Hydrogen Revolution: Key to Net-Zero 2050

Hydrogen to play a major role in achieving net-zero emissions; crucial for transition to low-carbon industries.

Here’s a report seen in a document on the site of Hydrogen Council that explains how Hydrogen can cool hot industry emissions.

According to the report,

Industrial heating pollutes with coal/gas, especially high-temperature processes.

Hydrogen offers clean alternatives for high-grade heat (400+°C) like cement, glass, aluminium.

Potential demand by 2050: 70 million tons – mainly high-grade heating.

Hydrogen can be produced from renewables or with carbon capture and storage.

Challenges: production volume, infrastructure upgrade, current cost.

Opportunities: creating a clean industrial revolution, reducing emissions.

So why does hydrogen play such a vital role in the net-zero goals of 2050?

Hydrogen has significant potential to help achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, but it is not yet ready for widespread adoption. The key points are:

Hydrogen could contribute over 20% of the annual global emissions reductions needed to reach net-zero by 2050. It can help decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors like steel, chemicals, heavy transport, and aviation.

However, the majority of current hydrogen production comes from fossil fuels, resulting in high greenhouse gas emissions. Only around 4% of global hydrogen is produced via electrolysis using renewable electricity.

“Green” hydrogen produced from renewable electricity via electrolysis is the cleanest form, with near-zero emissions. But it is currently more expensive than “grey” or “blue” hydrogen from fossil fuels.

Significant scale-up of renewable electricity, electrolysis capacity, and carbon capture infrastructure is needed to make clean hydrogen cost-competitive and widely available.

Hydrogen can be converted into other clean energy carriers like ammonia and synthetic fuels, which have higher energy density and are easier to transport and store long-term.

Overall, hydrogen has great potential but requires major investments and policy support over the next decade to become a pivotal player in the transition to net-zero emissions.

Interestingly, we have some other posts related to this content:

Global Hydrogen Production Market Growth: The global hydrogen production market was valued at $130 billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow at a rate of 9.2% per year, reaching a value of $2.81 trillion by 2030.