RENEWABLE ENERGY
FUELLING THE H FUTURE
A look at several new innovations that promise to open the door to competitively-priced green hydrogen
ydrogen is well positioned to be the fuel of the future. However, a commercially viable transition to green
hydrogen, the environmentally friendly version of the fuel, seems perpetually 10-15 years away. While current processing techniques like electrolysis continue to improve, they still are not able to unlock the potential of green hydrogen for one simple reason: cost. Hydrogen, the most abundant
element in the universe, is an incredibly eff icient form of energy that produces zero emissions when burned. Yet, corporations, investors, and even many governments are hesitant to heavily fund technologies that are not cost-competitive with existing alternatives. Fortunately, two notable advancements in green hydrogen processing are promising to close the cost gap. These innovations diff er from the
two most common forms of generating hydrogen today by employing one of the most abundant minerals in the Earth’s crust to unlock low-cost green hydrogen. The developments, which utilise aluminum and water, could enable large-scale operations like power generation plants, along with numerous other applications.
SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE While there are some common drawbacks with hydrogen – including storage, transportation, and safety – none are viewed as obstacles large enough to defl ate hydrogen’s potential as an ideal fuel of the future. The problem continues to be with
Hydrogen, the most
abundant element in the universe, is an incredibly
eff icient form of energy that produces zero emissions when burned
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the limitations of current production techniques. While hydrogen is abundant, it is almost always found within compounds, like water (H2O) or methane (CH4). Separating hydrogen from methane using steam-methane reforming (SMR), also referred to as blue hydrogen, is by far the most common commercial option and, up until now, the most cost eff ective. However, a byproduct of the SMR
includes carbon dioxide (CO2) which contributes to climate change and can have negative environmental and health impacts. As a result, SMR increasingly requires carbon capture and storage, which increases both the cost and complexity of the production
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