Berlin, Europe Brief News – Clean Hydrogen is considered very useful to Decarbonise industries of steel and chemicals. These industries cannot fully operate on an electrifying mechanism. Therefore, they need energy-dense fuels to produce heat for their processes.
The European Commission seems very optimistic about using clean hydrogen in the future. They believe that 25% of the global energy demand in 2045 can be fulfilled with the help of clean hydrogen.
Vice-chancellor Robert Habeck predicts that the steel industry would be required five times more hydrogen than what is being supplied to operate all sectors.
Habeck also mentioned the Germany plan for doubling its hydrogen electrolyser volume from 5GW to 10 GW in 2030.
The Promise of Blue Hydrogen
Patrick Graichen, who plays his role as Habkeck’s state secretary, highlighted that Germany would not be making any arrangements to invest in the Blue hydrogen, which is made up of using fossil gas.
Oil and gas industry representatives have shown their keen interest in the production of blue hydrogen. Even the European Commission has spoken in favour of blue hydrogen that can be vital for the transition of the hydrogen economy.
Supporters of blue hydrogen are often seen explaining how blue hydrogen could be a vital introduction to solve a chicken-and-egg problem, where a lack of hydrogen production often results in a lack of demand.
Sigfried Rosswurm, President of the German industrial association, explained that this is the real opportunity to kill the root of the chicken-and-egg problem by investing in the hydrogen economy. That can be only possible by accepting different forms of hydrogen.
Issue with Blue Hydrogen
Even after all the support, Blue Hydrogen is receiving, the fact still cannot be neglected that fossil. Gas is a primary material in its production which carries so many unexpected issues.
The gas is usually imported from Russia with high chances of leakage from pipelines due to acute climate impacts as it is known that methane is a potent greenhouse gas.
Jonathan Banks (clean Air task force) said, “we never visited a single country that does not have a high risk of methane pollution leakage from their Oil and gas industries.”
The decisive blow came with the European energy crisis, resulting in sky-high gas prices. As blue hydrogen is made up of gas, the sharp price increase has shown how blue hydrogen can prove to be unstable in the market.
