tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca-fr/topics/hydrogen-economy-58649/articlesHydrogen economy – La Conversation2023-06-21T04:56:24Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2056362023-06-21T04:56:24Z2023-06-21T04:56:24ZGreen hydrogen could be a game changer by displacing fossil fuels – we just need the price to come down<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532828/original/file-20230620-21623-xqhw7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C89%2C5407%2C3294&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hauke-Christian Dittrich/picture alliance via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the global economy moves away from fossil fuels, green hydrogen could be critical to achieving a <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2022/11/14/hydrogen-hype-is-rising-again-will-this-time-be-different">zero-carbon world by 2050</a>. </p>
<p>Green hydrogen offers a solution to decarbonising “hard-to-abate” industries such as steel and fertiliser production, heavy-duty transport and shipping. Recent announcements by high-emitting countries suggest the switch to green hydrogen might be greater and come sooner than expected. </p>
<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2023/01/05/india-modi-green-hydrogen-energy-transition/5351672938482/">announced</a> a US$2.3 billion green hydrogen mission, expected to increase 400% by 2050. India’s steel industry and heavy-duty transport will consume about half of this <a href="https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/india-green-hydrogen-pilot-to-cover-steel-transport-and-shipping-sectors/">production</a>. </p>
<p>According to its latest government plan, <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/china-unveils-its-first-long-term-hydrogen-plan">China would produce</a> 100,000-200,000 tons of renewable-based hydrogen annually and have a fleet of 50,000 hydrogen-fuelled vehicles by 2025. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1669046711824572440"}"></div></p>
<p>The Biden administration announced an <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-announces-750-million-advance-clean-hydrogen-technologies">investment of US$750 million</a> in green hydrogen. It’s expected to generate 700,000 new jobs and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/03/11/get-ready-the-hydrogen-economy-is-on-its-way/?sh=b0a27bb23836">leverage further investment</a> of US$140 billion. </p>
<p>New Zealand’s national grid is far more renewable than the Australian grid, which is still dependent on coal. Nevertheless, both countries are investing in green hydrogen as a future fuel. </p>
<p>The Australian government has allocated A$2 billion in its 2023 budget to <a href="https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Australia-Looks-To-Become-Worlds-Leading-Green-Hydrogen-Producer.html">accelerate large-scale green hydrogen projects</a>. In New Zealand, the proposed Southern Green Hydrogen project has moved to the development stage. Final investment decisions are expected later this year. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/green-hydrogen-is-coming-and-these-australian-regions-are-well-placed-to-build-our-new-export-industry-174466">Green hydrogen is coming – and these Australian regions are well placed to build our new export industry</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Green hydrogen transition</h2>
<p>Green hydrogen is produced by using renewable energy sources to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, either through electrolysis or photolysis. The former technology is more advanced at this stage. </p>
<p>At present, 98% of all hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels (“grey hydrogen” or “blue hydrogen” if carbon is scrubbed). To meet Paris Agreement targets, hydrogen production needs to be decarbonised. Installed production capacity for green hydrogen will need to increase 75 times before 2030. </p>
<p>The good news is that the cost of green hydrogen is <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/energy/unleashing-power-hydrogen-clean-energy-transition">projected</a> to fall to US$2-3 per kilogram by 2030 due to improved production methods and economies of scale. The falling cost of renewables, the increasing demand for energy and the climate change emergency have created unprecedented momentum for clean hydrogen. </p>
<p>Grey and blue hydrogen have their existing industrial uses but will be transition fuels. They’ll eventually be replaced by green hydrogen, which will also meet a rapidly growing range of new uses, such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/19/green-steel-swedish-company-ships-first-batch-made-without-using-coal">green steel</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A hydrogen-powered ambulance" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532834/original/file-20230620-22241-3z8kqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532834/original/file-20230620-22241-3z8kqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532834/original/file-20230620-22241-3z8kqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532834/original/file-20230620-22241-3z8kqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532834/original/file-20230620-22241-3z8kqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532834/original/file-20230620-22241-3z8kqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532834/original/file-20230620-22241-3z8kqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A hydrogen-powered ambulance was displayed at the last climate summit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ian Forsyth/Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some hydrogen applications are well under way. Airbus is involved in the <a href="https://www.airbus.com/en/innovation/low-carbon-aviation/hydrogen">development of electric planes</a> that use a combination of hydrogen combustion for take-off power and hydrogen fuel cells for mid-flight power. </p>
<p>While most electric vehicles will continue to be powered by batteries, some car makers have had successful hydrogen-fuelled cars in <a href="https://www.toyota.co.nz/electrification/fuel-cell-electric-vehicles/">commercial production</a>.</p>
<p>High cost of production is the main factor behind the low uptake of green hydrogen. But a price of US$2/kg is considered a potential tipping point to make green hydrogen competitive against other fuel sources. Once this tipping point has passed, <a href="https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/white-elephants-green-hydrogen-will-be-cheaper-than-blue-h2-in-all-parts-of-world-by-2030-says-bnef/2-1-1220542">projected for 2030</a>, green hydrogen is expected to progressively displace fossil fuels across most sectors. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1669252889108176896"}"></div></p>
<p>The <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/csiros-stunning-predictions-for-low-cost-battery-storage-and-hydrogen-electrolysers/">cost of electrolysers</a> has roughly halved over the past five years. This trend is expected to continue. The recent <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/csiros-stunning-predictions-for-low-cost-battery-storage-and-hydrogen-electrolysers/">development</a> of solid-oxide electrolysers that can deliver 100% efficiency at an elevated temperature range promises further growth. </p>
<h2>Potential for developing countries</h2>
<p>The immediate challenges for green hydrogen are that it will need to gain global acceptance and expand infrastructure urgently.</p>
<p>Future international hydrogen partnerships are expected to benefit both developing and developed economies. An example is Africa, which is well positioned to develop green hydrogen projects given its <a href="https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2022-574-new-study-confirms-eur-1-trillion-africa-s-extraordinary-green-hydrogen-potential">renewable energy potential</a>. Africa also has rich platinum resources, which are needed for water-splitting catalysis. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/green-hydrogen-sounds-like-a-win-for-developing-countries-but-cost-and-transport-are-problems-191295">Green hydrogen sounds like a win for developing countries. But cost and transport are problems</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>North Africa’s <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/africa-europe-solar-wind-power">great potential to produce green hydrogen</a> is linked to its exceptional solar radiation levels and large wind resource. The World Bank estimates the <a href="https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/970971586844506483/pdf/Technical-Potential-for-Offshore-Wind-in-Algeria-Map.pdf">total wind resource of Algeria</a> is comparable to Europe’s.</p>
<p>Global installations of electrolysers are set to expand by a factor of 120 from 2GW today to 242GW by 2030, according to <a href="https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/electrolysers/chinese-companies-take-top-three-slots-in-bnefs-list-of-worlds-20-largest-hydrogen-electrolyser-makers/2-1-1355610">analysis by BloombergNEF</a>. Major manufacturers include EvolOH, which plans to produce up to 3.75GW per year of electrolysers by 2025, and Plug Power gigafactory, which sources its power from hydroelectricity from the Niagara Falls. </p>
<h2>Barriers to uptake</h2>
<p>This new revolution in green hydrogen energy has some important residual barriers to resolve.</p>
<p>The first is that the water to be used in electrolysers needs to be free of contaminants. However, the increasing shortage of clean freshwater is a looming global problem. </p>
<p>To obviate this challenge, a research collaboration involving Australian and Chinese universities has demonstrated that <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/news/list/2023/01/30/seawater-split-to-produce-green-hydrogen">seawater can be split</a> using a commercial electrolyser. This approach uses a non-precious catalyst with nearly 100% efficiency. This technology needs further refinement, but it does seem to offer a viable solution.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/for-australia-to-lead-the-way-on-green-hydrogen-first-we-must-find-enough-water-196144">For Australia to lead the way on green hydrogen, first we must find enough water</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A second problem is that hydrogen in the atmosphere <a href="https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/innovation/game-changer-hydrogen-is-an-indirect-greenhouse-gas-that-easily-leaks-but-how-leaky-is-it-really-/2-1-1414450">behaves as an indirect greenhouse gas</a>. Hydrogen reacts with OH radicals that would otherwise decompose the potent greenhouse gas methane. </p>
<p>The net effect is that methane persists longer in warming the atmosphere than if hydrogen were not present. The quantification of hydrogen’s indirect greenhouse gas effect hinges on the extent of leakage. This urgently needs more detailed evaluation.</p>
<p>The remaining related problem is pipeline leakiness, <a href="https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/HydrogenLeakageRegulations_CGEP_Commentary_063022.pdf">estimated</a> at between 2.9% and 5.6%. In an important pipeline test, China’s Sinopec plans to build the first green hydrogen pipeline from Inner Mongolia to Beijing to <a href="https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/chinas-sinopec-hydrogen-transmission-line/">test hydrogen leakiness</a> under practical conditions. </p>
<p>In parallel developments, the conversion of green hydrogen to green ammonia via a Haber-Bosch type process is the key to using green ammonia as a more easily transported fuel for high-power transportation, as well as a green fertiliser.</p>
<p>In 2100 a person reviewing the emergence of hydrogen may see a link between the coal and steam revolution of the previous centuries that created the climate crisis and the hydrogen revolution that helped resolve it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205636/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ralph Cooney does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Currently, most hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels but the falling cost of renewables and growing demand for energy have added momentum for clean hydrogen.Ralph Cooney, Professor Emeritus in Advanced Materials, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata RauLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2058452023-05-26T05:45:51Z2023-05-26T05:45:51ZPicture this: green hydrogen plants next to green steelworks to boost efficiency and kickstart both industries<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528495/original/file-20230526-23-vinqv8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C37%2C4987%2C3292&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The race to net zero is accelerating. Just last week, United States President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled a <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australia-united-states-climate-critical-minerals-and-clean-energy-transformation-compact">climate pact</a> to boost cooperation. The move signifies Australia is becoming a global leader in the renewable energy roll-out and critical mineral supply. </p>
<p>Australia’s rich iron ore deposits and cheap solar offer yet another way we can lead. If we locate green hydrogen plants near green steel facilities, we can shift the highly polluting steel industry away from fossil fuels. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319923022930">new research</a> shows co-locating plants in sun-rich, iron-rich places like Western Australia’s Pilbara and South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula can help overcome the “first mover problem” for green hydrogen: you can’t have a hydrogen industry without buyers for it and can’t have buyers without hydrogen.</p>
<p>How would it work? Cheap solar power would be used to crack water into hydrogen and oxygen. This green hydrogen would be piped a short distance to a green steel plant, which uses hydrogen and electricity to produce iron from the ore, and then an electric arc furnace to smelt steel.</p>
<p>As we grapple with ways to decarbonise the steel sector, which uses 8% of the world’s energy and produces 7% of all energy-related carbon emissions, we should urgently look for opportunities like this. As a bonus, cheap power from solar and wind could make Australian-made iron and steel more competitive globally.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528491/original/file-20230526-7168-e5g7ll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="steelmaking" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528491/original/file-20230526-7168-e5g7ll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528491/original/file-20230526-7168-e5g7ll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528491/original/file-20230526-7168-e5g7ll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528491/original/file-20230526-7168-e5g7ll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528491/original/file-20230526-7168-e5g7ll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528491/original/file-20230526-7168-e5g7ll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528491/original/file-20230526-7168-e5g7ll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Making iron and steel is enormously energy intensive.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why is Australia so well placed?</h2>
<p>We’re the world’s largest iron ore exporter. Under our red dirt lies an estimated 56 billion tonnes of iron ore, as of 2021. Export earnings reached A$133 billion in 2021–22. We also profit from the current emissions-heavy way of making steel, by exporting $72 billion worth of metallurgical coal. </p>
<p>Australia’s potential as a green hydrogen provider is often promoted. This year’s federal budget allocated $2 billion to <a href="https://theconversation.com/green-hydrogen-funding-is-a-step-forward-but-a-step-doesnt-win-the-race-205390">help make</a> it a reality. But our distance from the rest of the world makes pipelines prohibitively expensive, and shipping hydrogen is difficult. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cooperation-with-the-us-could-drive-australias-clean-energy-shift-but-we-must-act-fast-206199">Cooperation with the US could drive Australia’s clean energy shift – but we must act fast</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>One solution is to use it here. Green hydrogen could make it possible to onshore more iron and steel production. </p>
<p>Clean steelmaking will bring major change to our iron ore exports if other countries take it up. Traditionally, 96% of our exports are the most common type of ore, hematite. But this is currently not suited to green steelmaking. </p>
<p>By contrast, magnetite ore only accounts for 4% of exports but can be used in hydrogen-based green steelmaking. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528497/original/file-20230526-15-gywnqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="magnetite" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528497/original/file-20230526-15-gywnqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528497/original/file-20230526-15-gywnqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528497/original/file-20230526-15-gywnqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528497/original/file-20230526-15-gywnqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528497/original/file-20230526-15-gywnqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528497/original/file-20230526-15-gywnqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528497/original/file-20230526-15-gywnqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Right now, magnetite is a tiny part of our iron ore exports - but that could change.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Australia has vast reserves of magnetite ore, which previously hasn’t been in as much demand. But these ore bodies will become valuable under the right economic conditions. </p>
<p>And while we can solve steel’s carbon problem with much better recycling of this valuable material, we’ll still need new steel equivalent to <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/iron-and-steel-technology-roadmap">about 50%</a> of the current rate of production in 2050, due to issues with converting scrap to reusable steel and removing contaminants. </p>
<h2>Where should we co-locate these plants?</h2>
<p>Major iron ore centres in the Pilbara and Eyre Peninsula already have ports, a workforce and other infrastructure. That makes them the logical first choice to co-locate solar, wind and hydrogen with iron and steelmaking. </p>
<p>We modelled what would happen if these sites expanded wind and solar power to make hydrogen and found the cost of green steel could drop substantially to around $900 per tonne by 2030 and $750 per tonne by 2050.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/red-dirt-yellow-sun-green-steel-how-australia-could-benefit-from-a-global-shift-to-emissions-free-steel-179286">Red dirt, yellow sun, green steel: how Australia could benefit from a global shift to emissions-free steel</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>By exporting green iron and steel, Australia could boost trade value, reduce global greenhouse emissions, and link our exports with global decarbonisation efforts. Steel will become even more important given it’s so vital to manufacturing solar and wind. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527344/original/file-20230520-29-gdhla4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527344/original/file-20230520-29-gdhla4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527344/original/file-20230520-29-gdhla4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527344/original/file-20230520-29-gdhla4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527344/original/file-20230520-29-gdhla4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527344/original/file-20230520-29-gdhla4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527344/original/file-20230520-29-gdhla4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There’s a strong correlation between potential hydrogen hubs and current and future iron ore operations.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our <a href="https://portal.ga.gov.au/persona/heft">recent modelling</a> has found key benefits in linking hydrogen hubs and future iron ore operations. </p>
<p>First, it avoids the problem of transporting hydrogen, which, especially in liquid form, can be expensive and energy-intensive to transport.</p>
<p>And second, co-locating green hydrogen gives an immediate boost to the industry. At present, green hydrogen is at the early stage before increased scale and knowledge drives costs down. </p>
<p>To compete with coking coal, green hydrogen must get cheaper. Part of this will come from falling renewable energy prices, better electrolysers to make hydrogen, and carbon pricing. But part of it will be locating hydrogen production where it can be used. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528493/original/file-20230526-25-whw6nc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="eyre peninsula map" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528493/original/file-20230526-25-whw6nc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528493/original/file-20230526-25-whw6nc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528493/original/file-20230526-25-whw6nc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528493/original/file-20230526-25-whw6nc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528493/original/file-20230526-25-whw6nc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528493/original/file-20230526-25-whw6nc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528493/original/file-20230526-25-whw6nc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula is one of the best spots to co-locate green steel and hydrogen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Choosing a site is the most important consideration. While access to infrastructure and cheap ore are important, the cost of green steel largely depends on low-cost hydrogen and cheap renewables. </p>
<p>Australia’s state and federal governments are backing hydrogen as an industry of the future. To go from paper to reality will require policy incentives, low-interest loans, research and development funding, and investment in infrastructure. </p>
<p>Policies to boost renewable energy and develop the hydrogen economy will create a more conducive environment for green steel production. </p>
<p>If we combine our wealth of solar, hydrogen and iron ore, we can help make global steel production green, and also create the conditions for a green hydrogen export industry. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-main-iron-ore-exports-may-not-work-with-green-steelmaking-heres-what-we-must-do-to-prepare-201469">Australia's main iron ore exports may not work with green steelmaking. Here's what we must do to prepare</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205845/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Changlong Wang is currently funded by Geoscience Australia through the Exploring for the Future program. He is affiliated with the Monash Energy Institute at Monash University and Melbourne Climate Futures at the University of Melbourne. Changlong participates in IEA Hydrogen TCP Task 41.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stuart Walsh receives funding from Geoscience Australia through the Exploring for the Future program. He is affiliated with the Monash Energy Institute and the Monash Hydrogen Energy Research Node at Monash University. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Feitz, Marcus Haynes, and Zhehan Weng do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If we put green hydrogen plants next to green iron and steelmaking, we can clean up steelmaking and boost the hydrogen industry.Changlong Wang, Research fellow, Monash UniversityAndrew Feitz, Director, Geoscience AustraliaMarcus Haynes, Computational Geoscientist, Geoscience AustraliaStuart Walsh, Senior lecturer, Monash UniversityZhehan Weng, Research scientist, Geoscience AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1875212022-08-02T02:18:45Z2022-08-02T02:18:45ZNew Zealand is touting a green hydrogen economy, but it will face big environmental and cultural hurdles<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476412/original/file-20220727-23-dk8883.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C77%2C2445%2C1567&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Graeme Robertson/Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In its plan to <a href="https://environment.govt.nz/what-government-is-doing/areas-of-work/climate-change/emissions-reduction-plan/">retool the economy</a>, the New Zealand government highlighted <a href="https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-natural-resources/energy-strategies-for-new-zealand/a-vision-for-hydrogen-in-new-zealand/">green hydrogen</a> as a game-changing fuel. It can indeed be used to make <a href="https://ballance.co.nz/Kapuni-hydrogen-project">climate-friendly fertilisers</a> and steel or to power <a href="https://www.hiringa.co.nz/hydrogen-refuelling-network">some modes of transport</a> that aren’t suited to batteries. </p>
<p>But to provide a buffer against the volatility of overseas markets, Aotearoa would need to be as energy independent as possible. Ideally, this would mean consuming only green hydrogen produced here, using abundant renewable hydro, wind and solar resources. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1549187276474687488"}"></div></p>
<p>A hydrogen economy is good in theory, but to make the switch at the scale of Aotearoa’s climate ambitions would require about 150 petajoules of hydrogen each year, according to one <a href="https://firstgas.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/Firstgas-Group_Hydrogen-Feasibility-Study_web_pages.pdf">estimate</a>. That’s about a quarter of our <a href="https://www.energymix.co.nz/our-consumption/new-zealands-consumption/">current energy use</a>. </p>
<p>Hydrogen is produced in a process known as hydrolysis – the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen gas, using electricity. To produce a quarter of Aotearoa’s energy consumption, hydrolysis would consume an enormous amount of water, about 13 million tonnes each year, the equivalent of a month’s worth of Auckland’s water demand. </p>
<p>This raises both cultural and technical issues, which we must address before embarking on a transition to hydrogen as a green fuel. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/breakthrough-in-gas-separation-and-storage-could-fast-track-shift-to-green-hydrogen-and-significantly-cut-global-energy-use-186644">Breakthrough in gas separation and storage could fast-track shift to green hydrogen and significantly cut global energy use</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Consuming water has cultural implications</h2>
<p>Freshwater has enormous significance to iwi and hapū. However, their views on hydrolysis as a consumptive use of water are not widely understood. If cultural complexity is ignored, hydrogen infrastructure or processes may fail to achieve an appropriate fit within Aotearoa New Zealand society and the technology could be orphaned. </p>
<p>Instead, we could start addressing this early through wānanga with representatives from a wide range of potentially affected iwi. Recognising and addressing cultural concerns at the outset will allow Māori to shape how the technology is developed and to share in the economic benefits of a hydrogen economy. The intention is to better understand how green hydrogen technologies and infrastructure could belong in Aotearoa New Zealand. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Close-up of a hydrogen-fuelled truck" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476415/original/file-20220728-23-731o1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476415/original/file-20220728-23-731o1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476415/original/file-20220728-23-731o1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476415/original/file-20220728-23-731o1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476415/original/file-20220728-23-731o1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476415/original/file-20220728-23-731o1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476415/original/file-20220728-23-731o1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Green hydrogen production would require enormous amounts of water.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/Scharfsinn</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Supposing we are willing and able to make this vast quantity of hydrogen, our experience with other fuels suggests we would need about a month’s worth in storage at any given time. Storage helps to smooth fluctuating market demand, takes advantage of seasonal excess of renewables (in very windy, very sunny weeks) and provides emergency reserves for “<a href="https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-natural-resources/low-emissions-economy/nz-battery/">dry year</a>” crises. </p>
<h2>Storing hydrogen underground</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, hydrogen can’t be stored as a liquid except in <a href="https://answers.khi.co.jp/en/energy-environment/20170227e-01/">specialised containers</a> that keep it at extremely low temperatures. Like a freezer, this is always consuming energy. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A hydrogen storage tank at NASA's Kennedy Space Center." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476409/original/file-20220727-17-q83i0n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476409/original/file-20220727-17-q83i0n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476409/original/file-20220727-17-q83i0n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476409/original/file-20220727-17-q83i0n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476409/original/file-20220727-17-q83i0n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=654&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476409/original/file-20220727-17-q83i0n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=654&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476409/original/file-20220727-17-q83i0n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=654&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hydrogen is stored in liquid form at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia/Doe</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Hydrogen could be kept in special high-pressure tanks, but we would need more of these tanks than we have people in New Zealand. These tanks would be costly, cover large tracts of productive land and would be prone to damage by natural hazards. Where would they all go? </p>
<p>Scientists have been looking at the possibility of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/124969171/hydrogen-storage-may-be-key-to-zero-carbon-nz">storing hydrogen underground</a>, in great caverns carved in salt or in <a href="https://www.futurefuelscrc.com/project/underground-storage-of-hydrogen-mapping-out-the-options-for-australia-rp1-1-04/">old oil and gas fields</a>. </p>
<p>We already do this with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahuroa_Gas_Storage_Facility">natural gas in Taranaki</a>. When it’s not needed, gas is injected into an old field called Ahuroa and then extracted as required. Underground storage of gas (methane) is common practice, providing energy resilience. For example, given the disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jul/21/russia-resumes-gas-supply-to-europe-via-nord-stream-at-lower-capacity">Germany</a> is accelerating gas storage in <a href="https://erdgasspeicher.de/en/gas-storage/gas-storage-capacities/">geologic reservoirs</a> in time for winter. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/green-hydrogen-is-coming-and-these-australian-regions-are-well-placed-to-build-our-new-export-industry-174466">Green hydrogen is coming – and these Australian regions are well placed to build our new export industry</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We have recently shown there <a href="https://gasischanging.co.nz/assets/uploads/Underground-hydrogen-storage-Firstgas-report-March-14-2022-003.pdf">may be enough space</a> in other Taranaki rock reservoirs to store hydrogen underground. But it won’t be easy. </p>
<p>We know the gas can react with certain kinds of rock. It can even be a meal for hungry microbes. Both these processes would consume a valuable fuel. But predicting whether they will happen requires special laboratory experiments that can replicate the extreme pressure and temperature three kilometres below ground. </p>
<p>We are also still learning how to predict how hydrogen will move underground. We know that some of the injected gas will never come back out. This is the “<a href="https://www.kyos.com/faq/what-is-cushion-gas/">cushion</a>” that acts a bit like a spring that pushes the other hydrogen back to the surface. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1528925271528808451"}"></div></p>
<p>Some hydrogen may also escape into the atmosphere through small cracks in the rock. We’ll need to know how much, set up surveillance to watch for it and consider its <a href="https://www.edf.org/blog/2022/03/07/hydrogen-climate-solution-leaks-must-be-tackled#">effect on the climate</a>.</p>
<p>These are just a few of the challenges posed by underground storage of hydrogen. But our experience with natural gas storage gives us confidence we can manage them with the right research and planning.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-rush-into-a-hydrogen-economy-until-we-know-all-the-risks-to-our-climate-140433">Don't rush into a hydrogen economy until we know all the risks to our climate</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Making it work</h2>
<p>New Zealand’s hydrogen future remains uncertain, but work is underway to prepare. Early signs for <a href="https://www.underground-sun-storage.at/en/">underground storage</a> of green hydrogen are promising and there’s <a href="https://www.smart-energy.com/storage/underground-rock-cavern-hydrogen-storage-facility-inaugurated-in-lulea/">lots of</a> <a href="https://www.wsp.com/en-US/news/2022/aces-green-hydrogen-underground-storage-project">enthusiasm</a> for it overseas. </p>
<p>But technical feasibility is not enough: any solution must make economic sense and be acceptable to the wider public, particularly tangata whenua. </p>
<p>Proving the feasibility of any new idea takes time. We need to develop, sometimes fail, refine and then find success. But with each new extreme weather event, its clear we don’t have a lot of time. In this new era of adaptation, governments, industry, communities and scientists will need to work more closely than ever.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187521/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Dempsey has previously received funding to research underground storage of hydrogen in Taranaki.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andy Nicol has previously received funding to research underground storage of hydrogen in Taranaki.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kēpa Morgan works for Mahi Maioro Professionals Limited. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ludmila Adam has previously received funding to research hydrogen geostorage.</span></em></p>To develop a hydrogen economy at the scale of Aotearoa’s climate ambitions would require about a quarter of the country’s current energy use and swallow enormous amounts of water.David Dempsey, Senior lecturer, University of CanterburyAndy Nicol, University of CanterburyKēpa Morgan, Adjunct Nga Pae o te Māramatanga, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata RauLudmila Adam, Senior lecturer, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata RauLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1866442022-07-14T20:02:00Z2022-07-14T20:02:00ZBreakthrough in gas separation and storage could fast-track shift to green hydrogen and significantly cut global energy use<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474051/original/file-20220714-9155-2h5fff.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C11%2C3556%2C2095&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 2016, experts writing in <em>Nature</em> listed <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/532435a">seven breakthroughs</a> in how we process chemicals that could change the world for the better. We believe we’ve just ticked one of those off the list. </p>
<p>We found a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369702122001614?via%3Dihub">highly efficient</a> and entirely novel way to separate, purify, store and transport huge amounts of gas safely, with no waste. </p>
<p>Why is this breakthrough so important? We believe it will help overcome the key challenge of hydrogen storage by allowing us to safely store and transport huge quantities of green hydrogen as a solid at a fraction of the energy cost. This will allow us to accelerate uptake of green hydrogen, as well as allow oil refineries to use much, much less energy, and make processing many other gases easier. </p>
<p>Right now, breaking crude oil into petrol and other gases in oil refineries relies on the hugely energy intensive process of cryogenic distillation. This accounts for <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/532435a">up to 15%</a> of the world’s energy use. By contrast, we estimate our new method would cut this energy use by up to 90%. </p>
<p>This method offers the world a solid storage method for gases with a far higher capacity than any previous material. The absorbed gases can be recovered via a simple heating process leaving both the gases and the powder unchanged, allowing for immediate use or re-use.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474037/original/file-20220714-17678-ktt0iy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Night scene of refinery" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474037/original/file-20220714-17678-ktt0iy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474037/original/file-20220714-17678-ktt0iy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474037/original/file-20220714-17678-ktt0iy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474037/original/file-20220714-17678-ktt0iy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474037/original/file-20220714-17678-ktt0iy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474037/original/file-20220714-17678-ktt0iy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474037/original/file-20220714-17678-ktt0iy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Oil refineries use vast amounts of energy to turn crude oil into gas, petrol and diesel.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What did we find?</h2>
<p>The breakthrough is so significant – and such a departure from accepted wisdom on gas separation and storage – that our research team repeated our experiment 20 to 30 times before we could truly believe it ourselves. </p>
<p>So how does it work? Our new approach uses a new method called “ball milling” to store gas in a special nanomaterial at room temperature. This method relies on mechanochemical reactions, meaning machinery is used to produce unusual reactions. </p>
<p>The special ingredient in the process is boron nitride powder, which is great for absorbing substances because it is so small yet has a large amount of surface area for absorption. </p>
<p>To make this work, boron nitride powder is placed into a ball mill – a grinder containing small stainless-steel balls in a chamber – along with the gases that need to be separated. As the chamber spins at progressively higher speeds, the collision of the balls with the powder and the wall of the chamber triggers a special mechanochemical reaction, resulting in gas being absorbed into the powder. </p>
<figure>
<img src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2182/gas.gif?1657772575" width="100%">
<figcaption>In this process, steel balls spun at high speed work to separate gases.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Better, one type of gas is always absorbed more quickly, separating it out from the others, and allowing it to be easily removed from the mill. You can repeated this process over several stages to separate out the gases you want, one by one. You can store the gases in the powder for transport, and separate them back into gas. And better still, boron nitride powder can be used to carry out the same gas separation and storage process up to 50 times.</p>
<p>The process requires no harsh chemicals and creates no by-products. It doesn’t require energy-intensive settings like high pressure or low temperatures, offering a much cheaper and safer way to develop things like hydrogen powered vehicles. </p>
<p>This ball-milling gas absorption process uses around 77 kilojoules per second to store and separate 1,000 litres of gases. That’s roughly the energy needed to drive the average electric vehicle 320 kilometres. It’s at least 90% less energy than the cryogenic distillation method used in oil refineries. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/oil-companies-are-going-all-in-on-petrochemicals-and-green-chemistry-needs-help-to-compete-153598">Oil companies are going all-in on petrochemicals – and green chemistry needs help to compete</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>That’s why we believe this breakthrough may tick off one of the seven chemical separation method improvements which could change the world – specifically, improving separation of olefin-paraffin, a key part of the petrochemical industry. </p>
<p>This is the culmination of 30 years work in nanomaterials and mechanochemistry by researchers at Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials. </p>
<h2>How will this help us switch to clean energy?</h2>
<p>The gas crisis facing Australia’s east coast has drawn attention to our reliance on these fuels. In response, there have been growing calls to hasten the switch to cleaner gas fuels such as green hydrogen. </p>
<p>The problem is storage. Storing enormous quantities of hydrogen for practical use is very challenging. At present, we store hydrogen in a high-pressure tank or by cooling the gas down to a liquid form. Both require large amounts of energy, as well as dangerous processes and chemicals. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474036/original/file-20220714-9357-9akftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Hydrogen filling station korea" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474036/original/file-20220714-9357-9akftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474036/original/file-20220714-9357-9akftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474036/original/file-20220714-9357-9akftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474036/original/file-20220714-9357-9akftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474036/original/file-20220714-9357-9akftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474036/original/file-20220714-9357-9akftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474036/original/file-20220714-9357-9akftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">While nations like Korea have pursued hydrogen, the challenges of storage have slowed down uptake.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That’s where this method could help accelerate uptake of hydrogen, by enabling safe and efficient solid-state storage technology on a large scale. When stored as a powder, hydrogen is extremely safe. To retrieve the gas, you simply heat the powder in a vacuum. </p>
<p>This new process can achieve unprecedented gas storage capability, well above any known porous materials. For instance, our new process can store 18 times more acetylene than the highest uptake achieved by metal-organic frameworks, another approach using porous materials. </p>
<p>The remarkably high gas storage capability is due to the novel way gas molecules stick to the powder during the ball milling process, which does not break the gas molecules. </p>
<p>For this process to be able to scale, however, we have to perfect the milling process. There’s a sweet spot in milling which creates the weaker chemical reactions we want – without producing stronger reactions which can destroy the gas molecules. We will also have to figure out how to get the best storage rate for each material based on milling intensity and pressure of the gases. </p>
<p>With industry support, our novel process can be scaled rapidly to provide practical solutions to ensure we never have to face another gas crisis – and can speed up decarbonisation. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/green-hydrogen-is-coming-and-these-australian-regions-are-well-placed-to-build-our-new-export-industry-174466">Green hydrogen is coming – and these Australian regions are well placed to build our new export industry</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186644/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ying Ian Chen receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Srikanth Mateti receives funding from Australian Research Council</span></em></p>Our new approach lets us separate, store and transport tricky gases like hydrogen as a solid - and for a fraction of the energy.Ying Ian Chen, Director, ARC Research Hub for Safe and Reliable Energy, Deakin UniversitySrikanth Mateti, Research fellow, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1629872021-07-15T13:29:34Z2021-07-15T13:29:34ZWhy green hydrogen — but not grey — could help solve climate change<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411069/original/file-20210713-25-15okrjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=143%2C119%2C7664%2C4395&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Green hydrogen has unprecedented support from business and political leaders. But several challenges remain.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>What if you could drive your car for 1,000 kilometres on a <a href="https://newsroom.toyota.eu/toyota-mirai-breaks-world-record-for-distance-driven-with-one-fill-of-hydrogen/">single tank of fuel</a> and with zero emissions? That is just one example of what is possible in a hydrogen economy.</p>
<p>After decades of development, hydrogen and renewable electricity are poised to revolutionize the global energy system, enabling climate-friendly solutions. When combined with digital technologies, they will trigger economic growth as transportation, telecommunications and civil infrastructures become smart and interconnected.</p>
<p>In a post-pandemic world, several countries have included <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/hydrogen/use-of-hydrogen.php">hydrogen fuel</a> in their national recovery strategies. <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/net-zero-emissions-2050.html">Canada</a> and the <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-is-now-halfway-to-meeting-its-net-zero-emissions-target">United Kingdom</a> have incorporated net-zero targets and <a href="https://thelogic.co/news/the-big-read/canada-is-falling-behind-other-leading-economies-on-mandatory-climate-disclosures-for-businesses/">disclosures to climate risk</a> into national legislation. By identifying hydrogen’s role explicitly, the world is creating an international market for related zero-carbon solutions. </p>
<p>I have worked on hydrogen energy systems since 1993, and I have never seen such rapid changes in hydrogen policy, markets and technologies.</p>
<h2>Carbon intensity is colour blind</h2>
<p>Hydrogen is a zero-carbon fuel, and it comes in three basic colours: grey, blue and green. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/green-hydrogen-will-be-cost-competitive-with-grey-h2-by-2030-without-a-carbon-price/2-1-1001867">Grey hydrogen can be produced inexpensively</a> using coal or natural gas, but it has a significant carbon footprint. Most of the grey hydrogen produced today is made by a process called steam methane reforming, which generates between <a href="https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/29b027e5-fefc-47df-aed0-456b1bb38844/IEA-The-Future-of-Hydrogen-Assumptions-Annex_CORR.pdf">nine kilograms</a> and <a href="https://www.pembina.org/reports/hydrogen-climate-primer-2020.pdf">12 kilograms</a> of carbon dioxide for each kilogram of hydrogen produced. Grey hydrogen can turn “blue” when most of these carbon emissions are captured and, for example, sequestered underground. </p>
<p>Green hydrogen is more expensive to produce, but it can be manufactured with zero emissions using renewable electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. Globally, <a href="https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/9e3a3493-b9a6-4b7d-b499-7ca48e357561/The_Future_of_Hydrogen.pdf">less than two per cent of hydrogen</a> is produced this way.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Graphic showing the green, grey and blue hydrogen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411329/original/file-20210714-13-1t1h4fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411329/original/file-20210714-13-1t1h4fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=270&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411329/original/file-20210714-13-1t1h4fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=270&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411329/original/file-20210714-13-1t1h4fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=270&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411329/original/file-20210714-13-1t1h4fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411329/original/file-20210714-13-1t1h4fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411329/original/file-20210714-13-1t1h4fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The basic colours of hydrogen. Cleaner hydrogen produces less carbon dioxide, but it is more expensive.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Walter Mérida/Data: PEMBINA, IEA)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many other colours have been added to the palette, but the focus on colour is a distraction. What really matters is the carbon intensity of the production process — that is, the tonnes of carbon produced for each tonne of hydrogen.</p>
<p>Hydrogen can be burned like any other fuel in cars, ships and airplanes, but because it does not contain carbon, it will not produce CO2 emissions. More importantly, it can also power fuel cells that convert hydrogen into clean electricity directly. This feature will trigger a revolution in portable, urban and autonomous power over long distances.</p>
<p>Challenges to widespread hydrogen adoption include the lack of a refuelling and distribution infrastructure, embryonic and evolving safety standards, and high costs. Most of these challenges are being addressed as the number and scale of demonstration projects increases. </p>
<h2>A global market</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://hydrogencouncil.com/en/study-hydrogen-scaling-up/">Hydrogen Council, a global industry group, estimates</a> that by 2050 hydrogen will represent 18 per cent of the energy delivered to end users, avoid six gigatonnes of carbon emissions annually, enable US$2.5 trillion in annual sales and create 30 million jobs globally. </p>
<p>This month, British Columbia announced it would be the first province in Canada to introduce a <a href="https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021EMLI0045-001306">hydrogen strategy</a> to reduce emissions and create jobs. Other, similar strategies already exist elsewhere in the world. Canada may be late to the game, but it still has a chance to become a hydrogen powerhouse.</p>
<p>In the wake of a 750-billion euro recovery plan, the European Commission unveiled “<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/hydrogen_strategy.pdf">A hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe</a>.” Its investments in water electrolysis alone could be 24 billion to 42 billion euros by 2030. Hydrogen was also the focus of the first <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/secretary-granholm-launches-hydrogen-energy-earthshot-accelerate-breakthroughs-toward-net">Energy Earthshot</a> announced in June by the U.S. Department of Energy, and national hydrogen strategies have been developed by Japan, Germany, South Korea and Australia. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-is-at-a-crossroads-in-the-global-hydrogen-race-and-one-path-looks-risky-157864">Australia is at a crossroads in the global hydrogen race – and one path looks risky</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Canada unveiled its <a href="https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/climate-change/the-hydrogen-strategy/23080">Hydrogen Strategy</a> in December 2020. The government says that the clean fuel sector could be worth <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/canada-unveils-hydrogen-strategy-kick-start-clean-fuel-industry-2020-12-16/">$50 billion</a>, create 350,000 green jobs and help Canada reach its net-zero targets by 2050. In June, Canada launched a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/natural-resources-canada/news/2021/06/minister-oregan-launches-call-for-proposals-under-15-billion-clean-fuels-fund-to-grow-clean-fuels-market-across-canada.html">$1.5-billion Clean Fuels Fund</a> to increase domestic capacity to produce low-carbon fuels, including hydrogen.</p>
<p>In March, Canada and Germany signed a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/germany-canada-agree-explore-green-hydrogen-development-2021-03-16/">co-operation agreement</a> to explore hydrogen development. Germany’s <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/germany-prepares-set-up-hydrogen-accord-with-australia-2021-06-13/">nine-billion euro hydrogen strategy</a> estimates that it will import 80 per cent of the hydrogen it requires.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411063/original/file-20210713-27-obmynu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="map showing locations of green-hydrogen projects" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411063/original/file-20210713-27-obmynu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411063/original/file-20210713-27-obmynu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=313&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411063/original/file-20210713-27-obmynu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=313&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411063/original/file-20210713-27-obmynu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=313&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411063/original/file-20210713-27-obmynu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411063/original/file-20210713-27-obmynu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411063/original/file-20210713-27-obmynu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Largest green hydrogen projects under consideration as of December 2020. Their completion will depend on finding adequate market conditions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/global-green-hydrogen-pipeline-exceeds-250gw-heres-the-26-largest-gigawatt-scale-projects/2-1-933755">(Walter Mérida/Data: Recharge News)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>More recently, <a href="https://www.atco.com/en-ca/about-us/news/2021/122920-suncor-and-atco-partner-on-a-potential-world-scale-clean-hydroge.html">Canadian energy companies made several announcements</a>, including plans for a $1.3-billion <a href="https://www.airproducts.com/news-center/2021/06/0609-air-products-net-zero-hydrogen-energy-complex-in-edmonton-alberta-canada">hydrogen energy complex</a> in Edmonton.</p>
<p>Beyond guilt-free driving, hydrogen may enable Canada to respond to the global demand for solutions as the world embarks on a transformational energy transition.</p>
<h2>Canada’s opportunity</h2>
<p>Canada could become a leading blue and green hydrogen exporter.</p>
<p>Our country has been a global leader in <a href="http://www.chfca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GOC-CDA-Leadership-HFC_en_4pager_WEB1.pdf">hydrogen technologies</a> for more than a century. Commercial products based on these technologies are running cars, buses and trains around the world. </p>
<p>Canada is the world’s <a href="https://www.hydropower.org/country-profiles/canada">fourth-largest producer of hydro power</a> and <a href="https://www.brucepower.com/thegrid/">Ontario hosts one of the largest operating nuclear plants</a> in the world. Both sources of zero-carbon electricity can enable green hydrogen production. Canada also has the <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/natural-gas-oil/ccs/2008_hartling.pdf">right geology</a> for large-scale carbon sequestration to transform grey hydrogen into blue. </p>
<p>British Columbia, Manitoba, Québec and Ontario could export green hydrogen made using hydro or nuclear electricity. Alberta can repurpose its oil and gas infrastructure and labour force to produce blue hydrogen at <a href="https://transitionaccelerator.ca/towards-net-zero-energy-systems-in-canada-a-key-role-for-hydrogen/">globally competitive prices</a> </p>
<p>Scaling up investment and increasing domestic hydrogen demand will be critical to trigger local economic development, maintain Canada’s leadership and respond to global market signals. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man filling a vehicle fuel tank from a hydrogen pump" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411065/original/file-20210713-17-1vv2q6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411065/original/file-20210713-17-1vv2q6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411065/original/file-20210713-17-1vv2q6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411065/original/file-20210713-17-1vv2q6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411065/original/file-20210713-17-1vv2q6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411065/original/file-20210713-17-1vv2q6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411065/original/file-20210713-17-1vv2q6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Air Products recently inaugurated a hydrogen fuelling station in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Like the <a href="https://www.bmbf.de/files/bmwi_Nationale%20Wasserstoffstrategie_Eng_s01.pdf">national hydrogen strategies unveiled by Germany</a>, <a href="https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2017/pdf/1226_003b.pdf">Japan</a> and <a href="https://www.iea.org/countries/korea">South Korea</a>, these initiatives are creating an international market for hydrogen — especially green hydrogen. Many countries <a href="https://www.h2-view.com/story/port-of-rotterdam-and-chile-ink-green-hydrogen-agreement/">including Chile</a>, <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/australias-national-hydrogen-strategy">Australia</a> and <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/us-firm-unveils-worlds-largest-green-hydrogen-project">Saudi Arabia</a> are reacting to satisfy the predicted demand. </p>
<h2>Steps in the right direction</h2>
<p>At the end of June, Canada’s Senate <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2021/06/29/senate-passes-emissions-targets-bill/">approved Bill C-12</a>, writing our national greenhouse gas emissions targets into law. The carbon tax and clean fuels initiative represent additional steps to create the incentives and regulatory certainty needed to promote private investment. In <a href="https://www.budget.gc.ca/2021/report-rapport/p2-en.html#114">Budget 2021</a>, Canada also proposed a tax credit for investments in carbon capture, use and storage technologies. </p>
<p>Informed by a <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IF11455.pdf">similar measure in the United States</a>, the tax credit will explicitly “support hydrogen production.” A <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/programs/consultations/2021/investment-tax-credit-carbon-capture-utilization-storage.html">public consultation</a> is open until Sept. 7, providing an opportunity to refine and harmonize the role of hydrogen in Canada’s energy transition.</p>
<p>Beyond powering clean cars, the links between hydrogen and renewable electricity can decarbonize seasonal energy storage, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2021/01/25/we-could-be-making-steel-from-green-hydrogen-using-less-coal/?sh=76a11ee83e5c">steel manufacturing</a>, <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/home-is-where-the-hydrogen-boiler-or-heat-pump-is-j23r2ps2p">urban and industrial heating</a> <a href="https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2020/09/airbus-reveals-new-zeroemission-concept-aircraft.html">and aviation</a>. Such links will trigger a revolution in the digital technologies required to monitor, control, trace and certify smart and sustainable energy systems. </p>
<p>By leading the way in hydrogen and digital technologies, Canada has a golden opportunity to pivot from a resource economy to a low-carbon economy in a single generation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162987/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Walter Mérida receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Western Economic Diversification Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the B.C. Knowledge Foundation, and MITACS. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, and the Climate Change Advisory Board for Toronto Dominion Insurance.</span></em></p>Hydrogen could replace fossil fuels, but it’s only as clean as the techniques used to produce it. Almost all production comes from high-carbon sources, but new investments could change that.Walter Mérida, Associate Dean of Research for Applied Science, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1476962020-11-09T14:25:55Z2020-11-09T14:25:55ZHydrogen: where is low-carbon fuel most useful for decarbonisation?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368297/original/file-20201109-17-11pttua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5304%2C2135&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/change-fuel-cell-vehicles-hand-flips-1508658467">FrankHH/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Is hydrogen the lifeblood of a low-carbon future, or an overhyped distraction from real solutions? One thing is certain – the coal, oil and natural gas which currently power much of daily life must be phased out within coming decades. From the cars we drive to the energy that heats our homes, these fossil fuels are deeply embedded in society and the global economy. But is the best solution in all cases to swap them with hydrogen – a fuel which only produces water vapour, and not CO₂, when burned?</p>
<p>Answering that question are six experts in engineering, physics and chemistry.</p>
<h2>Road and rail</h2>
<p><strong>Hu Li, Associate Professor of Energy Engineering, University of Leeds</strong></p>
<p>Transport became the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/878642/decarbonising-transport-setting-the-challenge.pdf">UK’s largest source</a> of greenhouse gas emissions in 2016, contributing about 28% of the country’s total.</p>
<p>Replacing the internal combustion engines of passenger cars and light-duty vehicles with batteries could accelerate the process of decarbonising road transport, but electrification isn’t such a good option for heavy-duty vehicles such as lorries and buses. Compared to gasoline and diesel fuels, the energy density (measured in megajoules per kilogram) of a battery is <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2019">just 1%</a>. For a 40-tonne truck, just over four tonnes of lithium-ion battery cells are needed for a range of 800 kilometres, compared to just 220 kilograms of diesel.</p>
<p>With the UK government set to <a href="https://theconversation.com/four-things-the-uk-government-must-do-to-phase-out-petrol-diesel-and-hybrid-cars-by-2035-131225">ban fossil fuel vehicles</a> from 2035, hydrogen fuel cells could do much of the heavy lifting in decarbonising freight and public transport, where <a href="https://www.dnvgl.com/oilgas/download/hydrogen-as-an-energy-carrier.html">80% of hydrogen demand</a> in transport is likely to come from. </p>
<p>A fuel cell generates electricity through a chemical reaction between the stored hydrogen and oxygen, producing water and hot air as a byproduct. Vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells have a similar driving range and can be refuelled about as quickly as internal combustion engine vehicles, another reason they’re useful for long-haul and heavy-duty transport.</p>
<p>Hydrogen fuel can be transported as liquid or compressed gas by existing natural gas pipelines, which will save millions on infrastructure and speed up its deployment. Even existing internal combustion engines can use hydrogen, but there are problems with fuel injection, reduced power output, onboard storage and emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), which can react in the lower atmosphere to form ozone – <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-lockdown-had-little-to-no-effect-on-global-temperatures-148129">a greenhouse gas</a>. The goal should be to eventually replace internal combustion engines with hydrogen fuel cells in vehicles that are too large for lithium-ion batteries. But in the meantime, blending with other fuels or using a diesel-hydrogen hybrid could help lower emissions.</p>
<p>It’s very important to consider where the hydrogen comes from though. Hydrogen can be produced by splitting water with electricity in a process called electrolysis. If the electricity was generated by renewable sources such as solar and wind, the resulting fuel is called green hydrogen. It can be used in the form of compressed gas or liquid and converted to methane, methanol, ammonia and other synthetic liquid fuels. </p>
<p>But nearly all of the <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/hydrogen-in-a-low-carbon-economy/">27 terawatt-hours</a> (TWh) of hydrogen currently used in the UK is produced by reforming fossil fuels, which <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2020/06/06/estimating-the-carbon-footprint-of-hydrogen-production/#3866364b24bd">generates nine tonnes of CO₂</a> for every tonne of hydrogen. This is currently the cheapest option, though some experts predict that green hydrogen will be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/03/green-hydrogen-from-renewables-could-become-cheapest-transformative-fuel-within-a-decade">cost-competitive by 2030</a>. In the meantime, governments will need to ramp up the production of vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells and storage tanks and build lots of refuelling points.</p>
<p>Hydrogen can play a key role in decarbonising rail travel too, alongside other low-carbon fuels, such as biofuels. In the UK, 6,049 kilometres of mainline routes run on electricity – that’s <a href="https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/infrastructure-and-emissions/rail-infrastructure-and-assets/">38% of the total</a>. Trains powered by hydrogen fuel cells offer a zero-emission alternative to diesel trains. </p>
<p>The Coradia iLint, which entered commercial service in <a href="https://www.alstom.com/solutions/rolling-stock/coradia-ilint-worlds-1st-hydrogen-powered-train">Germany in 2018</a>, is the world’s first hydrogen-powered train. The UK recently launched mainline testing of its <a href="https://www.railway-technology.com/news/uk-mainline-testing-hydrogen-powered-trains/">own hydrogen-powered train</a>, though the UK trial aims to retrofit existing diesel trains rather than design and build entirely new ones.</p>
<h2>Aviation</h2>
<p><strong>Valeska Ting, Professor of Smart Nanomaterials, University of Bristol</strong></p>
<p>Of all of the sectors that we need to decarbonise, air travel is perhaps the most challenging. While cars and boats can realistically switch to batteries or hybrid technologies, the sheer weight of even the lightest batteries makes long-haul electric air travel <a href="https://www.fch.europa.eu/sites/default/files/FCH%2520Docs/20200507_Hydrogen%2520Powered%2520Aviation%2520report_FINAL%2520web%2520%2528ID%25208706035%2529.pdf">tricky</a>.</p>
<p>Single-seat concept planes such as the <a href="https://aroundtheworld.solarimpulse.com/adventure">Solar Impulse</a> generate their energy from the sun, but they can’t generate enough based on the efficiency of current solar cells alone so must also <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/5/6/11569202/aviation-emissions-solar-plane">use batteries</a>. Other alternatives include synthetic fuels or biofuels, but these could just defer or reduce carbon emissions, rather than eliminate them altogether, as a carbon-free fuel like green hydrogen could.</p>
<p>Hydrogen is extremely light and contains three times more energy per kilogram than jet fuel, which is why it’s traditionally used to power <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/liquid-hydrogen-the-fuel-of-choice-for-space-exploration">rockets</a>. Companies including Airbus are already developing commercial zero-emission aircraft that run on <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54242176">hydrogen</a>. This involves a <a href="https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2020/09/airbus-reveals-new-zeroemission-concept-aircraft.html">radical redesign</a> of their fleet to accommodate <a href="https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2020/09/airbus-reveals-new-zeroemission-concept-aircraft.html">liquid hydrogen fuel tanks</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362442/original/file-20201008-18-18pgnoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three aeroplanes of different designs fly in formation." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362442/original/file-20201008-18-18pgnoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362442/original/file-20201008-18-18pgnoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362442/original/file-20201008-18-18pgnoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362442/original/file-20201008-18-18pgnoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362442/original/file-20201008-18-18pgnoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362442/original/file-20201008-18-18pgnoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362442/original/file-20201008-18-18pgnoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An artist’s impression of what hydrogen-powered commercial flight might look like.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.airbus.com/search.image.html?q=&lang=en&newsroom=true#searchresult-image-all-22">Airbus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are some technical challenges though. Hydrogen is a gas at room temperature, so very low temperatures and <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/liquid-hydrogen-delivery">special equipment</a> are needed to store it as a liquid. That means more weight, and subsequently, more fuel. However, research we’re doing at the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/composites/">Bristol Composites Institute</a> is helping with the design of lightweight aircraft components made out of <a href="https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-a-composite-material">composite materials</a>. We’re also looking at <a href="https://www.theengineer.co.uk/nanocage-hydrogen-gas/">nanoporous materials</a> that behave like molecular sponges, spontaneously absorbing and storing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNqLeO61huM">hydrogen at high densities</a> for onboard hydrogen storage in future aircraft designs.</p>
<p><a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-france-aerospace/france-bets-on-green-plane-in-package-to-save-aerospace-sector-idUKKBN23G0TB">France</a> and <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/germany-plans-to-promote-green-hydrogen-with-e7-billion/">Germany</a> are investing billions in hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft. But while the development of these new aircraft by industry continues apace, international airports will also need to rapidly invest in infrastructure to store and deliver liquid hydrogen to refuel them. There’s a risk that fleets of hydrogen aeroplanes could take off before there’s a sufficient <a href="https://www.fch.europa.eu/sites/default/files/Hydrogen%2520Roadmap%2520Europe_Report.pdf">fuel supply chain</a> to sustain them.</p>
<h2>Heating</h2>
<p><strong>Tom Baxter, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, University of Aberdeen & Ernst Worrell, Professor of Energy, Resources and Technological Change, Utrecht University</strong></p>
<p>If the <a href="https://connectpa.co.uk/appg-hydrogen/">All Party Parliamentary Group on Hydrogen’s</a> recommendations are taken up, the UK government is likely to support hydrogen as a replacement fuel for heating buildings in its next white paper. The other option for decarbonising Britain’s gas heating network is electricity. So which is likely to be a better choice – a hydrogen boiler in every home or an electric heat pump?</p>
<p>First there’s the price of fuel to consider. When hydrogen is generated through electrolysis, <a href="https://euobserver.com/opinion/149089#:%7E:text=The%20explanation%20is%20quite%20simple,percent%20energy%20remaining%20in%20the">between 30-40%</a> of the original electric energy is lost. One kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in a heat pump may generate 3-5 kWh of heat, while the same kWh of electricity gets you only 0.6-0.7 kWh of heat with a hydrogen-fuelled boiler. This means that generating enough hydrogen fuel to heat a home will require electricity generated from four times as many turbines and solar panels than a heat pump. Because heat pumps need so much less energy overall to supply the same amount of heat, the need for large amounts of stored green energy on standby is much less. Even reducing these losses with more advanced technology, hydrogen will remain relatively expensive, both in terms of energy and money.</p>
<p>So using hydrogen to heat homes isn’t cheap for consumers. Granted, there is a higher upfront cost for installing an electric heat pump. That could be a serious drawback for cash-strapped households, though heat pumps heat a property using around <a href="https://gshp.org.uk/documents/CE82-DomesticGroundSourceHeatPumps.pdf">a quarter of the energy</a> of hydrogen. In time, lower fuel bills would more than cover the installation cost.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A large fan unit sits outside an apartment building." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368290/original/file-20201109-23-4zweb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368290/original/file-20201109-23-4zweb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368290/original/file-20201109-23-4zweb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368290/original/file-20201109-23-4zweb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368290/original/file-20201109-23-4zweb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368290/original/file-20201109-23-4zweb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368290/original/file-20201109-23-4zweb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Heat pumps, like this one, are a better bet for decarbonising heating.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/airair-heat-pump-heating-hot-water-1515767096">Klikkipetra/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Replacing natural gas with hydrogen in the UK’s heating network isn’t likely to be simple either. Per volume, the energy density of hydrogen gas is about <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-storage">one-third that of natural gas</a>, so converting to hydrogen will not only require new boilers, but also investment in grids to increase how much fuel they can deliver. The very small size of hydrogen molecules mean they’re much more prone to leaking than natural gas molecules. Ensuring that the existing gas distribution system is fit for hydrogen could prove quite costly. </p>
<p>In high-density housing in inner cities, district heating systems – which distribute waste heat from <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-future-of-nuclear-power-stations-could-make-hydrogen-heat-homes-and-decarbonise-industry-148445">power plants</a> and factories into homes – could be a better bet in a warming climate, as, like heat pumps, they can cool homes as well as heat them.</p>
<p>Above all, this stresses the importance of energy efficiency, what the International Energy Agency calls the first fuel in buildings. Retrofitting buildings with insulation to make them energy efficient and switching boilers for heat pumps is the most promising route for the vast majority of buildings. Hydrogen should be reserved for applications where there are few or no alternatives. Space heating of homes and buildings, except for limited applications like in particularly old homes, is not one of them.</p>
<h2>Electricity and energy storage</h2>
<p><strong>Petra de Jongh, Professor of Catalysts and Energy Storage Materials, Utrecht University</strong></p>
<p>Fossil fuels have some features that seem impossible to beat. They’re packed full of energy, they’re easy to burn and they’re compatible with most engines and generators. Producing electricity using gas, oil, or coal is cheap, and offers complete certainty about, and control over, the amount of electricity you get at any point in time. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, how much wind or solar electricity we can generate isn’t something that we enjoy a lot of control over. It’s difficult to even adequately predict when the sun will shine or the wind will blow, so renewable power output fluctuates. Electricity grids can only tolerate a limited amount of fluctuation, so being able to store excess electricity for later is key to switching from fossil fuels.</p>
<p>Hydrogen seems ideally suited to meet this challenge. Compared to batteries, the storage capacity of hydrogen is unlimited – the electrolyser which produces it from water never fills up. Hydrogen can be converted back into electricity using a fuel cell too, though quite a bit of energy is lost in the process.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, hydrogen is the lightest gas and so it’s difficult to store and transport it. It can be liquefied or stored at very high pressures. But then there’s the cost – green hydrogen is still two to three times more expensive than that produced from natural gas, and the costs are even higher if an electrolyser is only used intermittently. Ideally, we could let hydrogen react with CO₂, either captured from the air or taken from flue gases, to produce renewable liquid fuels that are carbon-neutral, an option that we’re investigating at the Debye Institute at Utrecht University. </p>
<h2>Heavy industry</h2>
<p><strong>Stephen Carr, Lecturer in Energy Physics, University of South Wales</strong></p>
<p>Industry is the second most polluting sector in the UK after transport, accounting for 21% of the UK’s <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/reducing-uk-emissions-2020-progress-report-to-parliament/">total carbon emissions</a>. A large proportion of these emissions come from processes involving heat, whether it’s firing a kiln to very high temperatures to produce cement or generating steam to use in an oven making food. Most of this heat is currently generated using natural gas, which will need to be swapped out with a zero-carbon fuel, or electricity.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A worker in silver, protective gear stokes a furnace spewing molten metal." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368295/original/file-20201109-23-1kg9dbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368295/original/file-20201109-23-1kg9dbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368295/original/file-20201109-23-1kg9dbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368295/original/file-20201109-23-1kg9dbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368295/original/file-20201109-23-1kg9dbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368295/original/file-20201109-23-1kg9dbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368295/original/file-20201109-23-1kg9dbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Furnaces in the steel industry are generally powered by fossil fuels.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/iron-steel-industry-1229619967">Rocharibeiro/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Let’s look in depth at <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/824592/industrial-fuel-switching.pdf">one industry</a>: ceramics manufacturing. Here, high-temperature direct heating is required, where the flame or hot gases touch the material being heated. Natural gas-fired burners are currently used for this. Biomass can generate zero-carbon heat, but biomass supplies are limited and aren’t best suited to use in direct heating. Using an electric kiln would be efficient, but it would entail an overhaul of existing equipment. Generating electricity has a comparably high cost too.</p>
<p>Swapping natural gas with hydrogen in burners could be cheaper overall, and would require only slight changes to equipment. The <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/hydrogen-in-a-low-carbon-economy/">Committee on Climate Change</a>, which advises the UK government, reports that 90 TWh of industrial fossil fuel energy per year (equivalent to the total annual consumption of Wales) could be replaced with hydrogen by 2040. Hydrogen will be the cheapest option in most cases, while for 15 TWh of industrial fossil fuel energy, hydrogen is the only suitable alternative. </p>
<p>Hydrogen is already used in industrial processes such as oil refining, where it’s used to react with and remove unwanted sulphur compounds. Since <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/hydrogen-in-a-low-carbon-economy/">most hydrogen</a> currently used in the UK is derived from fossil fuels, it will be necessary to ramp up renewable energy capacity to deliver truly green hydrogen before it can replace the high-carbon fuels powering industrial processes.</p>
<p>The same rule applies to each of these sectors – hydrogen is only as green as the process that produced it. Green hydrogen will be part of the solution in combination with other technologies and measures, including lithium-ion batteries, and energy efficiency. But the low-carbon fuel will be most useful in decarbonising the niches that are currently difficult for electrification to reach, such as heavy-duty vehicles and industrial furnaces.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147696/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hu Li is a member of the Energy Institute and Energy Leeds, a research and education hub at the University of Leeds. He is also technical director of Liber Larus Ltd, a company which promotes technological exchange between the UK and China and provides consultation in the renewable energy sector. He has received funding from the Innovate UK, EPSRC, Royal Society, EU and industry.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Carr receives funding from ERDF, as part of the Reducing Industrial Carbon Emissions (RICE) project. He has previously received funding from the Innovate UK IDCF Roadmap and Deployment projects. He is a member of the Energy Institute. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Valeska Ting receives funding from EPSRC for research into hydrogen storage. She also sits on the EPSRC Energy Strategic Advisory Committee.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ernst Worrell, Petra E. de Jongh, and Tom Baxter do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Hydrogen is feted as the key to a dynamic green economy. But is it the best choice for decarbonisation in all cases?Tom Baxter, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, University of AberdeenErnst Worrell, Professor of Energy, Resources and Technological Change, Utrecht UniversityHu Li, Associate Professor of Energy Engineering, University of LeedsPetra E. de Jongh, Professor of Catalysts and Energy Storage Materials, Utrecht UniversityStephen Carr, Lecturer in Energy Physics, University of South WalesValeska Ting, Professor of Smart Nanomaterials, University of BristolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1445792020-08-31T06:16:03Z2020-08-31T06:16:03ZTime to get real: amid the hydrogen hype, let’s talk about what will actually work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355461/original/file-20200831-24-11fgpz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=77%2C0%2C5098%2C2770&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For 50 years hydrogen has been championed as a <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-fuel-basics">clean-burning gas</a> that could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The idea of a “<a href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2019/real-promise-of-hydrogen">hydrogen economy</a>” is now enjoying a new wave of enthusiasm — but it is not a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/the-signal/hydrogen-explainer/10470944">silver bullet</a>.</p>
<p>Amid the current <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/australias-national-hydrogen-strategy">hydrogen hype</a>, there is little discussion about when the technology can realistically become <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/there-is-no-magic-hydrogen-bullet-coming-20191106-p537t6">commercially viable</a>, or the <a href="https://www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Insight-66-Hydrogen-and-Decarbonisation-of-Gas.pdf">best ways</a> it can be used to cut emissions.</p>
<p>Australia must use hydrogen intelligently and strategically. Otherwise, we risk supporting a comparatively energy-intensive technology in uses that don’t make sense. This would waste valuable renewable energy resources and land space, increase costs for Australians and slow emissions reduction.</p>
<p>Here’s where we can focus hydrogen investment to get the best bang for our buck.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An industrial skyline" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355470/original/file-20200831-20-y8nnku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355470/original/file-20200831-20-y8nnku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355470/original/file-20200831-20-y8nnku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355470/original/file-20200831-20-y8nnku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355470/original/file-20200831-20-y8nnku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355470/original/file-20200831-20-y8nnku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355470/original/file-20200831-20-y8nnku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A poorly targeted hydrogen strategy will slow emissions reduction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Hydrogen sucks up energy and space</h2>
<p>Hydrogen is the <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/hydrogen/">most abundant element</a> in the universe, but rarely is it freely available. It must be unlocked from <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-electrolysis">water</a> (H<sub>2</sub>O) or fossil fuels such as <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-natural-gas-reforming">methane</a> (CH<sub>4</sub>), then compressed for transport and use. These steps waste a lot of energy. </p>
<p>To be transported, for example, hydrogen must be kept under <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-delivery">high pressure or extremely low temperature</a>. And in terms of energy storage, even heating up <a href="https://www.golem.de/news/energiespeicher-heisse-steine-sind-effizienter-als-brennstoffzellen-1906-142012.html">stones</a> is more efficient.</p>
<p>Australia could become a renewable energy superpower in the future. But there are serious medium-term challenges, including <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/economic-brink-solar-plants-curtailed-as-grid-links-stall-20200209-p53z3l.html">constraints</a> in the infrastructure that transmits energy. </p>
<p>The world must reach net-zero emissions <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/">within 30 years</a> to avert the worst climate change. That means using renewable energy as efficiently as possible to maximise emissions reductions and minimise the land space required. So we must be strategic in how and where we use hydrogen.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353342/original/file-20200818-22-gsyxgk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353342/original/file-20200818-22-gsyxgk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353342/original/file-20200818-22-gsyxgk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353342/original/file-20200818-22-gsyxgk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353342/original/file-20200818-22-gsyxgk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353342/original/file-20200818-22-gsyxgk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353342/original/file-20200818-22-gsyxgk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hydrogen pathways.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Staffell et al 2018. The role of hydrogen and fuel cells in the global energy system.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Use hydrogen in places electricity won’t go</h2>
<p>In most applications, renewables-based electrification <a href="https://theconversation.com/creative-destruction-the-covid-19-economic-crisis-is-accelerating-the-demise-of-fossil-fuels-143739">has emerged</a> as the most energy efficient, and cost-effective way to strip emissions from the economy. </p>
<p>Yet there are some industries where electrification will remain challenging. It’s here renewable hydrogen — produced from wind and solar energy — will be most important. These industries include <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/another-nail-in-coals-coffin-german-steel-furnace-runs-on-renewable-hydrogen-in-world-first-55906/">steel</a>, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/09/splitting-water-to-make-cement-could-clean-up-a-dirty-industry/">cement</a>, <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/hope-for-affordable-hydrogen-for-steel-alumina-report-20200330-p54fee">aluminium</a>, <a href="https://www.transportenvironment.org/press/battery-hydrogen-and-ammonia-powered-ships-far-most-efficient-way-decarbonise-sector-%E2%80%93">shipping</a> and <a href="https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2018/11/29/synthetic-fuels-could-help-low-carbon-aviation-take-off">aviation</a>.</p>
<p>A renewable hydrogen export market may also emerge in the <a href="https://www.afr.com/chanticleer/hydrogen-exports-a-long-way-off-20190617-p51yke">long-term</a>. </p>
<p>Renewable hydrogen will also be important to replace existing <a href="https://www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Insight-66-Hydrogen-and-Decarbonisation-of-Gas.pdf">hydrogen</a> produced by fossil fuels. But this alone will require a <a href="https://cpree.princeton.edu/sites/cpree2019/files/media/2020-02-010_-_wws_bradford_seminar_-_getting_to_zero.pdf">significant increase in electricity generation</a>, to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This is a major challenge.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Wind turbines on a hill" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355468/original/file-20200831-21-1etv73y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355468/original/file-20200831-21-1etv73y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355468/original/file-20200831-21-1etv73y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355468/original/file-20200831-21-1etv73y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355468/original/file-20200831-21-1etv73y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355468/original/file-20200831-21-1etv73y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355468/original/file-20200831-21-1etv73y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australia’s renewable energy capacity would need to increase substantially to produce green hydrogen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mick Tsikas/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What about cars and trucks?</h2>
<p>Road transport is one area where we believe hydrogen will not play a major role. In fact, Telsa founder Elon Musk has gone as far as to call hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles “<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/21/musk-calls-hydrogen-fuel-cells-stupid-but-tech-may-threaten-tesla.html">mind-bogglingly stupid</a>”.</p>
<p>Hydrogen vehicles will always consume <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328782184_Where_are_we_heading_with_electric_vehicles">two to four times more energy</a> than battery electric vehicles. This is simply due to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hydrogen-cars-wont-overtake-electric-vehicles-because-theyre-hampered-by-the-laws-of-science-139899">laws of physics</a>, and cannot be resolved by technological improvements. </p>
<p>In the case of hydrogen-powered vehicles, this will mean higher costs for consumers compared to battery-electric vehicles. It also means far more space for solar panels or wind turbines is needed to generate renewable energy. </p>
<p>What’s more, electric vehicles already have <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-018-0108-1">longer driving range</a> and continuously expanding <a href="https://www.plugshare.com/">charging infrastructure</a>, including <a href="https://thedriven.io/2019/12/20/dc-fast-chargers-australia-2019/">ultra-fast chargers</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353341/original/file-20200818-18-1i105bh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353341/original/file-20200818-18-1i105bh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353341/original/file-20200818-18-1i105bh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353341/original/file-20200818-18-1i105bh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353341/original/file-20200818-18-1i105bh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353341/original/file-20200818-18-1i105bh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353341/original/file-20200818-18-1i105bh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Comparing the amount of electricity that is lost for hydrogen cars versus electric cars.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Volkswagen AG</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/for-hydrogen-to-be-truly-clean-it-must-be-made-with-renewables-not-coal-128053">For hydrogen to be truly 'clean' it must be made with renewables, not coal</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Most global car makers have recognised the <a href="https://www.volkswagenag.com/en/news/stories/2019/08/hydrogen-or-battery--that-is-the-question.html">lack of advantage</a> for hydrogen cars and instead invested about <a href="https://www.peakresources.com.au/news/3823/">US$300 billion</a> in the development and manufacturing of electric cars. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-toyota-electric/toyota-speeds-up-electric-vehicle-schedule-as-demand-heats-up-idUSKCN1T806X">Toyota</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkang/2020/02/28/as-hyundai-races-toward-electric-vehicles-hydrogen-powered-cars-take-a-backseat/#16af078a6b8c">Hyundai</a> — the last main proponents of hydrogen cars — are also ramping up efforts on electric cars.</p>
<p>As for trucks, the US Department of Energy <a href="https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/19006_hydrogen_class8_long_haul_truck_targets.pdf">does not expect</a> hydrogen semi-trailers to be competitive with diesel until around 2050, mainly due to the high cost and low durability of hydrogen fuel cells.</p>
<p>While hydrogen trucks may have a role to play in 20 to 30 years, this will be too late to help reach a 2050 net-zero target. As such, we must explore energy-efficient options already widely deployed overseas, including <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/business/electric-semi-trucks-big-rigs.html">electric trucks</a>, electrified <a href="https://press.siemens.com/global/en/feature/ehighway-solutions-electrified-road-freight-transport">roads</a> and <a href="https://www.bosch-mobility-solutions.com/en/products-and-services/commercial-vehicles/powertrain-systems/electrified-axle/">electrified trailers</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A hydrogen vehicle at a refuelling station" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355467/original/file-20200831-19-jav2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355467/original/file-20200831-19-jav2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355467/original/file-20200831-19-jav2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355467/original/file-20200831-19-jav2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355467/original/file-20200831-19-jav2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355467/original/file-20200831-19-jav2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355467/original/file-20200831-19-jav2vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hydrogen vehicles are less energy-efficient than electric vehicles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kydpl Kyodo/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A truly strategic plan</h2>
<p>If Australia is serious about climate action, we must focus efforts on where renewable hydrogen can deliver the greatest environmental and economic benefits: regional ports.</p>
<p>Hydrogen derived from fossil fuels is currently used to make products such as fertiliser and methanol. Supporting the transition to renewable hydrogen for these uses will be an important first step to <a href="https://www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Insight-66-Hydrogen-and-Decarbonisation-of-Gas.pdf">scale up the industry</a>.</p>
<p>If produced at regional shipping ports close to aluminium, steel or cement plants, this will provide further opportunities to expand renewable hydrogen use to <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/three-reforms-that-can-make-us-the-world-s-low-carbon-superpower-20191103-p536wl">minerals processing</a>, while creating new jobs.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-rush-into-a-hydrogen-economy-until-we-know-all-the-risks-to-our-climate-140433">Don't rush into a hydrogen economy until we know all the risks to our climate</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As hydrogen production scales up and costs fall, excess hydrogen would be available at ports for fuelling ships — either <a href="https://theicct.org/publications/zero-emission-container-corridor-hydrogen-2020">directly</a> or through a hydrogen derivative like <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2014e53c-531f-11ea-a1ef-da1721a0541e">ammonia</a>. Hydrogen gas could also be used to make carbon-neutral <a href="https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/sustainable-aviation_-green--aviation-fuel-aims-to-power-planes-by-2030/45804038">synthetic fuel</a> for planes.</p>
<p>If an international export market emerged in the future, this strategy would also mean renewable hydrogen would be available at ports to directly ship overseas.</p>
<p>Finally, if the development of hydrogen truck technology accelerates before 2050, renewable hydrogen would be available to power the significant number of semi-trailers that travel to and from shipping ports.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Shipping containers and cranes at a port." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355469/original/file-20200831-16-t6r296.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355469/original/file-20200831-16-t6r296.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355469/original/file-20200831-16-t6r296.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355469/original/file-20200831-16-t6r296.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355469/original/file-20200831-16-t6r296.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355469/original/file-20200831-16-t6r296.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355469/original/file-20200831-16-t6r296.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A strategic hydrogen plan would link hydrogen production with Australia’s ports.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daean Lewins/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Let’s get real</h2>
<p>Renewable hydrogen is a scarce and valuable resource, and should be directed towards sectors most difficult to decarbonise.</p>
<p>Delaying the <a href="http://revproject.com/traffic/report.pdf">electrification of road transport</a> and energy on the promise of hydrogen will <a href="https://thesiseleven.com/2020/08/21/creative-destruction-and-covid/">ultimately only benefit the fossil fuel industry</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/creative-destruction-the-covid-19-economic-crisis-is-accelerating-the-demise-of-fossil-fuels-143739">Creative destruction: the COVID-19 economic crisis is accelerating the demise of fossil fuels</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144579/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Jake Whitehead is the Tritium e-Mobility Fellow at the Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation at The University of Queensland, a Research Fellow at the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Queensland, holds an Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship focussed on how electric vehicles can deliver co-benefits to the energy sector, is a Member of the International Electric Vehicle Policy Council, and is an AR6 Lead Author for The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He has previously received funding for several sustainable transport projects, including research on both hydrogen and electric vehicles. He also supports the delivery of the Rapid Switch Project, a joint collaboration between Princeton University and the University of Queensland.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Newman is affiliated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Bräunl directs the REV Project at UWA on electric and autonomous vehicles. He completed a study for MainRoads WA in 2018 on a state-wide EV charging infrastructure for WA.</span></em></p>Tesla founder Elon Musk has described hydrogen-powered cars as “mind-bogglingly stupid”. So is he right?Jake Whitehead, Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellow & Tritum E-Mobility Fellow, The University of QueenslandPeter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University Thomas Bräunl, Professor of Robotics; Director, WA Electric Vehicle Trial, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1404332020-08-09T20:09:33Z2020-08-09T20:09:33ZDon’t rush into a hydrogen economy until we know all the risks to our climate<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348094/original/file-20200717-21-l1adoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=308%2C327%2C5128%2C3144&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Alexander Kirch/Shutterstock</span> </figcaption></figure><p>There is global <a href="https://hydrogencouncil.com/en/">interest</a> in the potential for a hydrogen economy, in part driven by a concern over climate change and the need to move away from fossil fuels.</p>
<p>This month, for example, Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/Do-business/Futures/Reports/Energy-and-Resources">released a report</a> showing the use of clean hydrogen as a fuel could slash aviation emissions, including a complete transition from conventional jet fuel around 2050.</p>
<p>A hydrogen economy <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-hydrogen-power-can-help-us-cut-emissions-boost-exports-and-even-drive-further-between-refills-101967">could tap</a> Australia’s abundant solar and wind energy resources, and provides a way to store and transport energy.</p>
<p>But, to date, there has been little attention on the technology’s potential environmental challenges.</p>
<p>Using hydrogen as a fuel might <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/302/5645/581" title="An Environmental Experiment with H₂?">make global warming worse</a> by affecting chemical reactions in the atmosphere. We must know more about this risk before we dive headlong into the hydrogen transition.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ygLrTYCR1J8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Australia’s hydrogen dawn</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/1/hydrogen">Hydrogen</a> is the most abundant element in the universe. On Earth, it’s found mostly in water, from which it can be extracted. When renewable energy is used to power this process, hydrogen can be produced, in principle, with no emissions.</p>
<p>Australia’s <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/australias-national-hydrogen-strategy">National Hydrogen Strategy</a>, released last November, identified hydrogen export as a major economic opportunity. </p>
<p>Countries such as Germany, Japan and South Korea have large energy demands and commitments to emissions reduction. But they have limited opportunities to develop their own renewable resources. This creates a major opportunity for Australia to <a href="https://arena.gov.au/knowledge-bank/opportunities-for-australia-from-hydrogen-exports/">ship hydrogen</a> to the world.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hydrogen-fuels-rockets-but-what-about-power-for-daily-life-were-getting-closer-112958">Hydrogen fuels rockets, but what about power for daily life? We're getting closer</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Hydrogen projects in Australia are gearing up. For example, the Queensland government <a href="http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2020/2/27/renewable-hydrogen-bonanza-for-gladstone">recently announced</a> A$4.2 million for a trial project to inject hydrogen into the gas network of Gladstone.</p>
<p>A similar project is also <a href="https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/news/media-releases/news/hydrogen-park-gets-australia-s-biggest-electrolyser">proposed for South Australia</a>, supported by a A$4.9 million state government grant. In New South Wales, <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/-/media/OEH/Corporate-Site/Documents/Climate-change/net-zero-plan-2020-2030-200057.pdf">a proposal</a> is afoot to blend hydrogen into the existing gas network.</p>
<p>But little consideration has been given to the possible environmental consequences of hydrogen as an energy source.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351578/original/file-20200806-22-jr0gpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A hydrogen station for fuel-cell vehicles in Japan" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351578/original/file-20200806-22-jr0gpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351578/original/file-20200806-22-jr0gpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351578/original/file-20200806-22-jr0gpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351578/original/file-20200806-22-jr0gpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351578/original/file-20200806-22-jr0gpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351578/original/file-20200806-22-jr0gpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351578/original/file-20200806-22-jr0gpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A hydrogen station for fuel-cell vehicles in Japan, which is a major export opportunity for hydrogen produced in Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kydpl Kyodo/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reactions in the atmosphere</h2>
<p>In the atmosphere, ozone and water vapour react with sunlight to produce what are known as hydroxyl radicals. </p>
<p>These powerful oxidants react with and help <a href="https://niwa.co.nz/publications/wa/vol16-no1-march-2008/detergent-of-the-atmosphere">remove other chemicals</a> released into the atmosphere via natural and human processes, such as burning fossil fuels. One of these chemicals is methane, a potent <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/OandA/Areas/Assessing-our-climate/State-of-the-Climate-2018/Greenhouse-gases">greenhouse gas</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/emissions-of-methane-a-greenhouse-gas-far-more-potent-than-carbon-dioxide-are-rising-dangerously-142522">Emissions of methane – a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide – are rising dangerously</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But hydrogen also reacts with hydroxyl radicals and, in doing so, <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/302/5645/624" title="Air Pollution and Climate-Forcing Impacts of a Global Hydrogen Economy">reduces their concentration</a>. Any hydrogen leaked into the atmosphere – such as during production, transport or at the point of use – could cause this reaction.</p>
<p>This would reduce the number of hydroxyl radicals available for their important cleansing function.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351584/original/file-20200806-22-spsl2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A high-altitude view of Earth" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351584/original/file-20200806-22-spsl2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351584/original/file-20200806-22-spsl2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351584/original/file-20200806-22-spsl2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351584/original/file-20200806-22-spsl2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351584/original/file-20200806-22-spsl2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351584/original/file-20200806-22-spsl2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351584/original/file-20200806-22-spsl2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hydrogen reacts with hydroxyl radicals in the atmosphere.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Hydrogen on the rise</h2>
<p>Hydrogen concentrations in the atmosphere are monitored around the world. Collectively, the data show an increase over time. This includes in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1352231019300809" title="A 24-year record of high-frequency, in situ, observations of hydrogen at the Atmospheric Research Station at Mace Head, Ireland">Ireland</a> and at <a href="http://capegrim.csiro.au/">Cape Grim</a> in Tasmania’s northwest, where hydrogen concentrations have increased by about 4% in the past 25 years. </p>
<p><iframe id="0Andq" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/0Andq/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>With our current understanding of the hydrogen cycle, it’s not possible to say why this has occurred. Indeed, this is the challenge: improving understanding so we can anticipate any effects of hydrogen leakage and decide what acceptable leakage rates might be.</p>
<p>Based on <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360319920302779" title="Global modelling studies of hydrogen and its isotopomers using STOCHEM-CRI: Likely radiative forcing consequences of a future hydrogen economy">what we do know</a>, hydrogen may increase global warming by 20-30% that of methane if leaked into the atmosphere.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/carbon-pricing-works-the-largest-ever-study-puts-it-beyond-doubt-142034">Carbon pricing works: the largest-ever study puts it beyond doubt</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/%7Edstevens/Presentations/Papers/derwent_ijhr06.pdf">Our understanding so far</a> suggests that if a hydrogen economy replaced the fossil fuel-based energy system and had a leakage rate of 1%, its climate impact would be 0.6% of the fossil fuel system.</p>
<p>But we need to better understand the hydrogen cycle, such as how land surfaces absorb hydrogen. In the meantime, we must try to minimise leakage of hydrogen in production, storage and use.</p>
<h2>Lessons from methane</h2>
<p>A commitment to a hydrogen economy must avoid pitfalls that accompanied the expansion of the natural gas economy.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-1991-8" title="Preindustrial 14CH4 indicates greater anthropogenic fossil CH4 emissions">Research</a> published this year found emissions from our increased use of fossil methane is about 25% to 40% greater than previously estimated.</p>
<p>Other <a href="https://theconversation.com/emissions-of-methane-a-greenhouse-gas-far-more-potent-than-carbon-dioxide-are-rising-dangerously-142522">research</a> shows methane emissions grew almost 10% from 2000-2006 to the most recent year of the study, 2017.</p>
<p>Coming to grips with methane leakage is difficult because of the many ways it occurs, including:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>during <a href="https://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/acp-2020-337/" title="Quantifying methane emissions from Queensland's coal seam gas producing Surat Basin using inventory data and an efficient regional Bayesian inversion">coal mining</a></p></li>
<li><p>from <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/52/26376" title="Satellite observations reveal extreme methane leakage from a natural gas well blowout">natural gas well blow-outs</a></p></li>
<li><p>during exploration and exploitation of <a href="https://www.biogeosciences.net/16/3033/2019/" title="Ideas and perspectives: is shale gas a major driver of recent increase in global atmospheric methane?">shale gas</a></p></li>
<li><p>via <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019GL082635" title="Large Fugitive Methane Emissions From Urban Centers Along the U.S. East Coast">faulty plumbing</a> during industrial, commercial and domestic gas distribution.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>By contrast, hydrogen emissions will likely mainly occur during distribution and end use via faulty pipe fittings, given the absence of mining in the hydrogen economy.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351580/original/file-20200806-22-1jt4f12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Technicians examine pipes at a shale gas facility in China" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351580/original/file-20200806-22-1jt4f12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351580/original/file-20200806-22-1jt4f12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351580/original/file-20200806-22-1jt4f12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351580/original/file-20200806-22-1jt4f12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351580/original/file-20200806-22-1jt4f12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351580/original/file-20200806-22-1jt4f12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351580/original/file-20200806-22-1jt4f12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Technicians examine pipes at a shale gas facility in China. Such operations are a source of methane emissions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hu Qingming/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Looking ahead</h2>
<p>It’s possible the emission of hydrogen from reticulation and distribution systems will be low. But specifying how low this should be, and what engineering approaches are appropriate, should be part of the development process.</p>
<p>A hydrogen-based energy future may likely provide an attractive option in the quest for a zero-carbon economy. But all aspects of the hydrogen option should be considered in an holistic and evidence-based assessment.</p>
<p>This would ensure any transition to a hydrogen economy brings climate benefits far beyond fossil-fuel-based energy systems. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was co-authored by Richard G. Derwent, an independent scientist working in the United Kingdom on air pollution and atmospheric chemistry.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140433/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Prather has received US federal research funding related to atmospheric chemistry and indirect greenhouse gases; he is affiliated with Citizens' Climate Lobby, Union of Concerned Scientists.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Graeme Pearman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Hydrogen is hailed as a new clean fuel, but little attention has been paid to the potential environmental challenges presented by the energy shift.Graeme Pearman, Professorial Fellow, Australian-German Climate and Energy College, The University of MelbourneMichael Prather, Distinguished Professor of Earth System Science, University of California, IrvineLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1056472018-10-25T05:53:43Z2018-10-25T05:53:43ZWe have so many ways to pursue a healthy climate – it’s insane to wait any longer<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242238/original/file-20181025-71029-1a3yvnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=25%2C0%2C2800%2C1856&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Opportunities to help drive the energy transition are everywhere - even in Western Australia's remote salt pans.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Peter C. Doherty</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As a broadly trained life scientist, my concern about climate change isn’t the health of the planet. The rocks will be just fine! What worries me is a whole spectrum of “wicked” challenges, from sustaining food production, to providing clean water, to maintaining wildlife diversity and the green environments that ensure the survival of complex life on Earth.</p>
<p>What’s more, as a disease and death researcher, I think of climate change as equivalent to <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-exposure-to-lead-impacts-human-health-6848">lead poisoning</a>: slow, cumulative, progressive and initially silent but, if not treated in time, causing irreversible, catastrophic damage.</p>
<p>The link between climate change and human health is obvious. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/phelps-consolidates-her-lead-in-wentworth-after-nail-biting-day-105360">likely success of Dr Kerryn Phelps in the Wentworth byelection</a> also suggests the informed public gets it. More broadly, <a href="https://www.dea.org.au/">Doctors for the Environment Australia</a> has <a href="https://www.frontlineaction.org/doctors_for_the_environment_commbank_must_rule_out_funding_adani">campaigned vigorously</a> against Adani’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/infographic-heres-exactly-what-adanis-carmichael-mine-means-for-queensland-87684">proposed Queensland coal mine</a>, and has very strong student chapters. Young people are energised and, as they mature and take power, the political and legal situation regarding energy generation could change very quickly.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/infographic-heres-exactly-what-adanis-carmichael-mine-means-for-queensland-87684">Infographic: here's exactly what Adani's Carmichael mine means for Queensland</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The world’s oldest medical journal, <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/">The Lancet</a>, has a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/climate-and-health">high-profile commission</a> that will report every two years until 2030 on the broad-ranging issue of climate and human health. The journal has just published a <a href="https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/climate-change-and-health-eminent-australians-slam-government-in-stinging-lancet-statement">letter</a> from just about every leading Australian medical scientist working in a relevant area that protests the federal government’s contemptuous dismissal of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-un-report-outlines-urgent-transformational-change-needed-to-hold-global-warming-to-1-5-c-103237">latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-uns-1-5-c-special-climate-report-at-a-glance-104547">The UN's 1.5°C special climate report at a glance</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Astronauts have <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/apollo-8-earthrise">shown us</a> how incredibly fragile the atmosphere looks from space. The idea that we should wait for things to get worse before taking action to protect it seems insane.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242201/original/file-20181025-71045-1ppfid4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242201/original/file-20181025-71045-1ppfid4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242201/original/file-20181025-71045-1ppfid4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242201/original/file-20181025-71045-1ppfid4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242201/original/file-20181025-71045-1ppfid4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242201/original/file-20181025-71045-1ppfid4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242201/original/file-20181025-71045-1ppfid4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242201/original/file-20181025-71045-1ppfid4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Apollo 8 gave us a valuable perspective on our planet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg">NASA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We need legislators who can think and act for the long term. This issue is simply too big for individuals or volunteer groups. Unless politicians are prepared to put a substantial price on greenhouse emissions, it’s difficult to see how a capitalist economic system can move us forward. Clean coal? The US <a href="https://www.betterenergy.org/blog/three-things-know-about-changes-45q/">45Q tax reform</a>, which offers credits for carbon capture and storage projects, suggests we would need a carbon price of <a href="https://www.betterenergy.org/blog/future-act-reformed-45q-carbon-capture-storage-tax-credit/">at least US$50 a tonne</a> to make this technology economically feasible.</p>
<p>Australia’s governments at every level could be acting now to promote the planting of vegetation, including less readily combustible tree species. We could be embracing, and funding, <a href="https://theconversation.com/21st-century-energy-get-more-efficient-and-embrace-disruptive-technology-48089">energy efficiency</a> while constructing all new buildings – especially hospitals and large apartment complexes – in ways that protect their inhabitants. A realistic carbon tax could pay for some of that, while also stimulating jobs and growth and providing investment certainty.</p>
<p>Some moves are already being made in the right direction. The <a href="https://australia.chevron.com/our-businesses/gorgon-project">Gorgon gas project</a> is planning to extend its strategy to inject carbon dioxide into the ground rather than releasing it to the atmosphere. CSIRO’s new <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-hydrogen-power-can-help-us-cut-emissions-boost-exports-and-even-drive-further-between-refills-101967">hydrogen economy roadmap</a> shows how (with the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-is-clear-we-have-to-start-creating-our-low-carbon-future-today-104774">endorsement</a> of <a href="https://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/HydrogenCOAGWhitePaper_WEB.pdf">Chief Scientist Alan Finkel</a>) we can develop gas exports based on hydrogen rather than natural gas, to supply emerging markets in countries such as Japan.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-is-clear-we-have-to-start-creating-our-low-carbon-future-today-104774">The science is clear: we have to start creating our low-carbon future today</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A more familiar export product is wood. Planting and harvesting trees mimics nature’s mechanism for <a href="http://nap.edu/25259">storing carbon</a>. Perhaps it’s time for CSIRO and the universities to reinvest in developing wood technologies that <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-skyscrapers-of-the-future-will-be-made-of-wood-42132">displace concrete for at least some forms of construction</a>. Modular wooden houses could also easily be moved away from low-lying areas hit by river flooding and sea level rise.</p>
<p>My wife Penny and I recently joined a small organised tour that took us more than 5,000km around Western Australia. That made us very aware of competing realities. On one hand, we have the human constructs of community, politics and economy. On the other is the reality of nature, imposed by the laws of physics and the fact that all life systems have evolved to live within defined <a href="http://crocdoc.ifas.ufl.edu/projects/climateenvelopemodeling/publications/Use%20and%20Interpretation%20of%20Climate%20Envelope%20Models%20-%20A%20Practical%20Guide.pdf">environmental “envelopes”</a>.</p>
<p>Apart from the glorious WA wildflowers and extensive wheat fields, the prominence of mining was very clear. Metals are essential for just about any renewable energy strategy, although the massive amounts of diesel burned in the extraction process are clearly an issue. Could that transition to carbon-neutral biodiesel?</p>
<p>WA also has <a href="https://www.nacc.com.au/salt-lakes-vital-features-of-the-wa-landscape/">extensive coastal salt pans</a>: might they be used, perhaps with pumped seawater, to cultivate <a href="https://theconversation.com/sustainable-oil-from-algae-the-technology-is-ready-but-what-about-the-politics-44969">algae for biofuel production</a>? And, in the face of a global obesity pandemic, the best thing we could do with sugar cane is to convert it to biofuels. </p>
<p>If ethanol is bad for internal combustion engines, perhaps we should revisit external combustion? In WA, we went to the <a href="https://www.hmassydneymemorialgeraldton.com.au/">HMAS Sydney memorial</a> in Geraldton. Like all big ships of her time, the Sydney was powered by steam turbines. Turbine power generation could be part of a mix driving electric/wind ships of the future.</p>
<p>Our WA trip also made us very conscious of the complex ecosystems that, in the end analysis, sustain all life. Plants use chemical signals (plant pheromones) to “talk” among themselves, to other species, and to the insects they attract for
pollination. Some plants rely for reproduction on a single insect species. If the
insects die, they die. We’re currently in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/earths-sixth-mass-extinction-has-begun-new-study-confirms-43432">sixth mass extinction</a> – this one caused by humans. As temperatures ramp up, rainfall patterns change, and firestorms grow stronger and more frequent, the effects will be terminal for many species.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/earths-sixth-mass-extinction-has-begun-new-study-confirms-43432">Earth's sixth mass extinction has begun, new study confirms</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>With much of our land unsuited to agriculture, Australia is the biggest solar
collector on Earth. Visiting WA also made us very aware of the enormous, untapped
wind potential on the west coast. Apart from battery storage, making hydrogen from seawater offers an obvious strategy for dealing with both the remoteness of generation sites and the variability of supply from renewables, while also returning oxygen to the atmosphere. We could be the clean energy giants!</p>
<p>None of this will happen without the help of major corporations that have the wealth and power to influence governments, along with the globalised structure that facilitates the development and implementation of solutions. What’s very encouraging is that many of the multinationals are now moving forward to develop strategies for supplying global energy needs while minimising greenhouse gas emissions. There’s no way they want to be the “tobacco villains” of the 21st century!</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This is an adapted version of a speech given in Melbourne on October 24 at the international <a href="http://ghgt.info/">ghgt-14 meeting</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/105647/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter C. Doherty is a member of the Scientific Committee of Doctors for the Environment Australia and a board member of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute. </span></em></p>Nobel Prizewinning health researcher Peter Doherty reflects on the challenge of delivering a healthy climate for the world. From hydrogen power to wooden skyscrapers, the options are endless, but all require leadership.Peter C. Doherty, Laureate Professor, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and ImmunityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1047742018-10-11T19:06:24Z2018-10-11T19:06:24ZThe science is clear: we have to start creating our low-carbon future today<p>This week’s release of the <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/">special report</a> from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has put scientific evidence on the front page of the world’s newspapers.</p>
<p>As Australia’s Chief Scientist, I hope it will be recognised as a tremendous validation of the work that scientists do.</p>
<p>The people of the world, speaking through their governments, requested this report to quantify the <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-un-report-outlines-urgent-transformational-change-needed-to-hold-global-warming-to-1-5-c-103237">impacts of warming by 1.5°C</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-two-decades-to-avoid-the-most-damaging-impacts-of-climate-change-104409">what steps might be taken to limit it</a>. They asked for the clearest possible picture of the consequences and feasible solutions.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-uns-1-5-c-special-climate-report-at-a-glance-104547">The UN's 1.5°C special climate report at a glance</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It is not my intention in this article to offer a detailed commentary on the IPCC’s findings. I commend the many scientists with expertise in climate systems who have helped Australians to understand the messages of this report.</p>
<p>My purpose is to urge all decision-makers – in government, industry and the community – to listen to the science.</p>
<h2>Focus on the goal</h2>
<p>It would be possible for the public to take from this week’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45775309">headlines</a> an overwhelming sense of despair.</p>
<p>The message I take is that we do not have time for fatalism.</p>
<p>We have to look squarely at the goal of a zero-emissions planet, then work out how to get there while maximising our economic growth. It requires an orderly transition, and that transition will have to be managed over several decades.</p>
<p>That is why my <a href="https://www.energy.gov.au/government-priorities/energy-markets/independent-review-future-security-national-electricity-market">review of the National Electricity Market</a> called for a whole-of-economy emissions reduction strategy for 2050, to be in place by the end of 2020.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-finkel-review-at-a-glance-79177">The Finkel Review at a glance</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We have to be upfront with the community about the magnitude of the task. In a word, it is huge.</p>
<p>Many of the technologies in the IPCC’s most optimistic scenarios are at an early stage, or conceptual. Two that stand out in that category are:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>carbon dioxide removal (CDR)</strong>: large-scale technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)</strong>: technology to capture and store carbon dioxide from electricity generation. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>It will take a decade or more for these technologies to be developed to the point at which they have proven impact, then more decades to be widely deployed.</p>
<p>The IPCC’s pathways for rapid emissions reduction also include a substantial role for behavioural change. Behavioural change is with us always, but it is incremental. </p>
<p>Driving change of this magnitude, across all societies, in fundamental matters like the homes we build and the foods we eat, will only succeed if we give it time – and avoid the inevitable backlash from pushing too fast.</p>
<p>The IPCC has made it clear that the level of emissions reduction we can achieve in the next decade will be crucial. So we cannot afford to wait.</p>
<h2>Many options</h2>
<p>No option should be ruled off the table without rigorous consideration.</p>
<p>In that context, the Finkel Review pointed to a crucial role for natural gas, particularly in the next vital decade, as we scale up renewable energy.</p>
<p>The IPCC has made the same point, not just for Australia but for the world.</p>
<p>The question should not be “renewables or coal”. The focus should be on atmospheric greenhouse emissions. This is the outcome that matters.</p>
<p>Denying ourselves options makes it harder, not easier, to get to the goal.</p>
<p>There also has to be serious consideration of other options modelled by the IPCC, including biofuels, catchment hydroelectricity, and nuclear power.</p>
<p>My own focus in recent months has been on the potential for <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-hydrogen-power-can-help-us-cut-emissions-boost-exports-and-even-drive-further-between-refills-101967">clean hydrogen</a>, the newest entrant to the world’s energy markets.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-hydrogen-power-can-help-us-cut-emissions-boost-exports-and-even-drive-further-between-refills-101967">How hydrogen power can help us cut emissions, boost exports, and even drive further between refills</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In future, I expect hydrogen to be used as an alternative to fossil fuels to power long-distance travel for cars, trucks, trains and ships; for heating buildings; for electricity storage; and, in some countries, for electricity generation.</p>
<p>We have in Australia the abundant resources required to produce clean hydrogen for the global market at a competitive price, on either of the two viable pathways: splitting water using solar and wind electricity, or deriving hydrogen from natural gas and coal in combination with carbon capture and sequestration.</p>
<p>Building an export hydrogen industry will be a major undertaking. But it will also bring jobs and infrastructure development, largely in regional communities, for decades.</p>
<p>So the scale of the task is all the more reason to press on today – at the same time as we press on with mining lithium for batteries, clearing the path for electric vehicles, planning more carbon-efficient cities, and so much more.</p>
<p>There are no easy answers. I hope, through this and other reports, there are newly determined people ready to contribute to the global good.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104774/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alan Finkel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The latest UN climate report makes it clear that the task of limiting climate change is urgent and huge. We must start to transform our economy today, but it will bring rewards as well as challenges.Alan Finkel, Australia’s Chief Scientist, Office of the Chief ScientistLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1019672018-08-24T04:15:00Z2018-08-24T04:15:00ZHow hydrogen power can help us cut emissions, boost exports, and even drive further between refills<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233235/original/file-20180823-149484-hfrzfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Could this be the way to fill up in future?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">CSIRO</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hydrogen could become a significant part of Australia’s energy landscape within the coming decade, competing with both natural gas and batteries, according to a new <a href="http://www.csiro.au/hydrogenroadmap">CSIRO roadmap</a> for the industry. </p>
<p>Hydrogen gas is a versatile energy carrier with a wide range of potential uses. However, hydrogen is not freely available in the atmosphere as a gas. It therefore requires an energy input and a series of technologies to produce, store and then use it. </p>
<p>Why would we bother? Because hydrogen has several advantages over other energy carriers, such as batteries. It is a single product that can service multiple markets and, if produced using low- or zero-emissions energy sources, it can help us significantly cut greenhouse emissions.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233399/original/file-20180824-149463-3jqusa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233399/original/file-20180824-149463-3jqusa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233399/original/file-20180824-149463-3jqusa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233399/original/file-20180824-149463-3jqusa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233399/original/file-20180824-149463-3jqusa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233399/original/file-20180824-149463-3jqusa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233399/original/file-20180824-149463-3jqusa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233399/original/file-20180824-149463-3jqusa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Potential uses for hydrogen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CSIRO</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Compared with batteries, hydrogen can release more energy per unit of mass. This means that in contrast to electric battery-powered cars, it can allow passenger vehicles to cover longer distances without refuelling. Refuelling is quicker too, and is likely to stay that way. </p>
<p>The benefits are potentially even greater for <a href="https://theconversation.com/of-renewables-robocops-and-risky-business-82452">heavy vehicles</a> such as buses and trucks which already carry heavy payloads, and where lengthy battery recharge times can affect business models. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/could-hydrogen-fuel-cell-trucks-drive-our-sustainable-transport-future-4426">Could hydrogen fuel cell trucks drive our sustainable transport future?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Hydrogen can also play an important role in energy storage, which will be increasingly necessary both in remote operations such as mine sites, and as part of the electricity grid to help smooth out the contribution of renewables such as wind and solar. This could work by using the excess renewable energy (when generation is high and/or demand is low) to drive hydrogen production via electrolysis of water. The hydrogen can then be stored as compressed gas and put into a fuel cell to generate electricity when needed.</p>
<p>Australia is heavily reliant on imported liquid fuels and does not currently have <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-fuel-stockpile-is-perilously-low-and-it-may-be-too-late-for-a-refill-96271">enough liquid fuel held in reserve</a>. Moving towards hydrogen fuel could potentially alleviate this problem. Hydrogen can also be used to produce industrial chemicals such as ammonia and methanol, and is an important ingredient in petroleum refining.</p>
<p>Further, as hydrogen burns without greenhouse emissions, it is one of the few viable green alternatives to natural gas for generating heat. </p>
<p>Our roadmap predicts that the global market for hydrogen will grow in the coming decades. Among the prospective buyers of Australian hydrogen would be Japan, which is comparatively constrained in its ability to generate energy locally. Australia’s extensive natural resources, namely solar, wind, fossil fuels and available land lend favourably to the establishment of hydrogen export supply chains.</p>
<h2>Why embrace hydrogen now?</h2>
<p>Given its widespread use and benefit, interest in the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-hydrogen-fuel-making-a-comeback-22299">hydrogen economy</a>” has peaked and troughed for the past few decades. Why might it be different this time around? While the main motivation is hydrogen’s ability to deliver low-carbon energy, there are a couple of other factors that distinguish today’s situation from previous years. </p>
<p>Our analysis shows that the hydrogen value chain is now underpinned by a series of mature technologies that are technically ready but not yet commercially viable. This means that the narrative around hydrogen has now shifted from one of technology development to “market activation”.</p>
<p>The solar panel industry provides a recent precedent for this kind of burgeoning energy industry. Large-scale solar farms are now generating attractive returns on investment, without any assistance from government. One of the main factors that enabled solar power to reach this tipping point was the increase in production economies of scale, particularly in China. Notably, China has recently emerged as a proponent for hydrogen, earmarking its use in both transport and distributed electricity generation. </p>
<p>But whereas solar power could feed into a market with ready-made infrastructure (the electricity grid), the case is less straightforward for hydrogen. The technologies to help produce and distribute hydrogen will need to develop in concert with the applications themselves. </p>
<h2>A roadmap for hydrogen</h2>
<p>In light of this, the primary objective of CSIRO’s National Hydrogen Roadmap is to provide a blueprint for the development of a hydrogen industry in Australia. With several activities already underway, it is designed to help industry, government and researchers decide where exactly to focus their attention and investment. </p>
<p>Our first step was to calculate the price points at which hydrogen can compete commercially with other technologies. We then worked backwards along the value chain to understand the key areas of investment needed for hydrogen to achieve competitiveness in each of the identified potential markets. Following this, we modelled the cumulative impact of the investment priorities that would be feasible in or around 2025. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233038/original/file-20180822-149472-1drmh69.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233038/original/file-20180822-149472-1drmh69.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233038/original/file-20180822-149472-1drmh69.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233038/original/file-20180822-149472-1drmh69.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233038/original/file-20180822-149472-1drmh69.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233038/original/file-20180822-149472-1drmh69.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233038/original/file-20180822-149472-1drmh69.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/233038/original/file-20180822-149472-1drmh69.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CSIRO</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What became evident from the report was that the opportunity for clean hydrogen to compete favourably on a cost basis with existing industrial feedstocks and energy carriers in local applications such as transport and remote area power systems is within reach. On the upstream side, some of the most material drivers of reductions in cost include the availability of cheap low emissions electricity, utilisation and size of the asset. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-hydrogen-fuel-making-a-comeback-22299">Why is hydrogen fuel making a comeback?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The development of an export industry, meanwhile, is a potential game-changer for hydrogen and the broader energy sector. While this industry is not expected to scale up until closer to 2030, this will enable the localisation of supply chains, industrialisation and even automation of technology manufacture that will contribute to significant reductions in asset capital costs. It will also enable the development of fossil-fuel-derived hydrogen with carbon capture and storage, and place downward pressure on renewable energy costs dedicated to large scale hydrogen production via electrolysis. </p>
<p>In light of global trends in industry, energy and transport, development of a hydrogen industry in Australia represents a real opportunity to create new growth areas in our economy. Blessed with unparalleled resources, a skilled workforce and established manufacturing base, Australia is extremely well placed to capitalise on this opportunity. But it won’t eventuate on its own.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101967/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sam Bruce does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The hydrogen economy has been touted for decades as a way to navigate the clean energy transition. Now a new CSIRO roadmap sets out how hydrogen power can become a major energy player.Sam Bruce, Manager, CSIRO Futures, CSIROLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.