Hydrogen production is experiencing remarkable growth and is overcoming criticism of CO2 emissions in the past. Now an innovative project has solved this problem, reducing emissions to zero.
The potential of hydrogen: a renewable and unlimited fuel
Hydrogen has long been considered the cornerstone of the industry in the quest for a more sustainable future. Although it does not occur in nature in pure form, its potential as a renewable fuel is enormous. The key lies in electrolysis, a process that uses electricity generated from renewable sources.
Although the viability of green hydrogen has raised some doubts, the increased availability of renewable energy is expected to reduce production costs. According to the International Energy Agency, this method of obtaining green hydrogen could prevent the emission of 830 million tons of CO2 per year.
The complete gray hydrogen transition would require approximately 3,000 TWh of additional energy per year, which corresponds to current European electricity demand. Despite concerns about the high costs associated with green hydrogen production, these are expected to decline as decarbonization progresses.
The optimal way to produce hydrogen would be through the electrolysis of water, where water molecules are broken down into oxygen and hydrogen. However, this process is usually expensive and requires large amounts of electrical energy, which in many cases is not obtained from renewable sources.