Green Hydrogen Prioritizes Hard-to-Electrify Industries
To achieve a carbon-free economy, green hydrogen emerges as an essential energy vector. However, producing it requires enormous amounts of renewable electricity, making it a valuable and limited resource. The current strategy is not to disperse it, but to apply it precisely in sectors where its impact on reducing emissions is maximum and where other clean solutions fail. 🎯
Strategic Approach for a Scarce Resource
Energy experts propose allocating this fuel tactically. The goal is to use it where it can replace fossil fuels most effectively and where there are no viable options like direct electrification. This approach avoids wasting a key resource on applications where more efficient alternatives already exist.
Main candidates for its priority use:- Steel industry: To reduce iron ore by replacing coke coal, a currently highly polluting process.
- Chemical production: Especially for manufacturing ammonia in fertilizers, replacing gray hydrogen extracted from natural gas.
- High-energy-demand transportation: Where electric batteries present insurmountable technical limitations in the short term.
The strategy is not to water with a hose, but to use a syringe to inject green hydrogen precisely where fossil fuel dependence hurts the most.
Key Applications in Heavy Industry
Steel manufacturing and the chemical industry are massive consumers of hydrogen. Currently, they obtain it from fossil sources, generating a large carbon footprint. Implementing green hydrogen in these processes can transform entire sectors and achieve very significant global emission reductions. The change is not only environmental, but also technological. ⚙️
Advantages in these sectors:- Achieves deep decarbonization in processes that are inherently difficult to electrify.
- Offers a technically viable route to maintain industrial production without emitting CO2.
- Its impact multiplies by acting on industries that are the foundation of many others.
Transportation that Challenges Batteries
Beyond industry, heavy and long-distance transportation emerges as another crucial beneficiary. For maritime transport, long-range aviation, and road freight, batteries present problems with range, weight, and recharging time. Hydrogen, used in fuel cells, offers greater energy density and quick refueling times, making it technically more viable. 🚚✈️
In conclusion, the path for green hydrogen is one of precision and prioritization. Its success does not depend only on producing it, but on directing it intelligently to the most complex decarbonization challenges. By focusing on steelmaking, chemicals, and heavy transport, its effect in the fight against climate change can be maximized, acting where other clean technologies still cannot reach.