Climate change is real and so is the end of non-renewable energy sources. The world is looking towards several alternatives every year and this is where Green Hydrogen is also in the race. It has the potential to tackle the increasing problems of Global warming and Climate change. Now and then we hear news about the push at the Global level to adopt clean energy. In this article, we will be looking at How Green Hydrogen can tackle the problems of the current world and whether can it be used as a source of energy.
What is Green Hydrogen?
Hydrogen is a colourless, odourless and highly reactive gas that is present in nature only in the form of a compound (in combination with other elements).
An example of Hydrogen would be H2O (Water).
This simply means you cannot find a separate Hydrogen element in the environment, you will always have to extract it from its compound form. The extraction process is what’s called the Production method of Hydrogen.
What is Green, Blue, and Grey Hydrogen?
There are various production methods to produce Hydrogen and all the different methods are named Green, Blue and Grey Hydrogen. So basically Hydrogen is the same in all the cases, only the production methods are denoted by different colours.
Green Hydrogen is a type of production method in which Hydrogen is produced using the electrolysis method. Water(H2O) is split into two different elements i.e., Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O). The entire process of electrolysis is done with the help of renewable energy sources which is why it is been considered a sustainable source of energy for the future.
After the process is complete, Hydrogen is stored and oxygen is released into the environment. Thus there is no question of environmental pollution. Another use case of oxygen could be to supply it to industries or hospitals that are always in need of oxygen.
While Blue Hydrogen is produced using the technique called Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) and carbon capture and storage (CCS). It is a more eco-friendly alternative to grey Hydrogen which uses the Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) as well without CCS.
Use cases of Green Hydrogen
There could be several use cases of Green Hydrogen but the primary reason why it’s a talk of town is to utilize it for transportation needs. Within the Automobile Industry as well, it will have two major impacts if it gets successful.
Firstly it will replace the existing Petrol and diesel Vehicles and secondly, it will also replace the existing technology used in EVs to store the electric energy in battery packs by charging. Instead, Green Hydrogen will be stored in EVs just like Petrol and Diesel and with the help of Hydrogen Fuel Cells it will be converted to electricity to fuel up the electric motors.
How Green Hydrogen will tackle global warming and Climate change?
Global warming is a term used to indicate the rising world temperature by certain degrees every decade while making the earth’s surface hotter and hotter. Climate change is the change in patterns of the weather cycle. Like sometimes you get rain in summer or rain in winter which is very unusual.
The main cause of Global warming and Climate change is the rise in carbon dioxide and other pollutants. These pollutants absorb the sunlight and solar radiation which otherwise would have bounced back from the earth’s surface. A major source of carbon dioxide is the burning of fossil fuels. On the other side, Green Hydrogen is clean energy and emits no harmful pollutants into the environment. As the adaptation of Green Hydrogen will increase, a substantial improvement in the environment will be noticed and sooner or later it will help in fixing the major issues of the earth’s planet.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Green Hydrogen
Advantages
- Clean Source of Energy – Burning hydrogen does not emit any harmful byproducts into the environment making it safe for the environment. Thus we can say Hydrogen is a non-toxic, pollution-free energy source.
- Abundant in Supply – Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. On Earth, it is mostly found in the form of compounds but still, it is theoretically impossible to replenish.
- Sustainable and Efficient Source of Energy – Green Hydrogen is produced with the electrolysis method. Every Pound of Hydrogen can generate a lot more energy as compared to other fuels and gases. This also means that the mileage problem that we usually struggle with in traditional vehicles will also improve. It is considered a 100% sustainable source of energy.
Disadvantages
- High Safety concerns – Hydrogen gas is colourless, odourless and highly inflammable in single form. Which means there is no way to identify gas leakage. This raises high safety concerns
- Production of Green Hydrogen is expensive – We just discussed how beneficial hydrogen is but the most important reason why it is not used across the world on a large scale yet is the production cost.
- Storage and Transport Difficulties – Hydrogen is a low-density gas which is why it has to be stored in liquid form at low temperatures to maintain its efficiency and effectiveness for storage and transport. As of now, there are not many solutions available for the storage and transportation of Hydrogen.
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