Q3 2022

Archive / Current Issue

Special Focus: Pathways for Sustainable Hydrogen

Power-to-X and green fuels: Fruit from the decision tree

There is no doubt that green hydrogen (H2) is a crucial element on the path to decarbonization. Unsurprisingly, green H2 and Power-to-X have gained much popularity and public attention. These technologies will not be a flash in the pan. 

H2 2022: The road to long-duration energy storage

Throughout 2021, renewable energy capacity additions in the U.S.—led by solar power, with the increasing growth of wind and hydropower generation—reached record highs. Building on these trends, U.S. federal estimates forecast that renewable energy will provide 75% of U.S. electricity by 2035 and 90% by 2050.

The future of aviation fuel: Are we on the right track?

There is no doubt that the aviation industry has revolutionized travel by significantly reducing travel times between destinations. However, with increased air travel comes additional climate effects. For example, the global aviation sector emits about 1 Btpy of carbon dioxide.

How to improve the economics of green H2

More than 30 countries have released H2 roadmaps, and governments worldwide have committed public funding in support of decarbonization through H2 production technologies. In support of these initiatives, large-scale partnerships are forming to build localized H2 hubs for the emerging H2 economy.

Scaling up green H2: Five critical steps to success

Successfully scaling up production across the H2 value chain will require commitment from H2 providers and consumers alike. This article addresses five critical actions that H2 providers, particularly original equipment manufacturers, must take for decarbonization through green H2 to become a reality.

Columns

Pathways for sustainable H2: Critical routes to global adoption

The inaugural issue of H2Tech was published in January 2021. Since then, the global H2 industry has been abuzz with new technologies, pilot projects, research and capital investments. For example, in H2Tech’s Q1 2021’s global projects data page, Gulf Energy Information’s Global Energy Infrastructure database was tracking nearly 270 active H2 projects around the world.

A pivotal moment in the renewable energy shift

Recent data suggests that the European Union achieved a total energy consumption from renewable sources of 21.3% in 20201, a year that saw greenhouse gas emissions in Europe fall to an encouraging 31% below 1990 levels.

Blue H2 can be carbon neutral with CCUS

Atmospheric carbon dioxide remains high. Climate change is affecting the earth’s weather and climate systems, and there is rising urgency to find solutions to reduce carbon emissions and the greenhouse effect.

Digital Technologies

Data-led development can build a responsive and resilient green H2 sector

The world has shown its determination to slash greenhouse gas emissions and bring global warming levels down to 1.5°C on the road to tackling climate change. Achieving these ambitions is the task ahead of us, and the global community will need to use every tool in its arsenal. 

Maintenance and Reliability

Case studies: Evaluation of the soundness and remaining life of PSA vessels with weld defects

Multiple defects were found in pressure swing adsorption (PSA) vessels during an outage of one of four PSA process units. The option for immediate repair during the shutdown was infeasible due to time constraints, particularly without new catalysts for replacement.

Safety and Sustainability

Best environment, social and governance practices: Technical safety studies in capital projects

Supporters of oil and gas are voicing the need to increase domestic production and create strategic alliances to decrease dependence on international supplies. The prevailing opinion of fossil fuel boosters is that restrictive policies and environmental regulations constrain energy production.

Trends

H2Tech: Technology Spotlight

The newest technology in the global H2 sector includes the production of H2 from food waste, thermal mass flow meters for H2 measurement, long-range trucks powered by H2 fuel cells and much more.

Hydrogen Economist

Hydrogen trucks ‘need policy support’

Policies across four phases of deployment are needed if the total cost of ownership for fleets of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is to reach parity with diesel fleets

Amazon invests in electrolyser firm Sunfire

German manufacturer to use investment from Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund to support production scale-up

International trade will meet 25pc of hydrogen demand by 2050

Most demand will be met by local supply under 1.5°C scenario but ammonia shipping and pipelines will have significant role to play, says Irena

UK grid operator calls for clarity on hydrogen demand

Government must deliver demand strategy to match its hydrogen supply target, National Grid says

German firms sign Canadian supply MoUs

Uniper and Eon eye green ammonia from Point Tupper facility as German and Canadian governments agree to cooperate on hydrogen

EU approves €5.2bn state aid for hydrogen projects

Second wave of projects approved under IPCEI scheme covers 3.5GW of electrolysers

RAG bullish on hydrogen storage conversion

Austrian gas storage operator says trials with hydrogen stored in depleted reservoirs show no major issues with key steel and cement components

Acwa and Posco to explore green hydrogen and ammonia

The firms will look at joint development of green hydrogen projects to decarbonise Posco’s power generation and steelmaking

MHI, Jera and Singapore’s Jurong Port to explore ammonia-fired power generation

The firms have signed an MoU to develop a 100pc ammonia-fired power plant in effort to reduce emissions and stimulate demand for future ammonia bunkering

BP evaluates hydrogen shipping options

Not all customers want fuel in the form of ammonia, says CEO Bernard Looney

Lack of visible demand hampering hydrogen projects

Uncertainty over offtakers is the main barrier to securing finance for hydrogen projects, says report by Hydrogen Council and McKinsey

Atome buys land for Paraguay project

Firm aims to take FID before year-end, with completion by 2025

Nel takes FID on Heroya expansion

Facility’s capacity will double from 500MW/yr to 1GW/yr by April 2024 in €35mn expansion

Change in UK PM unlikely to impact hydrogen momentum

Hydrogen trade associations expect continued support from new prime minister

MEPs double EU hydrogen transport goal

European Parliament’s industry committee wants 5.7pc share of renewable fuels in the transport sector by 2030

Air Products and VPI to develop blue hydrogen project

H3 development will join growing hydrogen and CCS cluster in the UK’s Humber region

Loop Energy to open UK manufacturing facility

Firm expects size of hydrogen fuel-cell truck and bus market in UK and Europe to grow to $15bn over next 2-3 years

BP and Thyssenkrupp in hydrogen supply pact

Oil major signs MoU with German steelmaker to supply low-carbon hydrogen and support growth of green steel

ONGC and Greenko plan $6bn green ammonia project

Indian state-owned oil company and renewables developer eye world market with agreement to develop 1.3GW project

US offers nuclear hydrogen funding

Nuclear offers cheap way to generate hydrogen, especially for existing reactors struggling to compete with gas

Woodside and Japanese firms study ammonia supply

Australian energy company and Japanese utilities study options for supply to Japanese power sector

US act would introduce credits for hydrogen production

Projects making clean hydrogen could get a tax credit of up to $3/kg if bill survives in current form

Hydrogen’s climate benefits in doubt

Research by Environmental Defense Fund warns that hydrogen leakage could contribute to short-term global warming potential

Uniper reiterates commitment to hydrogen projects

Hydrogen portfolio remains on track in wake of last month’s government bailout, German energy company tells Hydrogen Economist

Scottish Power plans Felixstowe green hydrogen hub

Utility working with port operator on potential project to supply local and export demand from hub at UK’s busiest container port

Marsh launches first hydrogen project insurance

Insurance product will boost investor confidence as project risks covered through construction and startup phase, London-based broker says

Johnson Matthey and Sinopec agree on technology collaboration

UK company and investment arm of Chinese state oil group to explore cooperation on clean hydrogen and fuel cells

Blue hydrogen a key part of CCS targets – ETC

Sector could be responsible for capturing and storing 20pc of the CO₂ that needs to be sequestered under net-zero targets, thinktank says

Enagas accelerates investment in hydrogen

Spanish gas network operator earmarks over €800mn for dedicated hydrogen projects between now and 2030

Green hydrogen could meet ‘most’ of 2050 demand

Recent announcements on gigafactory construction have led to optimism over longer-term deployment, Rethink Energy says

UK aims for summer launch of hydrogen support scheme

First round of government scheme to offer revenue support to electrolytic projects, minister says

Brazil’s Unigel advances green hydrogen project

One of Latin America’s largest chemicals companies has installed 60MW of electrolyser capacity, with first production scheduled for 2023

‘World’s largest’ floating wind and green hydrogen project launched

Developers Aquaterra and Seawind plan to start up the 3.2GW Hymed project by 2027

UK aims to accelerate clean energy projects

Government includes projects spanning hydrogen, offshore wind, CCS and nuclear on list of priority infrastructure to be delivered as quickly as possible

Trafigura and Amogy study large-scale ammonia cracking

Two companies agree to research feasibility of large-scale conversion of ammonia back to hydrogen to support growth of global trade

Zeroavia signs flurry of hydrogen-powered aviation MoUs

The hydrogen-electric aircraft developer has set out plans to collaborate on airport infrastructure, powertrain retrofitting and fuel-cell stack development

African hydrogen quest reaches new frontiers

Djibouti and Mauritania are the latest on the continent to be lined up as potential green hydrogen exporters

Essar takes delivery of hydrogen furnace

Furnace will run on hydrogen from 2026 after Hynet project becomes operational

Octopus targets first commercial green hydrogen in Q3

Developer takes technology-agnostic approach to electrolysers for planned projects

Hydrogen represents growing share of platinum demand

Securing supply of iridium and platinum will become increasingly important as sector grows

Ballard expands China presence

Firm to invest $130mn in new manufacturing facility and R&D centre in Shanghai

Renewables access challenges EU green hydrogen growth

Access to additional renewable power and ammonia import capacity could constrain EU green hydrogen growth, Japanese bank MUFG tells Hydrogen Economist forum

Johnson Matthey invests in fuel-cell component plant

UK technology company to start up £80mn facility at Royston in first half of 2024

Greenhyscale looks to provide CO₂ transparency

Project developers plan to provide customers with detailed information on how ‘green’ the hydrogen it produces is

Australia eyes rapid hydrogen growth

Projects are increasing in size, but scale-up of capacity will require policy support and billions of dollars in investment

New hydrogen storage technology ‘has great potential’

Researchers from Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials have found a way to store hydrogen in powder form

CPH2 secures first licence deal for electrolysers

UK company’s patented membrane-free electrolyser to be produced in Ireland by GHFG

Biorefineries boost hydrogen demand

Industrial gases firm Air Liquide says growth of biorefining sector compensating for reduced hydrogen demand in standard refineries

Hysata raises $29.5mn in new funding

Australian alkaline electrolyser manufacturer says its capillary-fed electrolysis cell promises reduced capex and opex compared with conventional water electrolysers

HIF eyes Tasmania synfuels facility

Firm wants to build a 250MW electrolyser to produce synthetic fuels for road transport sector

Airbus invests in clean hydrogen fund Hy24

Aircraft manufacturer says scaling up hydrogen economy is prerequisite for zero-emission planes as it backs sector’s leading investment fund

UK awards funding to hydrogen Beccs projects

Government selects 22 organisations to share £5mn of support for demonstration of hydrogen production from bioenergy with carbon capture and storage

Octopus signs long-term green hydrogen supply deal

UK firm will supply Geopura with green hydrogen for fuel-cell generators from projects due to start up this year

Lhyfe launches offshore green hydrogen pilot

French firm’s world-first development will assess the impact of platform motion and environmental stress from offshore conditions

Total Eren joins 10GW Mauritanian project

Chariot and Total Eren plan to progress feasibility studies and offtake agreements for Mauritania’s flagship Nour project

Canada and UAE back clean shipping fuel plans

The Clean Energy Marine Hubs Initiative aims to link up decarbonisation efforts between ports, shipping and energy

MEPs loosen green hydrogen production criteria

Amendment would allow renewable hydrogen to be produced from the grid if producers secure PPAs for renewable energy

Petronas clean energy unit targets rapid expansion

Gentari sets out strategy for aggressive buildout of renewables and hydrogen capacity

Hydrogen trains start running in Germany

15 incumbent diesel trains on route in Lower Saxony replaced with 14 hydrogen-powered passenger trains

PEM electrolyser technology gaining favour

Green hydrogen project developers are tending to favour proton exchange membrane electrolysis over alkaline technology, IEA data suggests

Plug Power to supply Amazon with green hydrogen

Amazon aims to decarbonise warehouse operations and eventually long-haul trucking through supply deal

New initiative pushes case for nuclear hydrogen

Governments should aim for large-scale commercial hydrogen production powered by existing reactors within next three years, Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative says

China’s hydrogen strategy yields results

A number of projects have emerged in the northwestern region of Ningxia, which has good renewable energy resources

Shell takes FID on 200MW electrolyser

Holland Hydrogen 1 project will be Europe’s largest green hydrogen plant once operational in 2025

Norway slow to embrace hydrogen export potential

The country's carbon storage potential makes it a good candidate for blue hydrogen exports

Australia’s first hydrogen refuelling station progresses

Fuel supplier Viva Energy orders electrolyser and establishes vehicle fleet for what it hopes will be first in a network of stations

EU approves state aid to Hy2tech

Pan-European technology innovation project is first hydrogen IPCEI to gain European Commission approval

Thyssenkrupp to invest €2bn in hydrogen DRI plant

German steelmaker plans one of world’s largest hydrogen-powered direct-reduced iron facilities at its Duisburg complex

Element 2 plans UK’s first public HGV hydrogen stations

Yorkshire-based company to develop HGV refuelling points at two service stations in northern England

EU looks to develop hydrogen links with India

EU-India Green Hydrogen Forum marks beginning of anticipated cooperation on standards, research and policy frameworks

Germany plans floating LNG and hydrogen import terminal

Berlin continues to use the private sector in its efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian pipeline gas

Centrica eyes Rough as world’s biggest hydrogen store

UK energy company in talks with government over £2bn plan to re-open natural gas storage site this winter and ultimately convert it to store hydrogen

Air Products commits another $4bn to transition

Firm eyes further opportunities in hydrogen and carbon capture as it raises transition spending to $15bn through 2027

Yara joins Norwegian high-efficiency PEM pilot

Fertiliser group joins Equinor and Gassco in project to demonstrate electrolyser technology capable of ‘unrivalled’ efficiencies

Nel breaks electrolyser order record with $46mn US deal

Norwegian firm to supply 200MW of alkaline electrolyser capacity to undisclosed US customer

BP and Iberdrola in green hydrogen alliance

Companies plan to form joint venture to develop projects across Spain, Portugal and the UK

Loop and Tevva sign fuel-cell deal

Tevva will employ Loop Energy’s fuel cells as it scales up production of its hydrogen-electric trucks

Ammonia is future of hydrogen – Topsoe

Chemical will come to be the dominant energy carrier for the hydrogen industry, CEO of solid-oxide electrolyser manufacturer tells Hydrogen Economist

Mitsubishi Power tests fuel blending

Project is first to test the blending of 20pc hydrogen in an advanced-class natural gas turbine in North America

Planning issues hinder Chile’s hydrogen sector

Decisive action needed to accelerate projects in time to meet emerging export demand, industry and trade bodies say

India targets demand-side to meet hydrogen goals

Incoming policy support for green hydrogen could encourage demand and, in turn, capacity deployment

Mid-decade project pipeline blooms

Most projects in key markets are targeting startup for 2025, GEI data shows

UK launches green hydrogen support scheme

Government targets 1GW of capacity by 2025, but first-round contract awards under hydrogen business model not expected until July 2023

Newfoundland’s green hydrogen potential causes a stir

Canadian province attracts multiple proposals as developers eye its wind and hydropower resources, energy minister tells Hydrogen Economist

UK consults on hydrogen storage and transportation support

A regional or national network for hydrogen transportation and storage could be needed from the mid-2030s

Mobility dominates offtake deals

Mobility sector has agreed raft of deals, but industrial offtakers likely to grow in influence as decade goes on

Shell to develop hydrogen refuelling network in Shanghai

Oil major agrees to form joint venture with local state-owned Shenergy to install up to ten stations by 2027

EU to create €3bn hydrogen bank

Institution will guarantee purchases of hydrogen using resources from the EU’s Innovation Fund

Carlyle and GIC back green ammonia developer Eneus

Capital from global investment firms aimed at developing Scotland-based company’s 14GW project pipeline

Hydrogen production to be ‘broadly investable’ in UK by end-2023

Storage, transportation and end-use are likely to lag production in short-term investability, the UK government says

UK slow to start on hydrogen exports

While the government claims the country has ‘strong potential’ as a future exporter, the focus on meeting domestic demand and lack of international trade agreements paints a different picture

Buckeye prioritises hydrogen at Point Tupper

Bear Head Clean Energy and new owner Buckeye Partners will site as an $850mn green hydrogen and ammonia hub instead of an LNG export terminal, the project’s COO tells Hydrogen Economist

Turquoise hydrogen firm raises $300mn finance

Developer Monolith has obtained finance from a range of investors as it looks to expand the company and invest in R&D

Germany develops LOHC supply chain

Recently opened hydrogen filling station on the Siemens campus in Erlangen receives green hydrogen in LOHC form

American Airlines invests in Zeroavia

US firm hopes to use developer’s hydrogen-electric engines to power regional flights

UK backs four blue hydrogen projects for clusters

BP and Equinor among successful bidders as government lines up projects to join fast-track East Coast and Hynet clusters

Vattenfall plans offshore electrolysis

Utility looks to build hydrogen cluster next to Hollandse Kust West windfarm

Turquoise hydrogen project progresses in Canada

Feed studies and permitting applications underway for development at Suncor’s Burrard Terminal site

Only 20pc of hydrogen projects have reached FID

Analysis of GEI data shows Europe leads the way, but the US and China are set to see rapid growth

New Fortress Energy agrees electrolyser deal

Company says Inflation Reduction Act set to makes the environment for investment in green hydrogen favourable

India urged to develop hydrogen hubs

Nation should have 150MW of electrolyser capacity by 2025, says industry body

Electrolyser costs to fall sharply – Csiro

Alkaline electrolyser and proton-exchange membrane unit deployment costs will fall to less than a quarter of current levels by 2050 as technologies develop, research body says

Plug Power under investigation

A class action lawsuit alleges false and misleading statements to investors and insider trading

Invenergy to produce first green hydrogen by end of year

US developer plans to begin construction on its first green hydrogen project in the coming months

Deutsche Bahn eyes role as hydrogen transporter

German national rail company aims to use existing chemical tank wagons to move ammonia from ports to industrial demand centres

BMW signs green steel deal

Agreement includes recycling and circular economy measures that will help automaker reduce its carbon footprint

Topsoe takes FID on solid-oxide electrolyser plant

Firm hopes to begin operations at facility in Denmark in 2024

Dutch hydrogen projects win EU backing

Developments by Shell, RWE and Air Liquide among 17 to share €1.8bn awarded by EU Innovation Fund

China could meet 25pc of global hydrogen demand

The country is ramping up output and could produce 100-150mn t/yr by 2060, says working group of Ministry of Science and Technology

Energy firms object to EU 2035 CCU cutoff clause

Delegated acts on hydrogen are looking to phase out CCU provisions in RFNBOs too early, according to consultation responses

Hycc unveils 500MW Amsterdam hydrogen project

Dutch developer and Port of Amsterdam eye 2027 startup after completing feasibility study

US sets new standard for clean hydrogen support

Passing of Inflation Reduction Act confirms US as one of most competitive green hydrogen markets

First Hydrogen plans move into EU market

Vehicle and infrastructure company aims to trial vans in France and Germany

Germany eyes hydrogen trade corridor with Canada

The two countries target trade flows from 2025 and agree to align on standards and regulation

TES raises €65mn to advance German gas import project

FID on green gas terminal at Wilhelmshaven expected next year as investors including HSBC and Eon back project

RWE and Neptune award contracts for Dutch offshore project

Siemens Gamesa, H2Sea and Enersea win contracts to design green hydrogen development linked to Dutch North Sea offshore wind

Chevron eyes European and Asian hydrogen markets

US oil major is leveraging its experience in the LNG markets as it targets emerging ammonia and hydrogen demand

NTPC to develop green ammonia project in India

Utility is working with chemicals firm GACL to produce ammonia and methanol to partially decarbonise Vadodara and Dahej chemicals facilities

Green steel could reach cost parity by 2050

Use of hydrogen in supply chain and co-location of manufacture with renewables could greatly reduce cost of green steel production, according to Oxford University study

Compressed gas best option for UK refuelling network – BP

Liquid hydrogen network could develop in longer term, says firm, following joint study with BOC

Electrolyser capital costs could drop 30pc by 2025

Cost of Chinese alkaline systems about a quarter of the price of equivalent systems in Western markets, according to survey conducted by BloombergNEF

Verbund outlines 300MW green hydrogen project

Planned facility in eastern Austria is first to be unveiled since government published national strategy in June

UK’s first public hydrogen blending trials completed

Northern Gas Networks to pass results of Gateshead trials to government ahead of final policy decision on blending in 2023

US law makes green hydrogen competitive ‘in every sector’ – Plug Power

Tax credits for hydrogen production contained in new Inflation Reduction Act make green hydrogen cheaper than grey in all industrial applications, says Plug Power CEO

2050 scenarios vary on policy unknowns

Demand for low-carbon hydrogen in 2050 could be anywhere between 300mn t/yr and over 800mn t/yr depending on penetration into key sectors after 2030

CPH2 signs second licensing agreement

Firm looks to license technology to third-party manufacturers to keep costs low and ensure market penetration

Egypt grows its green hydrogen pipeline

Cairo prepares to showcase groundswell of investor interest in potential to supply low-carbon bunkering fuel at Cop27 climate talks

Africa eyes China’s hydrogen truck technology

Replacement of diesel trucks with fuel-cell electric vehicles in Africa offers opportunity for strategic cooperation with China

Growing interest in PPAs for hydrogen projects – Pexapark

Loosening of power supply criteria and suitability of pay-as-produced contracts to needs of electrolysers are driving activity in PPA market, firm tells Hydrogen Economist

Rolls Royce enters electrolyser sector

Firm has acquired a 54pc majority stake in German electrolyser stack specialist Hoeller Electrolyzer

Hy Stor targets offtakers for Mississippi hub

Rolls Royce, Nasa and the US Navy potential customers for green hydrogen hub, which has also applied for federal funding

Scotland among cheapest green hydrogen regions

High level of renewable power positions country as highly competitive green hydrogen producer over next two decades, project developer LH2 Europe tells Hydrogen Economist’s Financing the Hydrogen Economy event in Milan

GravitHy consortium in €2.2bn French green iron project

Plant at Fos sur Mer in southern France to produce steel feedstock using green or low-carbon hydrogen

Air Products and ABP plan Immingham green hydrogen project

Facility of up to 300MW would use imported green ammonia feedstock from Air Products’ global network

Hydrogen to compete with diesel in India

Blue hydrogen will reach diesel parity by 2030 and green hydrogen before 2050, says ICCT study

Hydrogen targets under threat as FIDs lag

Next three years will be critical to industry’s ability to scale up to 2030 capacity targets, say speakers at Gastech

Moroccan ammonia project receives construction loan

Pilot project will simulate different solar and wind load factors to evaluate green ammonia production efficiency

HydrogenOne remains bullish despite weak economies

London-listed investment company says strong policy support for transition means outlook for clean hydrogen sector is favourable

Qatar to build world’s largest blue ammonia project

QatarEnergy subsidiaries have signed an EPC contract for the 1.2mn t/yr facility, with ambition to start operating plant from early 2026

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