Hydrogen Solutions for Energy Transition

Japan is accelerating its transition toward cleaner energy by integrating hydrogen into existing power systems, offering a practical bridge between fossil fuels and a fully renewable future. Instead of replacing infrastructure entirely, engineers are modifying current gas turbines to operate on a mix of hydrogen and natural gas, gradually increasing the proportion of clean fuel over time. This blended approach allows energy producers to significantly reduce carbon emissions without the need for immediate large-scale system overhauls. Hydrogen combustion produces water vapor rather than carbon dioxide, making it an attractive option for reducing environmental impact. However, challenges remain, particularly in storing and transporting hydrogen safely and efficiently, as well as managing byproducts like nitrogen oxides under high temperatures. Although still in development and testing phases, hydrogen-compatible systems represent a realistic pathway for industries that cannot transition overnight. By adapting existing infrastructure, countries can move toward sustainability without disrupting energy supply. As research progresses, hydrogen could become a key component of global energy strategies, bridging the gap between current systems and future clean technologies.

#Hydrogen mobility is no longer an option — it's a necessity.   Back in 2015, when we inaugurated the first hydrogen station at Pont de l’Alma in central Paris, I was already convinced of that fact. Today, we live in a radically different world — geopolitically, economically, and environmentally. And it's a fragile one, especially for Europe. Fragile because political fragmentation threatens unity. Fragile because the complexity of EU governance makes it hard to move as fast as the energy transition demands.   Yet, Europe also holds immense potential. As the world's largest energy importer, it has the ability to shape the rules of the game. Nearly a decade later, electric-hydrogen hybrid mobility is no longer a dream — it could be a driving force behind Europe's renewed strategic sovereignty. A sovereignty that must extend not only to energy, but also to food and critical infrastructure. Let’s see the launch of the Global Hydrogen Mobility Alliance as a rallying call for Europe’s future. Over 35 CEOs are now urging the EU to act. I’m proud to be part of this collective push — alongside the Hy24 team and supporters like our portfolio companies, HYSETCO and Hexagon Purus. Combined with our support for H2 MOBILITY Germany, it demonstrates that at Hy24, we walk the talk. ➡️ The facts are clear: 90% of the goods we use daily are moved by heavy-duty or intensive transport. Decarbonizing these sectors cannot rely on #electrification alone — not in terms of cost, infrastructure, or operational feasibility. Fully electrifying these systems would require over €100 billion in grid upgrades, 4–5 GW of new capacity, and decades of work. We don’t have that time. Hydrogen is ready. It offers an immediate, efficient, and scalable solution — as explained in this video capsule published recently: https://lnkd.in/eUahcmqe   ➡️ What needs to happen next: 👉 Integrate hydrogen mobility into the EU Sustainable Transport Plan. 👉 Launch a focused strategy to bridge the initial cost gap across hydrogen supply, vehicles, and infrastructure. 👉 Align and deploy funding tools like #AFIR and #REDIII swiftly — avoiding fragmentation and delay.   The technology is ready. The industry is ready. Now Europe must lead — decisively.   Toyota Motor Corporation, Daimler Truck AG, Volvo Group, Hyundai Motor Company (현대자동차), Cummins Inc., Bosch, Iveco Group, Linde, MAHLE, Honda, Hexagon Purus, Iwatani Corporation, Honeywell cellcentric GmbH & Co. KG, Symbio, Air Liquide, Air Products, OPmobility, FORVIA, Westport Fuel Systems, Lhyfe, Solaris Bus & Coach, Valterra Platinum, Heraeus Dumarey Group, The Chemours Company, Ballard Power Systems, Johnson Matthey, Schaeffler, HYSETCO, Hy24. Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/eaz5k_qd #GHMA, Hydrogen Council, Ivana Jemelkova

The Realistic Role of Hydrogen The following recent paper, written by industry experts and academics, examines hydrogen's role in our path to net-zero emissions. Key insights 1- Hydrogen's versatility allows it to power various applications, but clean hydrogen should be used where it offers the most cost and sustainability benefits compared to alternatives like direct electrification. 2- Supply, demand, and infrastructure must develop simultaneously to overcome barriers. However, hydrogen's low energy density, flammability, and tendency to leak and embrittle metals present challenges in terms of cost, safety, and acceptance. 3- Production costs for clean hydrogen are driven by engineering and energy inputs, along with transport, storage, and usage costs, which are unlikely to decrease rapidly like solar photovoltaics and batteries. 4- For clean hydrogen to aid decarbonization, it must have low emissions across its entire supply chain. System-level assessments highlight issues with greenhouse gas emissions and broader environmental impacts. Several preconditions must be met to ensure sustainable and clean hydrogen throughout its life cycle. 5- In the short term, renewable electricity could achieve greater emissions reductions if used directly to replace fossil fuels in power generation, heating, or transport, rather than for green hydrogen production. In the long term, hydrogen could help integrate excess renewable generation into power systems. 6- Low-carbon hydrogen is essential for decarbonizing existing applications like petrochemicals and fertilizers (about 2% of global CO2 emissions) and for applications where alternatives are prohibitively expensive, such as steelmaking, heavy transport, and long-duration energy storage. Hydrogen strategies should prioritize these areas for the greatest impact. Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can power various applications. However, to maximize its benefits, clean hydrogen should be strategically used where it offers the most cost and sustainability advantages compared to alternatives like direct electrification. #EnergyTransition #Hydrogen #LowCarbonHydrogen #HydrogenProduction #NetZero #FuelCell #CarbonCapture.

System integration: Working towards a renewable energy supply.   The energy transition isn’t just about generating more electricity from renewables — it’s about using it smartly as the supply and demand of electricity has a delicate balance. When you switch on a device, the power production has to be increased somewhere. In the past, conventional power plants were ramped up and down to match the electricity demand during the day. Unfortunately, we cannot control the wind and sunshine. Therefore, the balance of supply and demand becomes a challenge with moments of surplus and shortage, while more renewable capacity is being added to the energy system. However, it is a challenge we can overcome.   System integration is the answer — and RWE is pioneering this approach with our OranjeWind project, currently under construction with TotalEnergies. By linking technologies, we create opportunities for new sectors to use energy from offshore wind, increasing flexibility and reducing curtailment.    A few system integration concepts we’re bringing into reality at OranjeWind: ▪️Energy storage: Subsea pumped hydro and battery storage, plus an onshore inertia battery, will help stabilise the grid and compensate for peaks and troughs in electricity generation. ▪️Power-to-X: TotalEnergies is partnering with Air Liquide to produce 45,000 tons of green hydrogen per year, using electricity from OranjeWind to power the electrolysers. ▪️Sector coupling: Onshore, we are investing in EV charging, electrolysers, and electric boilers — making it possible for the industrial and transport sectors to use clean power in their operations.   These kinds of measures not only maximise the use of renewable energy: they also reduce dependence on fossil energy sources and strengthen the security of our energy supply. But single projects aren’t enough. To create sufficient investment and supportive regulations for system integration infrastructure, we need cooperation — between energy companies, industry, and governments. Making the right choices now will set us up for a more stable, sustainable, and resilient energy system tomorrow.

Hydrogen's Promise: Navigating the Challenges and Opportunities of a Clean Energy Future Hydrogen, with its high energy density and clean-burning potential, offers a compelling path towards decarbonizing heavy industries, transportation, and heating. A recent study in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy explores the challenges and opportunities surrounding hydrogen's rise as a key player in the global energy transition. Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ The study emphasizes the critical need to limit global warming and highlights hydrogen's potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors. 2️⃣ While 96% of current hydrogen production relies on fossil fuels (grey hydrogen), green hydrogen (produced via renewable-powered electrolysis) remains expensive. The study analyzes the cost and emission profiles of different hydrogen production pathways, underscoring the need for cost reductions and a shift to greener methods. 3️⃣ Hydrogen's low density presents storage challenges. The review examines various storage techniques, including physical methods (compressed gas, liquid hydrogen) and material-based methods (physisorption, chemisorption), highlighting their respective advantages and limitations. 4️⃣ Transporting hydrogen safely and efficiently is crucial for its widespread adoption. The article outlines the complex logistics involved in hydrogen transport, including the use of liquid hydrogen, ammonia, and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) for long-distance delivery. 5️⃣ Infrastructure Gaps and Policy Needs: Widespread hydrogen adoption requires substantial investment in infrastructure (pipelines, refueling stations, etc.) and supportive policies. The study emphasizes the importance of government incentives, international collaboration, and standardized safety regulations. Challenges and Opportunities: ✴️ The research identifies several key challenges hindering hydrogen's progress: high production costs, infrastructure limitations, safety concerns, and public perception. However, it also highlights opportunities for innovation in production technologies, storage materials, transportation methods, and integration with renewable energy systems. ❇️ This comprehensive review underscores the need for concerted global efforts to address the technical and economic hurdles facing the hydrogen economy. Continued research and development, coupled with strategic policy interventions, are crucial for unlocking hydrogen's full potential and accelerating its role in a sustainable energy future. #Hydrogen #CleanEnergy #EnergyTransition #Decarbonization #Sustainability #HydrogenEconomy #Renewables #Innovation #Policy

There is a lot of discussion about green hydrogen. But the real question is about development impact.   Green hydrogen has the potential to decarbonise hard-to-electrify sectors, support green industrialisation, create jobs, and strengthen energy security. Often described as the fuel of the future, it is projected to supply up to 12% of global energy demand by 2050.   But that future is not guaranteed.   Green hydrogen also places significant pressure on land, water, and energy systems. Producing 1 million tonnes of hydrogen requires around 30,000 hectares of solar panels, while nearly 70% of planned electrolyser capacity is located in water-stressed regions.   Three takeaways stand out: 🔹 Green hydrogen is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Countries must weigh water availability, land constraints, energy access needs, and industrial priorities.   🔹 Hydrogen must create domestic value. India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission targets 500,000 jobs and 125 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, backed by $1.83 billion for domestic electrolyser manufacturing.   🔹 Inclusion must be designed from the start. By 2023, although 4.3 GW of green hydrogen capacity had been announced globally, only 0.3 GW, around 7%, had actually been built. The challenge is increasingly about planning, institutions, and governance.   Green hydrogen must serve sustainable development, not only markets. The opportunities are real, but only if local communities, institutions, and the private sector are included from day one.   I look forward to discussing these questions further at today’s panel discussion, Navigating the Currents of Green Hydrogen: Towards a Human-Centred Framework, at the University of Oxford .   #EnergyForDevelopment #GreenHydrogen #JustEnergyTransition TIDE Centre, University of Oxford

🌟 Clean Hydrogen and the 45V Tax Credit: A New Era for Energy Decarbonization The U.S. Treasury’s latest guidance on the 45V Hydrogen Production Tax Credit, released in January 2025, is a pivotal step in defining the future of clean hydrogen. By offering up to $3/kg for low-carbon hydrogen production, this credit is designed to accelerate the transition to a decarbonized energy system while ensuring environmental integrity. 🔍 Key Updates and Insights: Stricter Emissions Standards: To qualify for the full tax credit, hydrogen production must emit less than 0.45 kg CO2e per kg H2. This ensures that only truly clean hydrogen benefits from federal incentives. Three-Pillars Framework: New Clean Supply: Only newly added renewable energy can power hydrogen production, avoiding reliance on existing clean energy that serves other grid demands. Hourly Matching: Hydrogen production must align with renewable energy generation on an hourly basis, promoting real-time clean electricity use and reducing emissions. Deliverability: Renewable energy must be physically deliverable to the hydrogen production site, preventing reliance on distant or constrained resources. Economic Impact: These stricter rules add only $0.10-$0.40/kg to hydrogen costs in competitive regions while maintaining strong cost competitiveness against fossil-based alternatives. 💡 Industry Impact: The updated framework balances economic growth with environmental responsibility. It ensures robust investment in renewable energy, electrolyzer deployment, and hydrogen storage infrastructure. By incentivizing flexible operations like hourly matching, it prepares the hydrogen sector for long-term integration into a decarbonized grid. 🔮 Looking Ahead: The 45V guidance positions clean hydrogen as a cornerstone of the U.S. energy transition. With potential emissions reductions of up to 643 million metric tons (MMT) of CO2 by 2032, this approach supports both near-term economic growth and long-term climate goals. 💭 How does your organization plan to leverage these incentives to drive innovation in clean hydrogen? #CleanHydrogen #EnergyTransition #Decarbonization #RenewableEnergy

 A recent Nature Reviews Clean Technology perspective, "Realistic roles for hydrogen in the future energy transition" , offers a crucial, evidence-based look at hydrogen's journey from production to usage, cutting through decades of "hype cycles" The paper important key takeaways are: 📌 The paper strongly argues that hydrogen's role is not as a revolutionary fuel for all applications, but rather a strategic one in specific, hard-to-abate sectors where direct electrification is expensive or technically challenging. This is a crucial distinction from past "hype cycles". 📌 Fuel cell cars and space heating are highlighted as least promising applications due to rapid advances in direct electric alternatives, despite significant past research and investment in these areas. 📌 Hydrogen shows potential in heavy industry (like steel and fertilizer production), long-duration energy storage, and long-haul transport (shipping and aviation). 📌 Significant cost reductions are needed for hydrogen to be competitive, and achieving 2030 targets will be difficult, especially when transport and storage costs are included. Hydrogen's physical properties (low energy density, flammability, leakage) also impose considerable challenges for infrastructure. 📌 The climate impacts of hydrogen production are uncertain, with potential for increased system-wide or upstream emissions from electrolysis or methane gas with carbon capture. Water scarcity and persistent organic pollution are also concerns. Clean hydrogen must have low emissions across its entire supply chain. 📌 Future research and policy should prioritize deploying hydrogen in areas where it is most competitive and offers the greatest impact, rather than promoting it universally. This paper underscores the importance of a realistic, evidence-based approach to hydrogen deployment. It's not about if hydrogen has a role, but where it truly excels compared to other low-carbon alternatives. As we move forward, focusing on these priority areas will be crucial for a sustainable and impactful energy transition.

The fuel life cycle and delivery methods are now key factors in decarbonisation strategies. A study by the JRC compares the environmental impact of different ways to transport 1 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen over 2,500 km. Main LCA findings: • Energy penalty: Converting hydrogen into carriers like ammonia, methanol, or LOHC requires a lot of energy. This "packaging" process makes them less efficient than transporting pure hydrogen • Best options for climate: For a 2,500 km distance, pipelines (compressed gas) and ships (liquid hydrogen) have the lowest carbon footprint • Impact of leaks: Hydrogen leaks significantly increase the short-term warming effect. For liquid hydrogen, leaks can double the climate impact (GWP20) from 1.6 to 3.2 kg CO₂-eq/kg H₂ • Infrastructure cost: Building a hydrogen pipeline is resource-heavy, requiring about 664 tonnes of steel for every 1 km • Chemical carriers: While easier to move, converting hydrogen into ammonia or synthetic methane creates an "energy tax" that often outweighs the benefits of easier transport • Local vs. Import: Producing hydrogen using the current EU electricity mix emits about 8 kg CO₂-eq/kg H₂. This makes importing "green" hydrogen from sunny regions much cleaner, even with transport costs In practice, successful decarbonisation depends on choosing the right delivery path. For Europe, pipelines and liquid hydrogen ships offer the best balance between energy efficiency and environmental protection. #LCA #Hydrogen #EnergyTransition #GreenHydrogen #Sustainability #Decarbonization #Energy #Environment #JRC

❤️🔥Natural Gas: The Unsung Hero of the Energy Transition? Natural gas is often seen as a necessary evil in the race to decarbonise. It is cleaner than coal, but still a fossil fuel, and its methane (CH₄) emissions contribute to global warming. But what if natural gas could be reimagined as a superhero in the energy transition? The key lies in its chemistry. Rethinking Methane: A Source of Clean Hydrogen and Pure Carbon Methane, the primary component of natural gas, consists of one carbon (C) atom and four hydrogen (H) atoms—essentially two molecules of H₂ per CH₄. Traditionally, burning methane for energy releases CO₂. However, an alternative approach unlocks its true potential. Using methane pyrolysis or similar technologies, we can separate CH₄ into: Clean and Decarbonized Hydrogen (H₂) – A much more efficient and cost-effective alternative to "green hydrogen" from electrolysis, which requires vast amounts of electricity and water. Pure Elemental Carbon (C) – A high-value material with enormous industrial applications. Addressing the Hydrogen Challenge Hydrogen is already a critical industrial feedstock used in refining, ammonia production, and chemical processes. Today, most hydrogen comes from Steam Methane Reforming or ATR, which generates significant CO₂ emissions, needing costly CCS :( Methane pyrolysis, however, produces hydrogen without emitting CO₂—solving a major challenge in industrial decarbonization. The Overlooked Value of Carbon While Hydrogen gets the spotlight, pure elemental carbon is an unsung hero. Last year, the world used ~2.5 billion tons of carbon materials across industries and> 5+ billion tons of coal burned for energy. Industries depend on carbon. Without it: - No steel production (carbon is essential in reducing iron ore) - No advanced batteries (graphite is a key component) - No solar panels (carbon-based materials are used in manufacturing) - No new infrastructure or composite materials Even if Norway’s natural gas exports were converted into valuable carbon material, it would yield less than 100 million tons—a fraction of industrial carbon demand. We can’t eliminate carbon from key processes; we must source it cleanly. Turning a Liability into an Asset Rather than treating natural gas as a transition fuel to phase out, we should recognize its untapped potential. Methane pyrolysis transforms CH₄ from an emissions problem into a dual-purpose solution, providing: - Low-emission hydrogen for energy and industry - High-value carbon for advanced materials and infrastructure A Smarter Approach to the Energy Transition Labelling natural gas a climate villain is oversimplified. By leveraging innovative technologies, we can redefine methane’s role—turning it from a CO₂ emitter into a cornerstone of a cleaner, sustainable industrial economy. The future isn’t about abandoning hydrocarbons but using them intelligently. Natural gas is a part of the solution. GIF: Pure Elemental Carbon, Project #ColdSpark