Green hydrogen could drive the energy transition—but investment and infrastructure are lacking, say experts

(Eco Business, 16 Jan 2020) Often touted as the missing piece in the renewables puzzle, green hydrogen is enjoying unprecedented political and business momentum, and experts say it will take off faster than previously thought.

Every four years, the Summer Olympics see the world’s greatest athletes perform historical feats, but at the Tokyo Games this year, a different kind of history will be made.

Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan has worked hard to predominantly power its society with hydrogen by 2050, and the nation intends to use the occasion to showcase the unprecedented progress made, with plans to roll out a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, a network of filling stations and a hydrogen-fuelled athletes’ village.

The rest of the world could soon follow. Policymakers across the globe have pinned their hopes on green hydrogen—hydrogen produced with renewable energy—as the missing piece in the renewables puzzle, and they say if countries remove regulatory barriers, adopt international standards and build the supply infrastructure needed to scale up the technology and bring down costs, it could soon take off globally as a viable clean energy solution.

This was the main takeaway from a ministerial roundtable on the role of green hydrogen in a decarbonised global economy at the tenth assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi last week.

“Green hydrogen is a key technology in a decarbonised economy, but governments need to adopt a solid strategy and install the transmission infrastructure now to gain investors’ confidence,” said Yasuhiro Matsuyama, director-general at the Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Department of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Japan.

While technically viable today, green hydrogen generation and storage are still costly, with shipping adding to expenses due to losses that occur when the gas is liquefied or converted into other carriers, such as ammonia. Scale-up and technological improvements are needed, but that will require better supply infrastructure, which will require investment, the experts said.

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Eco Business, 16 Jan 2020: Green hydrogen could drive the energy transition—but investment and infrastructure are lacking, say experts