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While hydrogen has received its fair share of hype in the past, this time may be different as the growth of sustainability-driven investments, rising pressure to act on climate change and shifting economics are increasingly favoring hydrogen technologies. Still, Julio Friedmann, a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, said it might be better to think in terms of being at the beginning of the decade of hydrogen rather than the year of hydrogen going into 2021.

Nel’s Capital Markets Day 2021 (CMD) outlines the strategy and ambitions towards 2025, addressing the current hydrogen market of 70 million tons, which, by the Hydrogen Council, is expected to grow by 8-times by 2050, largely based on green hydrogen.

Air Liquide announces a 40% stake acquisition in the capital of the French company H2V Normandy, a subsidiary of H2V Product, which aims to build a large-scale electrolyzer complex of up to 200 MW for the production of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen in France. This strategic investment demonstrates Air Liquide’s long-term commitment to hydrogen energy and its ambition to be a major player in the supply of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, in order to contribute to the decarbonization of the industry and mobility markets.

A new report on hydrogen decarbonization pathways published today by the Hydrogen Council shows that low-carbon hydrogen supply at scale is economically and environmentally feasible and will have significant societal benefits if the right localised approach and best-practices for production are used. The report also demonstrates that there is not one single hydrogen production pathway to achieve low lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but rather the need for a fact-based approach that leverages regional resources and includes a combination of different production pathways. This will achieve both emission and cost reductions, ultimately helping to decarbonize the energy system and limit global warming.

Following the conclusion of its initial phase, H2ME recommends national and international incentives that ensure the dispensed cost of low carbon hydrogen is competitive for vehicle operators to create a level playing field with other zero emission vehicles. National, regional, and local policies that ensure continued development of the industry are also recommended. The expansion of hydrogen infrastructure as a result of H2ME, co-funded by the FCH-JU, means more FCEVs now have access to refuelling stations however the limited infrastructure prevents full operational advantages of FCEVs being realised. Incentives such as purchase grants and tax exemptions will unlock demand from vehicle operators and bring market confidence to vehicle suppliers. Similarly, financial support applied per unit (kg) of hydrogen sold, similar to the feed in tariffs which were applied to stimulate early renewable energy uptake, will lower the price of green hydrogen at the pump. This will enable high utilisation of refuelling stations, which strengthens its business case, demonstrated by clusters of captive fleets with high mileage and heavy-duty cycles as they have significantly lower costs per kilogram of hydrogen.

Given recent expansion of wind and solar generation across many western states, the Pacific Northwest’s electric grid experiences periods of surplus power generation in the spring. During periods of springtime snow melt, hydropower generation is abundant because of high flows in the Columbia River. Wind and solar generation are often strong in the spring as well. Not generating power by spilling excess water through our dams can adversely impact fish but securing buyers for our hydropower when supply exceeds demand can be both financially ineffective and challenging. Using surplus electricity to produce hydrogen is an exciting opportunity because it can be both environmentally and economically beneficial. As owners of the PUDs, anything that benefits a PUD will ultimately help its customers.

The new initiative aims to turn northern Germany into the strongest emerging region for green hydrogen in the heart of Europe and to complete the value chain for environment-friendly hydrogen.

Green hydrogen is safer than conventional fuels To evaluate hydrogen’s safety, it must be compared to that of other conventional fuels like gasoline, propane, and diesel. While no fuel is 100 percent safe, green hydrogen has been shown to be safer than conventional fuels in a multitude of aspects.