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A group of seven EU countries led by Germany have rejected calls to incorporate nuclear-made hydrogen into the bloc’s green transport targets, reigniting a dispute with France that has held back an agreement on the bloc’s renewable energy directive.
Gas network operators from 11 countries have joined the European hydrogen backbone initiative, presenting an updated vision for a pure hydrogen network of nearly 40,000 kilometres by 2040.
Chiffres clés, cartographie, annuaire... L'association France hydrogène vient de mettre en ligne un observatoire de l'hydrogène pour rendre compte du déploiement de la filière dans l'Hexagone. Cet outil vise aussi à faciliter la mise en relation entre grands industriels et PME pour accélérer la structuration de la filière et son passage à grande échelle.
The UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (UKHFCA) has published a paper highlighting the importance of the UK Government to take action now if it wishes to remain the leader in hydrogen energy and continue spearheading the global decarbonisation movement.
In defining pathways for Europe to become climate-neutral by 2050, low-carbon hydrogen has entered the forefront as a potential solution in many applications. However, the advent of the hydrogen economy has so far been hampered by the chicken-and-egg problem of hydrogen infrastructure. Now, a new study by Agora Energiewende entitled “No-regret hydrogen: Charting early steps for H₂ infrastructure in Europe” identifies early opportunities for anchoring hydrogen infrastructure around inescapable demand.
One of the continent’s largest electrolysis plants will be built in the city after the signing of a letter of intent by four companies
The industrial companies Shell, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Vattenfall and Kommunale Wärme Hamburg are planning how they can jointly generate and use green hydrogen from wind and solar power at the Hamburg-Moorburg power plant in the future. In addition to the construction of an electrolyser with a capacity of 100 megawatts, the recently signed letter of intent also envisages the future development of the site into a so-called “Green Energy Hub”.
More than 650 households and commercial properties in a village near Gateshead in the north of England will trial the use of blended green hydrogen to be used for heating, reports EURACTIV's media partner, edie.net.
EU member states are fighting over which type of hydrogen to support, with two opposing camps facing off: those backing green hydrogen produced exclusively from renewable electricity, and those in favour of a broader “low-carbon” definition, which also includes nuclear power and decarbonised gases.
Which sectors are most suited to hydrogen, and which are not? For the answer, six academics from the UK and the Netherlands – Tom Baxter, Ernst Worrell, Hu Li, Petra de Jongh, Stephen Carr, and Valeska Ting – use their areas of expertise to neatly summarise hydrogen’s pros and cons in Road and Rail, Aviation, Heating, Electricity and Energy Storage, and Heavy Industry. Their general message seems clear: hydrogen is still very expensive, so it can be used primarily where there are no emissions-low alternatives, and where other advantages outweigh higher costs. Freight (trucks to trains) and aviation can benefit from liquid hydrogen’s very high energy density. Heavy industry needs the high temperatures that hydrogen can deliver better than electricity. But cars, heating, electricity and storage all have cheaper green alternatives meaning that hydrogen will only be a distraction, argue the authors.
Step by step, hydrogen has worked its way into the heart of the energy transition: as a storage medium for renewable energy; a fuel of the future for ships and planes; and a replacement for fossil fuels in homes, power and industry.
A new study commissioned by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU) in consultation with the European Commission – DG Energy focuses on the Opportunities for Hydrogen Energy Technologies Considering the National Energy & Climate Plans. The study analyses the role of hydrogen in the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and identifies and highlights opportunities for hydrogen technologies to contribute to effective and efficient achievement of the 2030 climate and energy targets of the EU and its Member States.
The study focuses on the potential and opportunities of renewable hydrogen, produced by electrolysers using renewable electricity and of low-carbon hydrogen, produced by steam methane reforming (SMR) combined with CCS. The opportunities for and impact of hydrogen deployment are assessed per Member State and are summarised in individual fiches per Member State.
The study analyses to what extent policy measures and industrial initiatives are already being taken to facilitate large-scale implementation of hydrogen in this and the next decades. The study concludes by determining the CO2 reduction potential beyond what is foreseen in the NECPs through hydrogen energy technologies, estimating the reduction of fossil fuel imports and reliance, the prospective cost, and the value added and jobs created. National teams working on decarbonisation roadmaps and updates of the NECPs are welcome to consider the opportunities and benefits of hydrogen deployment identified in this study.
The hype around hydrogen is growing in Europe: following the European Union (EU) unveiling its ground-breaking strategy in July, European Member States are putting hydrogen at the top of investments priorities of the post-covid-19 economic recovery strategy. Among others, France and Germany revealed their plan to dedicate respectively €7 and €9 billion from public funds over the next ten years to creating a hydrogen industry. To what extent can hydrogen play a role in mitigating climate change? How are recovery plans addressing the potential pitfalls around its development? On both of these aspects, EU cooperation will be key to ensure the building of an adequate energy infrastructure and the creation of a competitive, efficient clean hydrogen market where hydrogen is restricted to priority uses.
Bruno Le Maire et Barbara Pompili ont présenté la nouvelle stratégie hydrogène du Gouvernement qui vise à lancer une filière industrielle en France. Une ambition saluée par les acteurs qui doivent désormais honorer le rendez-vous et monter les projets.
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The IEA’s report released earlier this year, “Hydrogen in North-Western Europe: A vision towards 2030”, welcomes the fact that the six countries analysed – Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK – have the ambition to build a hydrogen economy. They are Europe’s major hydrogen producers and consumers, have major ports that already service this sector, have natural gas infrastructure that can be repurposed, and access to new offshore wind and carbon storage capacity that can make low or no-carbon hydrogen. But the report’s main purpose is to warn that the current pipeline of projects is not enough to meet ambitions. Policies must be strengthened, with better coordination. The report makes its recommendations, including the development of an integrated regional market, support for innovation and market size scale-up, and the creation of a strategy for new production capacities for low-carbon hydrogen.
The Green Hydrogen Problem That No One Is Talking About
Gigawatt upon gigawatt of green hydrogen capacity is being planned across Europe, Asia, and Australia. According to proponents of the technology, green hydrogen – the kind produced through electrolysis powered by solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources – is the best way to decarbonize heavy polluter industries. There is much talk about the falling costs of solar and wind and how they will make green hydrogen viable very soon. What nobody seems to want to talk about is water. Electrolysis is the process of breaking down water into its constituent elements – hydrogen and oxygen – using an electric current. The process is performed in an installation called an electrolyzer. When hydrogen advocates talk about the bright future of the technology, they focus on the costs associated with the electricity needed for the electrolysis. But electrolysis, besides electricity, needs water.
This study compares the cost of several low-greenhouse gas (GHG) or GHG-neutral residential heating technologies in the year 2050: (1) hydrogen boilers, (2) hydrogen fuel cells with an auxiliary hydrogen boiler for cold spells, (3) air-source heat pumps using renewable electricity, and (4) heat pumps with an auxiliary hydrogen boiler for cold spells. The assessment includes
Existing gas networks should be repurposed to transport hydrogen and help boost demand, said Michał Kurtyka, Polish Minister of Climate and Environment at an online event about hydrogen in Central and Eastern Europe on Friday (12 February).
Avoid hydrogen for heating homes, urges energy efficiency coalition
A coalition of 33 business and civil society groups have urged the European Commission to prioritise renewables and energy efficiency over hydrogen as part of Europe’s efforts to decarbonise buildings.
Only last year, The European Commission was looking at natural gas as a bridge to renewable energy. Climate Chief Frans Timmermans said, “There’s one thing I have to acknowledge: in some areas of transition, the use of natural gas will probably be necessary to shift from coal to sustainable energy.” But the thinking is changing. Now Dr. Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank, says : “To put it mildly, gas is over. This is a serious departure from the past, but without the end to the use of unabated fossil fuels, we will not be able to reach the climate targets.”
Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain have issued a joint letter calling on the European Union to clearly prioritise renewable energies under an EU-led project aiming to accelerate hydrogen deployment, research and infrastructure.
The European Union launched on Thursday (17 December) a hydrogen “important project of common European interest”, or IPCEI, with 23 European countries signing a manifesto paving the way for a cleaner hydrogen value chain.
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier chaired Thursday’s launch event, which saw Norway and 22 other European countries signing a declaration of intent, or manifesto, in support of the initiative.
However, the five EU countries see the move with scepticism, warning the initiative must not be used as a backdoor to finance fossil gas infrastructure.
Hydrogen produced with renewable energy sources – or “green” hydrogen – has emerged as a key element to achieve net-zero emissions from heavy industry and transport. Along with net-zero commitments by growing numbers of governments, green hydrogen has started gaining momentum based on low-cost renewable electricity, ongoing technological improvements and the benefits of greater power-system flexibility.
Hydrogen-based fuels previously attracted interest mainly as an alternative to shore up oil supply. However, green hydrogen, as opposed to the “grey” (fossil-based) or “blue” (hybrid) varieties, also help to boost renewables in the energy mix and decarbonise energy-intensive industries.
This report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) outlines the main barriers that inhibiting green hydrogen uptake and the policies needed to address these. It also offers insights on how to kickstart the green hydrogen sector as a key enabler of the energy transition at the national or regional level.
Supported by Breakthrough Energy, the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center will advance a sector that is key to meeting Europe’s net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal by 2050 EIT InnoEnergy the leading engine for innovation and entrepreneurship in sustainable energy in Europe, today (November 4th) launched the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center (EGHAC), an unprecedented effort to support the development of an annual €100 billion green hydrogen economy by 2025 that could create half a million direct and indirect jobs across the green hydrogen value chain. The initiative is supported by Breakthrough Energy, a network of entities founded by Bill Gates and the world’s top tech and business leaders to speed the transition to a clean energy future.
Noir, brun, gris, bleu, turquoise, vert, jaune… Pour différencier l’hydrogène produit à partir de composés fossiles ou d’énergies renouvelables, on lui a donné des couleurs. Sauf qu’avec son électricité nucléaire, la France a dû inventer hydrogène décarboné, pas vraiment vert, mais pas tout jaune non plus. Et s’écharpe sur le sujet avec l’Allemagne.
Yesterday, 6 October, the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a document called “Hydrogen Roadmap: a commitment to renewable hydrogen”. The vision described in it is that of a green economy centred around the sustainable production of hydrogen, as a clean fuel source. If carried out correctly this would result in having a fully renewable electricity system in the Iberian country by 2050 as well as the generation of multiple sustainable jobs for its population.
On the surface, Hydrogen, the most common element in the universe, seems like the answer to every energy question. But, what drawbacks does it face?
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