Green hydrogen is promoted as a sustainable energy alternative to remove carbon from high-emitting industries including transportation and manufacturing.
The Green Hydrogen Innovation Center was established earlier this year by the International Solar Alliance, which is led by India, and India has approved $2.3 billion for the creation, usage, and export of green hydrogen. G-20 leaders are anticipated to address global collaboration on green hydrogen production and delivery at their meeting this week in New Delhi.
What is green hydrogen?
In molecules when hydrogen is present, that element is created by being separated from other elements. For instance, water can be electrolyzed to separate its two hydrogen and one oxygen atoms, which are represented by the molecular formula H20.
Electrolysis is the process through which green hydrogen, sometimes known as “H2,” is created. This entails using renewable energy sources like wind or solar power to split water (H2O) into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). Green hydrogen is completely clean and emissions-free, in contrast to traditional hydrogen generation techniques, which rely on fossil fuels and emit greenhouse gases.
Since more than a century ago, hydrogen has been manufactured and used extensively, principally to refine oil, make fertilizers and polymers. Fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, have been primarily used in its production.
Do people have concerns about the energy source?
According to a report by the Energy Transitions Commission, a group of energy industry professionals dedicated to net-zero emissions by 2050, hydrogen’s usage in “dispersed applications” like household heating is constrained by its flammability and transportation problems. According to the paper, there is some energy lost when renewable energy sources are transformed to hydrogen and then back into power, making it less effective than direct electrification.
In that study, it was found that hydrogen held great promise as a long-term and large-scale energy storage option in place of batteries.
A global market is hampered by the lack of international standards, the high cost of manufacturing, financial risks, and the requirement for more water than other forms of renewable energy.
Green hydrogen is being oversold in part because of lobbying by the oil and gas sector, according to Robert Howarth, a professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, who also serves on the Climate Action Council of New York.
International Renewable Energy Agency representative Boshell disagreed. According to his group, the demand for hydrogen will increase from its current level of 100 million tons to 550 million tons by the year 2050.
According to the International Energy Agency, 830 million tons of carbon dioxide are produced annually during the generation of hydrogen. It would guarantee a long-term market for green hydrogen, according to Boshell, to simply replace this so-called gray hydrogen, or hydrogen made from fossil fuels.
“The first thing we must do is to begin substituting for the current demand for gray hydrogen. Then we can increase the demand for green hydrogen as a fuel for businesses, transportation, and aviation,” he added.
Green hydrogen has come to light as a possible alternative as the globe struggles with the pressing need to battle climate change and make the shift to sustainable energy sources. Green hydrogen, frequently referred to as the “fuel of the future,” has the potential to completely change a number of industries and drastically cut carbon emissions.
Green hydrogen has a promising future since it has the power to drastically cut our carbon footprint and change the way we access energy. Green hydrogen will surely become a pillar of the sustainable energy transition as we continue to invest in the technology, infrastructure, and regulations that foster its development, providing a cleaner and more sustainable future for future generations.
