Experts: Green hydrogen will remain scarce for many years to come

by

Experts: Green hydrogen will remain scarce for many years to come-remain

We have pointed out more than once that only ‘green’ hydrogen really makes sense when it comes to advancing fuel cell technology. Unfortunately, this seems to remain a scarce commodity. According to scientists, for the time being green hydrogen should be reserved for applications where direct electrification with green electricity is not possible. These include, for example, industry, long-distance flights and shipping.

This recommendation was made on the basis of an expert study, which was carried out by six institutes, funded by the federal government as the Copernicus project Ariadne. In order to cover even one percent of the final energy demand in the EU with domestic green hydrogen by 2030, its production would have to increase by around 70 percent per year from 2023 to 2030, according to Falko Ueckerdt from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. In other words, green hydrogen production must grow as quickly as solar energy and twice as fast as wind energy. Mind you, at their best times.

“But for green hydrogen to really become a superstar, it must be available in large quantities and be cheap and efficient to transport. It is not yet possible to say with certainty whether this will work, how quickly and under what conditions,” says the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The experts assume that by 2030 both green hydrogen and e-fuels can only play a subordinate role. After 2030, the range of scenarios with regard to hydrogen and e-fuel-Usage big though.

However, it will only be foreseeable in the coming years how much hydrogen Germany can actually produce, what quantities can be imported, how much renewable energy is available and at what prices hydrogen and e-fuels are available on the market. Only then will it be possible to act and react accordingly on the market. If you hope too early that green hydrogen will become more affordable, this can backfire: “On the other hand, we are already hoping for a wide availability of cheap hydrogen and e-fuels set and these expectations are not met, there is a threat of a fossil lock in, high costs and not meeting the climate targets,” says Benjamin Pfluger from the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Infrastructure and Geothermal Energy IEG.

A successful hydrogen strategy must also be embedded in a climate protection strategy that takes into account the uncertainties of both hydrogen and e-fuels as well as direct electrification. It is conceivable, at least for the time being, to produce hydrogen from fossil sources as a temporary bridging technology. But clearly with the measure to map this accompanied by certification, regulation and corresponding pricing of emissions. This is the only way to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions are actually reduced and not just shifted.

Related articles

Please follow and like us:
error
fb-share-icon
Tweet
fb-share-icon

2 thoughts on “Experts: Green hydrogen will remain scarce for many years to come”

  1. “Experts: Green hydrogen will remain scarce for many years” but you wouldn’t have needed an expert for that – normal common sense could also predict that. But it is good that the experts are now saying this unequivocally, it was even in my daily newspaper. let’s see what the hydrogen fanatics say about it, that their beloved hydrogen will not be available as a replacement for the e-car for decades.

    Reply

  2. Easily understandable article, like fear cones of a distressed fir tree.
    Like “forget hydrogen” etc.
    Although not really there yet, the hydrogen tsunami on the horizon (this time positive) is correctly perceived and attempts to ward it off with such an article. Even your own company name is under threat. Let’s see how long this post stays up.

    Reply

Leave a Comment