Hydrogen’s role in the clean energy transition

Hydrogen is an important part of the clean energy transition because it allows us to store renewable energy and decarbonise industrial processes.

To tackle climate change, most of the world’s largest carbon emitters have pledged to achieve net-zero by 2050. To realise this goal, governments are investing in renewable energy infrastructure such as onshore and offshore wind, solar, bioenergy and pumped hydro. These clean energy sources generate electricity without producing emissions like the traditional, fossil-fuel based energy sources of coal, oil, and natural gas.

While some renewable energy can be used immediately when it is generated, we also need renewable energy to be available when the wind isn’t blowing, and the sun isn’t shining. That is why governments are also investing in storage infrastructure such as batteries, hydro, geo-thermal, and hydrogen, all of which can release energy on demand whenever it is needed.

Hydrogen itself is not an energy source in the same way that fossil fuels are. Coal and natural gas, for example, can be used in their natural state as a fuel. Hydrogen in a usable form is not naturally occurring and must be made or produced. Energy is required to produce hydrogen by separating it from the other elements it is bound to. Once hydrogen is isolated from other elements it is then in a useable form.

The decision of when to use batteries, hydrogen, hydro or geo-thermal depends on what, when and how the energy is being used. Sometimes it will make sense to use batteries, such as for passenger cars that do not travel long distances or don’t need to be recharged quickly. In other applications, hydrogen makes more sense, such as in heavy haulage vehicles where batteries may be too big, bulky and reduce the available space to cart goods from one place to another.

Hydrogen is a versatile fuel that can be used to generate electricity, power vehicles and to produce heat, as well as help reduce carbon emissions when used in industrial processes such as ammonia and steel production.

Your task

In the comments below list where you think hydrogen might fit in to the energy mix and whether you think it is an important part of our transition to net zero.

You can also find out more about net zero and why it is important from the UN Climate Action website.