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Hydrogen is the smallest element on the periodic table, the most plentiful element in the universe, and an increasingly important part of the global transition to renewable energy. Ensuring hydrogen production occurs in a sustainable manner is an incredibly important part of facilitating this transition. Since hydrogen doesn’t exist in large amounts on its own, producing it requires its separation from other compounds. Hydrogen is categorized according to the inputs and power sources that go into its production - there’s an entire rainbow of hydrogen sources!
Hydrogen Types
Green Hydrogen
Green hydrogen involves using power from renewable sources to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen via electrolysis. Since the only byproduct of this process is oxygen and the power used to facilitate it comes from renewable sources, green hydrogen is considered low carbon. Green hydrogen’s most common concern is cost, which is expected to fall as the process becomes more common.
Blue Hydrogen
Blue hydrogen is created by processing natural gases - typically methane - through a reformer to separate the hydrogen atoms. Its production creates CO2, which is then captured and stored underground, neutralizing the process’ carbon footprint. However, there are concerns about the inevitably of leaks, potentially releasing potent greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Grey Hydrogen
Grey hydrogen is produced through the same process as Blue Hydrogen, but without capturing the CO2 that is produced. Almost all current industrial hydrogen production uses this method.
Yellow Hydrogen
Yellow hydrogen is a subset of green hydrogen that specifically uses solar energy to power electrolysis.
Pink hydrogen
Pink hydrogen production involves powering the electrolysis of water using nuclear energy.
How is Hydrogen Used?
Much of hydrogen’s potential as key in the transition to renewable energy is in its ability to act as a medium for energy transport and storage. Unlike the electricity generated by many renewables, hydrogen can be stored and used to generate electricity when needed. When hydrogen is catalyzed in a fuel cell heat and energy are produced, and the only byproduct is water. This creates the potential for hydrogen to be a low-carbon source of power, as long as the hydrogen itself is produced without fossil fuels or involves carbon capture.
Additionally, hydrogen has huge potential as a fuel source itself, with companies such as Toyota investing heavily in the development of hydrogen-powered vehicles. Expanding the use of this technology to reduce fossil fuel dependency in transport, trucking, and marine shipping would have substantial impacts on reducing fossil fuel usage worldwide.
Finally, low-carbon hydrogen production has the potential to reduce the impact of industrial hydrogen usage, which is currently mostly grey hydrogen. Steel and fertilizer production are important examples of industrial sectors that could substantially reduce emissions by using low-carbon hydrogen as both a feedstock and fuel.
Challenges Ahead
Right now, two of the major obstacles to implementing hydrogen widely are costs and transportation. While the last hundred-odd years have been spent investing in and developing electricity grids, infrastructure for hydrogen is rare. Additionally, transporting hydrogen long distances via pipelines is logistically complex, requiring the flammable gas to be chilled to -252.87 degrees Celsius. Although current production costs for green and blue hydrogen in Canada make a switch from fossil fuels feasible, distribution and transport add to these costs significantly. However, overall costs would be likely to benefit from economies of scale if widespread adoption increases.
Who’s on the Cutting Edge?
Currently, low-carbon hydrogen accounts for a very small portion of overall hydrogen production - only about 1% as of 2021. Yet the number of proposed and in progress low-carbon hydrogen projects has grown rapidly. Investment in new hydrogen projects topped 1 billion in 2022 - only 0.1% of total investments in low carbon technology, yet also the fastest growing area for investment. Additionally, in 2022 the World Bank launched the Hydrogen for Development Partnership (H4D), aimed at increasing low-hydrogen production capacity in developing countries. Currently, the largest planned low-carbon hydrogen project is in Saudi Arabia and aims to be operational by 2026.
In the United States, the August 2022 Inflation Reduction Act earmarked $396 billion for spending on energy security and climate change programs over the next decade. The bill included a strong focus on hydrogen, with significant tax credits and $7 billion going toward low-carbon hydrogen production. With this investment, the Department of Energy estimated that low-carbon hydrogen production in the US could potentially scale up to 10 mtpa (million tons per annum) by 2030. This represents a big shift in US hydrogen production, which is currently almost completely grey hydrogen.
In Canada, existing natural gas infrastructure and relatively plentiful renewable energy places the country in a good position to enter the low-carbon production industry. Current government targets are aiming to source 30% of Canadian energy from hydrogen by 2050.
Low-Carbon Hydrogen at UBC
At the University of British Columbia, low-carbon hydrogen remains close to home as construction was recently completed on a new Clean Energy Hub. The Hub includes fuelling options for hydrogen-powered vehicles and charging stations for EVs. The project uses solar panels and electrolysis to produce green hydrogen without carbon emissions.
In addition to its functionality as an example of sustainable energy use and production, the Clean Energy Hub and refueling station is a beautifully designed project and can be visited at its location on Thunderbird Boulevard on campus.
With hydrogen being a strong candidate as a fuel of the future, we highly recommend making a visit to continue learning about the potential and future of low-carbon hydrogen projects in BC and worldwide.
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