Green Hydrogen Systems How it Can Help

Among the many benefits of green hydrogen, the cost factor is the biggest issue. However, this issue is far from the only one. According to Julio Friedmann, a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, the only major barrier to green hydrogen is price.

He estimates that 70 million tons of hydrogen are produced annually and shipped across pipelines throughout the U.S. As a result, the technical issues involved in producing, transporting, and using hydrogen are fairly straightforward.

Electrolysis

The role of electrolysis in green hydrogen systems is crucial for the production of green hydrogen. Traditionally, the production of hydrogen has relied on fossil fuel reforming, which produces harmful greenhouse gases.

However, newer and more environmentally friendly processes are emerging, including electrolysis. This process separates water into hydrogen and oxygen, generating carbon-neutral green hydrogen. Moreover, green hydrogen production is a cost-competitive alternative to traditional hydrogen production.

Water electrolysis is the process by which hydrogen is produced from water. Hydrogen can be either in the form of a gas or liquid, depending on the process used.

There are several ways of producing hydrogen, including steam methane reforming, auto thermal reforming, and water splitting by electrolysis. The key advantage of green hydrogen is that it is produced without the emission of CO2.

However, electrolysis is not the best alternative energy source for hydrogen production. Grid electricity is not a suitable source because it uses energy-intensive and environmentally damaging technologies. Renewable energy and nuclear energy are ideal sources for producing hydrogen.

In fact, wind-based electricity production has increased rapidly around the world. It is also a good option for hydrogen storage. But it needs to be noted that these technologies have a number of drawbacks.

While it is true that hydropower can be used to produce hydrogen, it has some significant drawbacks. Hydrogen can damage metals, and the process can cause welds and steel pipes to crack. Hydrogen can be distributed using existing natural gas infrastructure, but 100% pure hydrogen is not safe.

The infrastructure needs to be remodeled and separate pipelines would be needed for hydrogen production. Therefore, green hydrogen is a viable option for the future of energy.

Costs

The cost of green hydrogen production depends largely on fuel, which accounts for between four and seventy five percent of the production costs. However, technological innovation can reduce the overall CAPEX. By 2050, the cost of green hydrogen production is expected to reach $1/kg.

It is possible to produce green hydrogen in areas where conventional fuels are too expensive. However, cost reductions must be accompanied by increased energy efficiency and increased recyclability.

The costs of green hydrogen systems are expected to fall significantly, compared to fossil fuels. Hydrogen has become cheaper than natural gas and solar panels, but the costs of renewable energy are higher.

The government underprices blue hydrogen in its net-zero modeling. According to Soufan Taamallah, director of energy technologies at IHS Markit, green hydrogen will cost anywhere from $3 to $6.55/kg, which is close to fossil fuel hydrogen.

The cost of green hydrogen systems will vary by region and the type of storage used. While geological storage is the least expensive option, it is geographically limited. Therefore, researchers compared solar-powered electrolytic hydrogen with hydrogen produced from natural gas with CCS, which was less expensive.

In addition to cost, a hydrogen plant with solar photovoltaics coupled with storage may even be competitive with natural gas-based fuel. With such a setup, industrial processes could run round-the-clock, enabling zero-carbon production.

Although hydrogen has experienced a few false starts, recent clean energy successes are proving that policy innovation can spur the growth of hydrogen. As the global energy sector continues to undergo change, the versatility of hydrogen is attracting stronger interest from a wide range of companies.

Cities, energy utilities, and importers can all benefit from green hydrogen. And as a growing source of clean energy, hydrogen can support new industrial development and create skilled jobs.

Environmental impact

There are several advantages of green hydrogen systems. The fuel itself is cleaner than gasoline and has a low fuel density compared to other energy sources. Because of these benefits, many people are interested in using green hydrogen in their homes.

However, there are a few important factors to consider. In addition to the environmental impact of using hydrogen, there is also a concern about the fuel's emissions. These emissions are particularly dangerous for people with respiratory issues, as they can increase their risk of respiratory infections.

Green hydrogen systems, on the other hand, don't produce emissions that are harmful to the environment.

Carbon emissions associated with gray hydrogen are high, requiring at least eighty percent of the energy it consumes to produce. Furthermore, this fuel's production requires that the hydrogen feedstocks be fossil fuel-derived.

Unfortunately, hydrogen injection does not achieve deep decarbonization of the gas network, as the emissions from the production process would be equal to those of a new CCGT power plant. So, for the moment, it is difficult to justify the extra cost of green hydrogen systems.

The environmental impact of green hydrogen systems will depend on the type of energy used to produce it. However, hydrogen leakage may undercut the benefits of green hydrogen systems by increasing the emissions of other forms of hydrogen.

Hydrogen is a potent greenhouse gas that combines with other compounds in the atmosphere to increase global temperatures. Methane is about 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 100-year time horizon.

Reliability

A recent study by the International Energy Agency shows that the world's energy demand is expected to increase by 25-30% by 2040. In addition to increasing CO2, this increase in energy consumption will increase CO2 emissions as well.

With this trend in mind, the world should begin exploring cleaner sources of energy, such as green hydrogen. In order to help the world achieve this goal, carmakers and other energy companies are making huge investments to develop green hydrogen technology.

The technology behind green hydrogen is based on renewable energy sources such as geothermal, wind, and solar. Some industry groups use the term “green hydrogen” to describe an electrolysis process powered by biomass or biogas, which can harm the environment and human health. Another process alternative is auto-thermal reforming, which is already used for the production of methanol and ammonia.

These processes also allow greater carbon capture than conventional SMR. Moreover, these processes are cheaper than other conventional methods.

Researchers have not yet studied the effects of the various restrictions on hydrogen supply chains. These constraints may have a substantial impact on the results of models and may contribute to dissatisfaction among consumers.

To overcome this issue, researchers have developed a hybrid modeling approach that considers the flexibility and complexity of constraints to improve their results. The results of these studies will provide insight into the viability of green hydrogen systems in different sectors.

One of the first major European companies to commercialize green hydrogen is Iberdrola. The company has over 60 projects underway in eight countries. Its main concern is not the production of green hydrogen, but its development is essential for the deep decarbonization of the energy system.

The project also demonstrates that renewable hydrogen is a viable alternative to traditional fossil fuels. The company's first-of-a-kind green hydrogen project will be a milestone in the industry.

Sustainability

A recent report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) argues that green hydrogen will become profitable as early as 2030. In fact, the cost of solar and wind power has declined by 40% and 80%, respectively, over the last decade.

This decline should translate to a similar decrease in the cost of green hydrogen systems. This is good news for companies seeking to reduce their carbon footprints and achieve net-zero emissions. But there are still many hurdles to overcome before green hydrogen systems are profitable and affordable for large-scale usage.

One major hurdle to the full integration of green hydrogen into the energy mix is the cost of the system. Although green hydrogen is a promising technology, its high cost and limited application has kept it from competing with fossil fuels.

Yet, as the cost of renewable energy has dropped in recent years, the world is ready to invest trillions of dollars in the build-back-better approach to addressing the energy crisis. With that said, a recent coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for sustainable energy technologies.

Another challenge for green hydrogen is the intermittency of renewable resources. But green hydrogen can overcome this problem by utilizing waste materials as its source. By using excess electricity generated from solar and wind farms, the process of electrolysis can create hydrogen and oxygen.

Once hydrogen is produced, it can be stored or sent down a pipeline. It is an environmentally-friendly solution to the energy crisis. This technology could also solve the problem of carbon emissions.

The technology behind green hydrogen has reached maturity, which means that it is already possible to generate renewable electricity at scale around the world.

This is the key to competitive green hydrogen production. However, in order to make green hydrogen more affordable, electrolysis capacity will need to be scaled up. Currently, electrolyzers are used on a small scale, but this number will grow to 20-30x over the next three decades.

Aside from being environmentally friendly, green hydrogen systems are more economically viable and sustainable than conventional fuels.

Sources:

https://www.irena.org/publications/2020/Mar/Green-Hydrogen-The-Key-to-Deep-Decarbonisation

https://www.iberdrolarenewables.com/en/greenhydrogen

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150509112554.htm

https://energy.enerdata.net/renewable-energy/the-challenges-to-green-hydrogen.html