Global Hydrogen Economy: Challenges Ahead Switching to Green Hydrogen Fuel

Hydrogen is being addressed as a fuel of the future as it exhibits a promising formula to solve the challenge of decarbonization while revitalizing various economies. As per the statistics, Hydrogen plans if progressed at the proposed pace are likely to cater a quarter of our global energy needs by 2050 while reducing the overall carbon emission by one-third of the current percentage.

Despite the hustle across various countries to adopt strategies for developing a green hydrogen value chain, the shift in technology is expected to be a huge hurdle in the entire process. Thus, the approach to devise the use of green Hydrogen is varying from country to country. Like Tractebel, a renowned German energy company has announced plans to construct a Hydrogen production plant offshore which will be powered by wind produced from turbines. In addition, Neptune Energy, based in UK, is looking forward to converting their old oil drilling platform to an all-new hydrogen manufacturing station. As per the plans, the hydrogen produced in the offshore plants will be pumped ashore via pipelines that were previously being used to transport natural gas. Experts reveal that the idea behind pumping Hydrogen from offshore is convenient as it could reduce the loss being faced by producing electricity at the same location and transporting it to long distances. However, the idea of generating Hydrogen via wind energy still encompasses a huge challenge as it is primarily dependent on climate commitments.

To reduce the hurdle of climate uncertainties, Hydrogen production via water electrolysis has gained tremendous importance in the near term. Following the vision, a consortium of ITM Power, a British electrolyser Specialist and Orsted, a Danish energy firm have announced a project Oyster to produce Hydrogen via a system combining wind energy and electrolysis primarily for marine use. In order to achieve the vision, there is a need to establish a compact electrolysis system which requires minimum maintenance and could viably withstand the harsh offshore calamities.

As per ChemAnalyst, “The idea behind Hydrogen generated from wind power and electrolysis seems like a promising method which is future proof. However, there still lies huge scope for more technological advancements followed by several cost-effective strategies before the system can become a future power.”