Green Hydrogen
This transformation is already underway, and the balance of energy consumption sees the weight of renewable sources grow.
While analyzing past data is easy, predicting how fast the conversion will proceed accurately takes more work.
There are numerous studies on the subject, and despite returning results that could be more impressive, they all highlight the ever-increasing presence of renewable sources in the global power mix.
In all of this, green hydrogen will play a double role: it will be the lever that will allow the decarbonization of the "Hard to Abate" sectors, but as an energy vector, it will also allow the storage of large quantities of energy (in the form of molecules) for long periods (seasonal), where storage through the use of batteries, although highly efficient, will no longer be feasible.
The need for an energy transition has catalyzed a re-evaluation of our energy choices and accelerated the delivery of innovative, sustainable solutions that can mitigate the impacts of climate change.
In this context, although the lightest element on earth, hydrogen plays a pivotal role in providing solutions for shaping a low-carbon future.
Hydrogen can replace fossil fuels to ignite many chemical processes by making water the only product and completely avoiding the formation of carbon dioxide and any other greenhouse gas as a byproduct.
Despite hydrogen's unquestionable role in actualizing an energy transition, not all forms of hydrogen can decarbonize the energy and chemical sectors as hydrogen comes in different “colors” depending on its manufacturing method.
Green Hydrogen: the most desirable form of hydrogen
The most desirable form of hydrogen is the so-called green hydrogen.
Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced by water electrolysis using renewable energy. Water is split into their elemental constituents - oxygen and hydrogen - by applying an electric current.
The electrical energy is supplied by renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power as well as geothermal energy. This is the most-sought form of hydrogen as its production method does not yield carbon dioxide as byproducts.
The Hydrogen Colors
We have two other prominent types besides green hydrogen: blue and gray hydrogen.
They are both produced from a blend of water (H2O) and methane (CH4), heated to 500 °C to yield carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2).
This process comes with several drawbacks. Not only does it occur at elevated temperatures, but methane is also a natural gas and a finite source of energy. Additionally, the side product of this reaction is carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas which is contributing to raising global temperatures and global warming in general.
Although green, blue and grey hydrogen are the most prominent forms of hydrogen, hydrogen can be produced in other different ways.
Another noteworthy variant is black hydrogen, derived from fossil fuels, particularly coal. In this process, coal undergoes treatment with a mixture of oxygen and water, producing hydrogen and carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
Furthermore, hydrogen can be generated via water electrolysis using nuclear energy as an energy supply, denoted as purple hydrogen.