Green Hydrogen

Methods to produce hydrogen without the use of fossil fuels involve the process of water splitting, or splitting the water molecule (H2O) into its components oxygen and hydrogen. When the source of energy for water splitting is renewable or low-carbon, the hydrogen produced is sometimes referred to as green hydrogen.

In the context of limiting global warming, low-carbon hydrogen (particularly green hydrogen) is likely to play an important role in decarbonising industry. Hydrogen fuel can produce the intense heat required for industrial production of steel, cement, glass, and chemicals, thus contributing to the decarbonisation of industry alongside other technologies, such as electric arc furnaces for steelmaking.

However, the transport and storage of hydrogen is challenging. Hydrogen has a wide range of explosion limit, meaning that hydrogen is likely to explode when mixing with air. As a gas, the hydrogen has to be pressurized or liquidized for transportation and storage. This requires extra cost and safety measures for developing hydrogen infrastructures. So these problems hinder the development of the green hydrogen economy. What is the solution?