean Hydrogen Alliance — a European- led and open alliance, join here!
The European Clean Hydrogen Alliance brings together industry, national and local public authorities, civil society and other stakeholders. It is strongly anchored in the hydrogen value chain, covering renewable and low-carbon hydrogen from production via transmission to mobility, industry, energy and heating applications.
Hydrogen Council — Worldwide council supporting Hydrogen Economy.
Hydrogen Council is bringing together a diverse group of 100+ companies based in 20+ countries and across the entire hydrogen value chain, including large multinationals, innovative SMEs, and investors.
Clean Energy Ministerial, Hydrogen Initiative — An exemplar and worldwide governmental initiative in the Hydrogen field.
Under the Clean Energy Ministerial, this initiative was launched at CEM10 in Vancouver, Canada, and aims to put the spotlight on the role that hydrogen and fuel cell technologies can play in the global clean energy transition.
7 hydrogen reports you must read!
- Hydrogen Roadmap Europe: A Sustainable Pathway for the European Energy Transition
- Opportunities for Hydrogen Energy Technologies considering the National Energy Plans (EU28 and the Individual Member States’ reports)
- Shell Hydrogen Study, Energy of the future? Sustainable Mobility through Fuel Cells and H2
- The Future of Hydrogen — IEA
- Clean Hydrogen Monitor 2020 — Hydrogen Europe
- Renewable Power-to-hydrogen Innovation Landscape Brief — IRENA
- Hydrogen: A Renewable Energy Perspective — IRENA
5 Medium articles about hydrogen you must check out!
- What does “green” hydrogen mean, and what can we use it for? — Enrique Dans
- Hydrogen Planes Expected To Fly By 2035 — Craig Bouchard
- How Hydrogen Fits into European Energy Future — GLG
- Green Hydrogen: Hyper-fuel or hype? — Travis Elsum
- Green Hydrogen: The Energy of The Future — Walid AO
3 hydrogen podcasts you must follow!
- Everything About Hydrogen (English)
- Purple is the New Green (English)
- El Podcast del Hidrógeno (Spanish)
