hydrogen economy

Australia has the sun, the wind and the space to become one of the world’s green hydrogen export superpowers in coming decades. However, the Sunburnt Country does have a dearth of one ingredient in the green hydrogen equation – freshwater. Thankfully, researchers from Monash University and a group of national water utilities are joining forces to find a way to use wastewater for the process of electrolysis.

Spanish energy giant Iberdrola will lead a consortium that plans to convert the Apennine railway axis in central Italy to green hydrogen. Ukrainian energy company NJSC Naftogaz has said it wants to produce green hydrogen with a German partner, and the Port of Tallinn, in Estonia, wants to become a hydrogen hub.

Energy storage and clean fuel company ITM Power also opened a 1 GW electrolyzer factory in the United Kingdom and South Korea’s automobile parts maker Hyundai Mobis is investing US$1.1 billion in two hydrogen fuel-cell plants in its home country.

U.K. business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has unveiled a new hydrogen strategy aiming at developing both the green and blue forms of the fuel. Furthermore, Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner for the internal market, has said Europe needs to increase its commitment to hydrogen and use nuclear to produce a decarbonized form of the gas.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said green hydrogen will play a significant role in achieving India’s decarbonization goals. He also announced the nation’s ambitions to become a global hub for green hydrogen production and export.

Oman is expanding its network to become a hydrogen hub and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has published a practical guide for generating hydrogen using scrap aluminum. Furthermore, BP and Mitsui have separately announced more blue hydrogen projects.

A new study from Stanford University and Cornell University shows that blue hydrogen can produce more greenhouse emissions than heat produced by coal and gas. The modeling classifies blue hydrogen emissions as carbon dioxide and unburned fugitive methane, as well as lifecycle emissions linked to the mining, transport, storage, and use of methane.

ThyssenKrupp has also said it is working on a green hydrogen and ammonia project in the Emirates and three U.S. companies are planning to develop low-cost renewable hydrogen generation for use in transportation and distributed energy applications.

Gazprom said it will participate in projects to develop technologies for the production, transportation, storage, and use of hydrogen, as well as the utilization of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, Italy’s Fincantieri and Enel are developing an integrated solution for the production, supply, management, and use of green hydrogen for port areas and long-range maritime transport.

Chiyoda Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation to conduct a joint feasibility study for a commercial-scale import of hydrogen from overseas sources to one terminal in the port of Rotterdam. Furthermore, the UK government said it wants to produce produce hydrogen from nuclear and Japan’s automotive manufacturer Toyota Motor is looking into geothermal potential for hydrogen production.