![]() Long haul trucking is difficult to decarbonize. In the U.S., the top three sources of climate-warming emissions come from transportation, electricity generation and industry. Most experts agree that green hydrogen will be essential to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, since there are certain portions of the economy whose emissions are difficult to eliminate. The rapidly declining cost of renewable energy is one reason for the growing interest in green hydrogen. If the electricity is produced by renewable power, such as solar or wind, the resulting pollutant-free hydrogen is called green hydrogen. Electrolysis employs an electric current to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in an electrolyzer. Hydrogen can also be produced through the electrolysis of water, leaving nothing but oxygen as a byproduct. When the CO2 produced from the steam methane reforming process is captured and stored elsewhere, the hydrogen produced is called blue hydrogen. ![]() This method of production-powered by fossil fuels-results in gray hydrogen as well as 830 million metric tons of CO2 emissions each year, equal to the emissions of the United Kingdom and Indonesia combined. Other fossil fuels, such as propane, gasoline, and coal can also be used in steam reforming to produce hydrogen. Finally the carbon dioxide and impurities are removed, leaving pure hydrogen. In a subsequent process, the carbon monoxide, steam and a catalyst react to produce more hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Most of the hydrogen currently in use is produced through a process called steam methane reforming, which uses a catalyst to react methane and high temperature steam, resulting in hydrogen, carbon monoxide and a small amount of carbon dioxide. How this decoupling is done determines hydrogen energy’s sustainability. To produce hydrogen, its atoms need to be decoupled from other elements with which they occur- in water, plants or fossil fuels. But hydrogen atoms do not exist in nature by themselves. There is more hydrogen in the universe than any other element-it’s been estimated that approximately 90 percent of all atoms are hydrogen. Approximately 70 million metric tons of hydrogen are already produced globally every year for use in oil refining, ammonia production, steel manufacturing, chemical and fertilizer production, food processing, metallurgy, and more. Hydrogen energy is very versatile, as it can be used in gas or liquid form, be converted into electricity or fuel, and there are many ways of producing it. It has the potential to provide clean power for manufacturing, transportation, and more - and its only byproduct is water. So, what is green hydrogen? Simply put, it is hydrogen fuel that is created using renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. And Chile, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Australia are all making major investments into green hydrogen. The European Union will invest $430 billion in green hydrogen by 2030 to help achieve the goals of its Green Deal. The Department of Energy is putting up to $100 million into the research and development of hydrogen and fuel cells. President-elect Biden has promised to use renewable energy to produce green hydrogen that costs less than natural gas. ![]() Green hydrogen has been in the news often lately.
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