The Secret Potential of Green Hydrogen
As more of the world begins to recognize the undeniable and potentially catastrophic effects of climate change, there has been immense investment in the renewable energy industry. As the most notable sources of renewable energy, solar panels and wind turbines instantly come to mind, but could the future of renewable energy lay elsewhere? When addressing the issue of reliable renewable energy, one source has been gaining attention: green hydrogen. Renewable hydrogen, also known as green hydrogen, is an energy storage source like other forms of hydrogen, but is generated by renewable energy sources, unlike traditional gray hydrogen which is created from natural gasses. Setting the right priorities for hydrogen use will be essential for its rapid scale-up and long-term contribution to decarbonization efforts. Hydrogen could be an attractive avenue for fossil fuel exporters to help diversify their economies and develop new export industries. The fact that green hydrogen has so much potential as an energy source but is widely unknown by the general public emphasizes the importance of spreading knowledge about the renewable fuel. While green hydrogen is only one part of a much bigger energy transition picture, and its development and deployment strategies should not be considered in isolation, the potential that green hydrogen has to simultaneously decarbonize a wide range of industries and create more economic growth should be recognized.
Whichever way it’s produced, hydrogen can be used for a variety of purposes, from swapping it for natural gas in thermal power plants to powering fuel cells used. Hydrogen fuel cells can be used to produce electricity when wind and solar are not available. But perhaps the greatest benefit of turning to hydrogen fuel cells, is their potential to help wean the world off fossil fuels. In addition existing hydrogen consumers, like petrochemical refineries, metallurgical industries, and ammonia and fertilizer manufacturers, could reduce their emissions by switching from hydrogen produced by fossil fuels to hydrogen produced from renewable electricity. Green hydrogen could become competitive in the industrial gray hydrogen market quicker than expected with the presence of federal subsidies, quicker than expected declines in green hydrogen costs, further increases and/or prolonged elevated gas prices, and a slower permitting backdrop for blue hydrogen projects. Although existing federal and state policies support a variety of other clean energy technologies, there is currently no quantified federal incentive specifically for green hydrogen. To meet energy demand, there must be an increase in both production capacity through investments in electrolysis and our electrical capacity.While quite technical, it is important to have a basic understanding of how hydrogen fuel cells work before getting into the wide utility of green hydrogen. A fuel cell engine generates electricity by using the natural attraction between hydrogen and oxygen molecules. Inside the fuel cell, a membrane allows positive hydrogen particles to be drawn through to the oxygen coming from ambient air. The negative hydrogen particles are split off and are sent on a detour, which creates a flow of electrons, or electricity, which powers the motor. After that work is done, the hydrogen and oxygen particles reunite, producing water – the only emission.
Green hydrogen is a very versatile energy source that has been getting a lot of attention from the private sector, particularly the car industry, as hydrogen has long been touted as the future of passenger cars. The hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, which simply runs on pressurized hydrogen from a fuelling station, produces zero carbon emissions from its exhaust. It can be filled as quickly as a fossil-fuel equivalent and offers a similar driving distance to gas. It has some heavyweight backing, with Toyota, for instance, with its launch of the second-generation Mirai in 2020. Batteries alone will not provide the power and energy needed for cars, trucks, planes, and trains, which allows for the addition of hydrogen into the renewable energy field, as it weighs less and allows for greater travel range than batteries. Toyota has been testing fuel cell vehicles, and has found that the fuel cells produce greater torque and power, while also being quieter. Because they produce no emissions, the health problems from fossil fuel vehicles are eliminated. The report noted that 13,000 trucks daily haul freight in and out of the Port of Los Angeles–heavily impacting the air quality. Toyota has a long history of testing fuel cell vehicles, having gathered data for over 30 years: and they believe that the use of green hydrogen is now viable. The State of California is assisting in this transition by providing hydrogen fueling stations. The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association produced a report extolling hydrogen vehicles. As well, the carbon footprint is much less than that of electric vehicles: 2.7g of carbon dioxide per kilometer compared to 20.9g. Green hydrogen is the best option for zero-emissions efforts, but the North American Council for Freight Efficiency, NACFE, cautions that:
“Purists pushing green hydrogen as a goal should accept that some compromise is needed to allow alternatives in the ‘how’ of getting to net-zero emissions…Net zero allows for innovations in a number of energy streams to provide hydrogen in ways that do not let emissions into the environment. True-zero emissions, on the other hand, force unrealistically rapid growth on solar, wind and hydro to carry the massive electrical load needed for a hydrogen future.”
The NACFE argues that supporters of green hydrogen and other renewable energies must be willing to compromise if they truly wish to create a carbon-free economy. With that said, the private sector is certainly interested in the prospects of green hydrogen.
The European Union recently announced a 40 GW green hydrogen target by 2030, which would make the E.U. green hydrogen market approximately 2.5 times bigger than the U.S. market. However, a recent analysis shows that with a $3/kgH2 production tax credit for green hydrogen, the U.S. green hydrogen market could grow to as much as double the E.U. market by 2030 — making the U.S. the largest green hydrogen market globally. Policies like this should be supported for they are effective at nudging the market into a carbon-free future. Air Products, the world’s leading hydrogen producer, recently announced a massive green hydrogen plant to be built in Saudi Arabia, powered by 4 gigawatts of wind and solar. Meanwhile, the state’s investment in hydrogen research and, more recently, the construction of hydrogen plants have begun to soar. On March 8, 2022, Air Products announced that it would build, own and operate a 10 metric ton per day facility to produce green liquid hydrogen in Casa Grande, Arizona. The zero-carbon liquid hydrogen facility is expected to be on stream in 2023 and will serve the mobility market in California and other locations requiring zero-carbon hydrogen.
While green hydrogen’s future has the potential to be quite bright, some do not view renewable energy sources so favorably. Some skeptics in the energy industry believe that the use of hydrogen merely delays the shift to electrification, holding ratepayers subject to more expensive fossil fuel infrastructure and a potentially more dangerous and less efficient fuel—all while slowing progress toward the region’s decarbonization goals. A separate critique points out that blending higher ratios of hydrogen into existing natural gas infrastructure to achieve greater emissions reductions could cost billions. Most gas distribution pipelines would need to be replaced or extensively retrofitted to safely accommodate the new fuel since, at higher volumes than 20 percent, hydrogen can degrade pipelines. Plus, higher ratios of hydrogen are incompatible with existing appliances like stoves and water heaters, meaning consumers would also need to buy new hydrogen-compatible appliances. So is the switch to hydrogen really worth it? In my eyes the long term prospects and guarantees of green hydrogen make the initial cost of investment worthwhile, but the question is will big banks and energy companies feel the same way.
References
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Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association.“Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Sector Profile” Nov. 2018, https://www.chfca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CHFC-Sector-Profile-2018-Final-Report.pdf
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