Over the last few years, the attention given to green H2 has tremendously grown to unprecedented levels. It’s the biggest talk now in the energy world and projects around it are running into billions of dollars. Interestingly, the attention it enjoys is from almost all parts of the world. Every country or biggest company in every industry wants to take part in the transition from fossil fuel to clean and sustainable green H2.
Now, here is the big question! Is green H2 truly the only option that can help decarbonize heavy energy users and industries that have for years been accused of emitting excess carbon? Well, while there exists a great potential in green H2, its production, and the transition process, are not without challenges. Arguably, there is a lot to do before the world celebrates green H2 as the energy source of the future.
Indeed, there is a need for both speed and innovations that will solve the current problems associated with the production of green H2. Yes, there is a need for countries of the world and big companies to work together towards achieving large-scale production. In so doing, the push to reduce emissions by 2030 will not only be achieved but much of the challenges experienced during the process will also be reduced.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the rapid spread is desirable if the world is to achieve zero carbon emissions by the year 2050. Much of the work has to be done now and the greatest reductions in the release of carbon should happen now or within the next few years, in less than a decade. Thereafter, the process can be slower provided the gains made are not reversed.
Notably, one of the worrying trends when it comes to the efforts to stop adverse climatic conditions is the laxity among companies and other players in taking up technologies. For instance, there have been technologies developed in the past to help reduce carbon emissions. However, the lack of motivation to rapidly transition has made it impossible for the world to enjoy the full benefits associated with such technologies. For instance, a few years ago, carbon capture and storage (CCS), was developed and promoted as a climate solution, but its low adoption rates made it ineffective.
So, for any new technology such as the green H2, there must be plans for rapid transition. Without such efforts, then there might not be significant gains in decarbonization soon. For green H2, efforts should not be made to just produce it. There is also a need to scale it up within just a few years and not decades even if there are challenges. That’s the only way to ensure that technologies and new energy sources that look promising and might be the best to replace fossil fuels will be made useful now.
To wrap it up, yes green H2 comes with many benefits. It exists in abundance, is clean, and is versatile, but only if used and promoted faster. One way to do so is to come up with plans in years and not decades. In so doing, there will be no temptation to waste time thinking that it’s too early to fast-track things. In simple terms, big projects should be broken down into milestones that can be executed within just a few years.
For green H2 to help the world to achieve a climate-compatible future, the focus now should be how to upscale production. One method that has been identified is to find ways to build electrolyzers not to just hit high capacity targets, but also as a way of promoting the use of renewable energy. In so doing, carbon emissions will reduce both in the current decade and in several years to come.
