H₂ price According to Alexis, the price of hydrogen solutions will still fall in the long term thanks to economies of scale in production and technological advances around fuel cells. However, he does not expect substantial price drops for the electricity needed to generate green hydrogen from water. This plays against the price of green hydrogen. Competing with cheaper diesel requires a whole range of incentives: subsidies, carbon pricing, low taxes and customers’ willingness to pay ‘a bit more’ for low-emission transport. Innovation in fuel supply and pricing models is also needed to get more customers to switch to zero-emission transport.
Another price-cutting factor Alexis sees in the storage and transportation of hydrogen in liquid form. “The energy density of liquid hydrogen is three times that of gaseous hydrogen. Therefore, you need to bunker less often. At ENGIE, we are now researching the use of liquid hydrogen for smaller aircrafts and ships together with aviation and maritime companies.”
Air Liquide Diederick Luijten, vice president hydrogen energy for Northwest Europe at Air Liquide, explains how his company sees its role in inland navigation and in RH₂INE. “Transport is one of the most carbon-intensive sectors. Therefore, it is important to address this sector to meet the common EU climate target of climate neutrality by 2050. The RH₂INE platform provides a pathway to this end. It develops synergies between energy and transport networks in and around ports, involving the entire hydrogen value chain, from production to distribution and use.”
H₂-energy transition Hydrogen - and its derivatives - is widely recognised as crucial for a successful energy transition. According to research institute IRENA and the Hydrogen Council, hydrogen could account for between 10 and 20 per cent of the energy mix by 2050. It is one energy source that can decarbonise both industry and heavy transport. That is why hydrogen is central to Air Liquide’s solutions to decarbonise the economy. “We observe a growing interest in Europe in the deployment of hydrogen in inland and coastal shipping. Because a key advantage of hydrogen is its relatively high energy density, while the impact on cargo space is minimal.”
Hydrogen, or its derivatives like ammonia and methanol, combined with batteries, can decarbonise intensive heavy road and waterway transport. In doing so, Air Liquide is looking at fuel cell technology as well as hydrogen combustion engines. Both technologies are promising options currently undergoing rapid development.
H₂ and inland navigation Air Liquide is focusing its growth strategy on the Benelux region, among others, concentrating on key industrial basins for cooperation and innovation. “It is a challenge to decarbonise inland shipping in this region. Besides dealing with the technical complexity, it is difficult to bring the whole sector into the energy transition. The majority of inland vessels are owned by small companies. Usually, these companies do not own more than one vessel. RH₂INE brings all these companies together and illustrates the need to join forces within the sector, and do so together with other parties in the chain.”
22 • RH2INE H2 plant in Benelux. Photo Air Liquide
By participating in the RH₂INE project, which aims to reduce CO₂ emissions by 22 kilotonnes by 2026, Air Liquide is bringing its more than 20 years of experience in hydrogen development to the project. “Air Liquide’s contribution to the decarbonisation of the maritime sector is one of numerous initiatives to fulfil its own promise. By 2050, the Air Liquide Group aims to be carbon neutral.”
Within the RH₂INE project, Air Liquide, on one hand, acts as a hydrogen supplier. On the other hand, it is closely involved in developing the technology to supply the ships with hydrogen. “Our aim is to optimise the refuelling process and keep the duration of the refuelling procedure as short as possible. Swappable hydrogen tanks are most appropriate for this purpose. Moreover, we think ship owners do not want to own and manage the containers themselves. A solution has yet to crystallise for these tasks, in which Air Liquide would like to play a role.”
H₂ in internal combustion engines “In shipping, we are seeing accelerated adoption of electric propulsion of ships. We are very happy about this, as it allows a ship to be powered by batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, and sometimes diesel generators as back-up. With this electric option, a ship can avoid 2,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions on an annual basis, compared to conventional ships.
However, we need a portfolio of different innovative technologies to move the energy transition forward quickly so that we can move towards a fully zero-emission inland navigation. We therefore also see opportunities for the sector in ‘dual fuel’ engines where hydrogen is injected into an internal combustion engine together with diesel. The same, properly equipped engine can then meet increasingly stringent emission requirements by increasing the percentage of hydrogen in the dual-fuel blend.
It is abundantly clear to us that hydrogen is going to play an important role in inland navigation. As Air Liquide, we look forward to taking the decarbonisation journey together with RH2 INE and the industry.”
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