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What is Green Hydrogen? The Essential Guide

Last Updated on 08th January 2024

  Green Hydrogen FAQs

Read on to find the answers to frequently asked green hydrogen questions:

Green hydrogen is made from electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources, including water, sunlight, and wind. When electricity passes through an electrolyzer, water decomposes into hydrogen and oxygen. The movement of H+ and OH- ions to oppositely charged electrodes liberates gases and produces green hydrogen.

A green hydrogen generation plant produces hydrogen that is not only used in FCEVs but also for multiple applications, including residential/commercial heating, ammonia production, methanol production, oil refining, power generation, steel manufacturing, and so on.

A green hydrogen mobility project uses hydrogen as a fuel for fuel cell electric vehicles. As a zero-emissions fuel, hydrogen is being increasingly considered as a green alternative for new-age mobility across the world.

A green hydrogen-based microgrid is a small-scale power grid that falls under distributed or decentralized energy production. A microgrid can operate on its own or in collaboration with other small power grids.

Traditional fuels like natural gas and coal cause CO2 emissions. But, green hydrogen is a cleanly made fuel that supports the environment with zero-carbon emissions. Clean and secure energy provided by green hydrogen will help in reducing the carbon footprint and keeping our environment “green.”

Green hydrogen is needed to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors like aviation, shipping, and steel manufacturing. As one of the largest business opportunities and core instruments of a circular economy, green hydrogen is indispensable to improve the quality of life and maintain sustainability. 

The green hydrogen ecosystem has attracted a number of energy companies creating a safe and sustainable future. ACWA Power, Linde, Envision, Iberdrola, Ørsted, Snam, and Yara are some companies involved in the production of green hydrogen.

Green hydrogen works by storing hydrogen as a liquid or gas and, subsequently, using it to generate heat or electricity. For example, hydrogen fuel cells have the potential to substitute electric batteries and power medium- to low-power applications.

Green hydrogen is a gas at normal temperature and pressure. But, hydrogen condenses to a liquid at minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit. Hydrogen exists as a diatomic molecule and has the highest energy content by weight and the lowest energy content by volume.

Hydrogen is a highly flammable gas. However, green hydrogen is less dangerous than other conventional fuels.

Green hydrogen is good for the environment. Unlike fossil fuels, it doesn’t pollute the environment with dangerous greenhouse gases (GHGs) like carbon dioxide and methane.

There is a lot of hype around green hydrogen. However, the green hydrogen industry is still nascent with extensive R&D on modern hydrogen energy research areas, including hydrogen combustion, hydrogen valve testing, and hydrogen storage materials.

With the growing interest in decarbonizing transport, power, and industrial sectors, green hydrogen projects and electrolyzer manufacturing facilities are gaining momentum. We believe that investing in green hydrogen technology is a long-term bet despite barriers to its global adoption.

Currently, green hydrogen is relatively less viable than other hydrogen technologies. It is not as cheap and convenient as coal or natural gas. Undoubtedly, green hydrogen has ushered in a green energy revolution to build a secure, low-carbon future. Proactive measures, including government initiatives and subsidies, are helping in maximizing green hydrogen viability.

Green hydrogen is 100% sustainable because it is made from renewable energy sources and does not emit polluting gases during production or combustion. As a sustainable fuel, green hydrogen has the potential to provide clean power, support the decarbonization of the world economy, and ensure a CO2-neutral future.

Currently, green hydrogen is expensive to make, store, transport, and distribute across worldwide locations. It is believed that renewable energy cost reduction enhances green hydrogen production capacity. Consequently, green hydrogen would be more readily available for aviation, marine shipping, and heavy industrial applications.

Efforts are underway to reduce the cost of renewables, increase the number of less expensive electrolyzers, optimize storage and distribution channels, etc., to make green hydrogen cost effective.

A seawater-splitting system can produce green hydrogen by combining electrochemical water splitting with forward osmosis (FO). This hydrogen production method focuses on using natural salty water directly without pre-treatment or purification.

There are certain problems with green hydrogen production, storage, and transportation. Complete replacement of petrol, diesel, or natural gas is unlikely until capital-intensive green hydrogen maintains a stable production cost and is available at scale.

Green hydrogen can be stored physically as either a compressed gas or a refrigerated liquefied gas. Hydrogen storage in the gaseous form requires high-pressure tanks. On the other hand, hydrogen storage in the liquid form requires cryogenic temperatures.

Chemically, hydrogen is stored on the surface of solids (adsorption) or within solids (absorption). The compressed hydrogen fuel tank is the most common hydrogen fuel tank for buses, cars, trucks, and other vehicles.

Green hydrogen is produced by renewable energy source-powered electrolysis with zero-carbon emissions. Furthermore, it doesn’t pollute the atmosphere with process emissions like methane that is up to 85 times worse than CO2. Green hydrogen is pivotal to driving the energy transition forward.

In the coming years, green hydrogen will be more of a necessity than a nice-to-have. Green hydrogen is expected to play a crucial role in electrifying long-distance transportation, increasing renewable energy deployment, and decarbonizing industrial applications and processes where direct electrification is not possible due to economic or technical reasons.

We believe that green hydrogen will reshape the future.

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