Hydrogen is still 98 percent based on fossil sources. But that could change. The faster, the better.
A pilot plant for the production of green hydrogen was recently launched in Lingen in Emsland. It is unlikely to be the last facility of this kind, because the run on the stuff that energy policy dreams are made of is only just beginning.
The technology of breaking water down into oxygen and hydrogen using electric current and using this as an energy source is quite old. The first electrolysis was achieved in 1789. An idea that inspired Jules Verne, the grandfather of all science fiction authors. In his story “The Mysterious Island.” he developed the vision of hydrogen as the “coal of the future”.
That was 175 years ago, and since then his dream has been booming off and on. Sometimes it was about reducing dependence on foreign raw material suppliers, sometimes the focus was on use in space travel.
There was no talk of the climate crisis in Jules Verne's time. But since global warming has become more and more brutal and the global community has committed itself to saying goodbye to fossil fuels, it has become increasingly clear that there will be no way around hydrogen in the near future.
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A pretty colorful energy source
The problem: So far, the energy source has been largely produced using electricity from fossil sources. This gray or black hydrogen does not lead to less emissions, but to more emissions. Things are different with so-called green hydrogen from renewable sources, but it is scarce and expensive.
There is the substance with the chemical formula H2 But not just in black, gray or green, the color palette is broader. The pink variant is based on nuclear power. She is though CO2 poor, but risky, expensive and therefore not a sensible building block for an energy transition. There is also white hydrogen. It occurs in natural deposits, but is so rare that it will probably play no role in solving our energy policy tasks.
However, there is controversy about blue hydrogen. It is also based on fossil energy, usually natural gas, but the CO2 emissions should be captured and stored underground or further processed. CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) is the keyword here. For the WWF When producing hydrogen, this is not a solution in which scarce public funding should be invested. Storage involves risks and eligible locations are limited. That's why CCS at best something for processes in which CO2 emissions cannot be avoided, for example in cement production.
Where does the coveted material come from?
In short: the increased use of hydrogen only makes sense if it goes hand in hand with the expansion of renewable energies. But even if the expansion of solar and wind energy in Germany has recently picked up again, the domestic potential will not be enough to meet the national demand for green energy H2 to cover. In the National Hydrogen Strategy revised in 2023, the federal government expects that a total of around 50 to 70 percent will have to be imported by 2030. Since the demand for this is likely to continue to increase, it is not surprising that the Minister of Economic Affairs is busy touring the world to look for potential suppliers.
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This poses further challenges. Sunny North Africa, for example, is an ideal location for the production of green hydrogen. But where the sun shines brightly, there is often a lack of another basic ingredient: water. Therefore, all supply contracts must ensure that production does not come at the expense of the local population and that water is not available elsewhere, for example in agriculture. If the interests of the locals are neglected, there is a risk of another “tank or plate discussion” as we already know from the use of biofuel, for example based on palm oil. And it wouldn't help the environment either. The WWF is therefore committed to comprehensive sustainability criteria for the production of hydrogen and its derivative products.
Challenge of transport
In any case, transporting the coveted substance is a significant hurdle. Initially, Germany will probably rely on European partners, for example on the Iberian Peninsula and Scandinavia, for pure hydrogen. Transport via pipelines is still possible here.
Chile, Australia or Namibia are too far away and are likely to come into play later or via so-called “hydrogen derivatives” such as ammonia or methanol, i.e. hydrogen compounds that are easier to transport. To transport hydrogen over long distances, huge investments in infrastructure such as transport with special ships would be necessary. In addition, a lot of the valuable energy source is lost.
Hydrogen is not an all-purpose solution
Despite many obstacles: Hydrogen will play an important role in the transformation to a climate-neutral economy. But it remains a rather expensive and limited raw material for the foreseeable future. Therefore, the main focus will be on how to make the most sensible use of the material, which could theoretically be used for many purposes. The energy source is sometimes discussed as a fuel for cars or to operate heating systems, but this can be dismissed as an expensive special solution. Electric vehicles and heat pumps are much more efficient and cost-effective and will clearly remain the better solution for the foreseeable future.
Green steel
However, shipping and air traffic as well as the chemical industry are suitable for hydrogen. The steel industry in particular could become a very important area of application. The industry is responsible for eight percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. The reason: To date, coke has been used in blast furnaces as a so-called reducing agent to generate the extremely high temperatures for production. This creates large quantities CO2. Replacing coal directly with renewable energies is not technically feasible. With so-called direct reduction systems, CO2 emissions could be massively reduced. In such a process, the iron is produced using green hydrogen. It binds the oxygen from the iron ore and leaves only water as a waste product. The first pilot plants are already being operated by Salzgitter, Thyssenkrupp and ArcelorMittal. The new systems are very expensive. Therefore, it will probably not be possible to initiate a transformation in the steel sector and reduce risks for companies without public funding.
All in all, things are happening H2. Hydrogen offers great opportunities if the conditions are right. Many questions are still open, but Jules Verne's vision of a hydrogen economy is taking on more concrete features.
More on the topic
We have more information on the topic of hydrogen in a free online course “Hydrogen for the energy transition and climate protection – Power-to‑X” in the WWF Academy prepared. 10 experts from politics, business, science and civil society
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