L R AS Published on Monday 11 January 2021 - n° 345 - Categories:hydrogen
Many uncertainties around hydrogen
Green hydrogen remains an emerging technology. While its use for decarbonisation is not debated, the sectors involved and the cases of use are less clear. It is associated with maritime transport, land freight vehicles and aviation.
It can also be used for heating and a variety of industrial purposes, with industry being the main customer for green hydrogen.
Green hydrogen is produced from renewable energies. Blue hydrogen is produced from hydrocarbons from which carbon is removed.
Three markets - Europe, Australia and the Middle East - have benefited either from a favourable political environment, commitments to large projects, or a combination of both.
The interest in solar energy stems from the fact that the abundance of solar energy influences the price per kWh downwards. If solar energy is taken off the market and used for hydrogen production, there is a win-win situation. Countries with high insolation (Spain, Portugal) will be able to supply hydrogen to industrial countries (such as Germany), but hydrogen could well be delivered to Germany by Australia under an agreement already reached.
For the moment, specialists are not determining the price of the solar kWh to make hydrogen production profitable. The current reference is €30 per MWh, while prices of €20 or even €15/MWh should be reached within the next five to ten years. Even at €13.90 per MWh, no one can say whether it will be possible to produce competitive hydrogen at that price.
PV Tech of December 29th
