Hydrogen presents a unique opportunity to decarbonise challenging spaces like shipping industries and provides an opportunity to harness the renewable energy sector through an energy-storage process.
Part-I and II of the three-part blog series discussed the potential of hydrogen and numerous initiatives by governments and private institutions alike. This blog article will talk about a few roadblocks in accepting green hydrogen as a fuel.
Roadblocks in the Path of Green Hydrogen
On paper, hydrogen is envisaged as a wonder fuel that can store surplus energy from solar and wind, power chemical industries such as oil refineries, fertilisers, and iron & steel, and reform long-haul transport by FCV Trucks, shipping industries, and aviation with synthetic fuels.
But in reality, green hydrogen faces numerous challenges spanning economical, technical, and commercial. Let's explore a few points related to the challenges the hydrogen sector faces today.
Storage & Transportation Challenges:
On-mass basis, hydrogen is one of the most energy-dense fuels but on volume, it is one of the least dense fuels. One litre of hydrogen contains only 25% of the energy one litre of gasoline and only 20% of the diesel.
For the hydrogen to be useful as a fuel, stored, or transported it must be condensed and compressed into a liquid. This requires a significant amount of extra energy beyond the manufacturing costs.
Transitioning to a hydrogen-based economy would require a complete overhaul of the existing energy infrastructure, from production and transportation to storage and distribution.
Hydrogen Embrittlement & Safety Risks
Hydrogen can make certain metals more brittle (hydrogen embrittlement); this requires extensive research in the metallurgical domain to make special metals/alloys for hydrogen transport.
Hydrogen is flammable even in lower concentrations, and its fuels are colourless. Even a tiny leak can be dangerous and flames being colourless, requires special detectors to detect any leakage of hydrogen along the long-distance pipelines.
Production & Commercial Challenges:
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but its availability in pure form on Earth is limited. Almost all of the hydrogen produced today comes from fossil fuels (primarily natural gas); this method releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide.
While green hydrogen, produced through electrolysis powered by renewable energy, is seen as the ultimate solution, it faces multiple hurdles. Firstly, renewable electricity costs remain a concern, as producing hydrogen through electrolysis requires large amounts of power. According to IRENA, the current cost of producing hydrogen through electrolysis is around $3 to $7 per kilogram, compared to fossil fuels that cost less than $2 per kilogram.
Substantial investments in research, development, and deployment are needed to scale hydrogen production to make it competitive with the fossil fuels prices. Collaboration among governments, industries, and financial institutions will be quite essential to bring investments. However, uncertainties in technological advancement for uncertain market demands make it challenging to scale up green hydrogen production.
End-Use Applications, Market Development, and International Cooperation
Hydrogen can be used in many sectors, but the processes involved, and current infrastructures deployed require tailoring based on the hydrogen properties. This necessitates technical hurdles, process redesigning, and efficiency losses.
The government are striving hard to create demand and markets for green hydrogen. Though revolutionary, green hydrogen has a few takers in the industries and hence needs government support to make it feasible.
Hydrogen production and utilisation need a robust global supply chain that requires international collaboration. Domestic production and consumption are not viable for most countries as the countries won't be able to meet the economies of scale.
Hydrogen owing to its versatility and unique properties, is a crucial player in the net-zero scenario and as an energy transition fuel. But it faces significant challenges that need research & development and supports from investors, industries, and government alike.
The key aspects discussed in the blog are presented in the infographics below:
If you have enjoyed reading this blog, do not forget to check out the other two parts of the Hydrogen Series:
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This is a quite informative article.