Green hydrogen demand is rising as the world moves toward renewable energy sources, which many nations around the globe rely on, to cut emissions and reach carbon neutrality.
New projects, agreements, and technology for producing and storing green hydrogen have been disclosed by numerous businesses and laboratories in Germany, Canada, the United States, Indonesia, and Thailand.
According to a study viewed by the specialized energy platform, US scientists developed a light-activated nanomaterial to convert ammonia into hydrogen and Canadian researchers disclosed a novel method to assemble catalysts for fuel cells.
According to a November 25 article in PV Magazine, a collection of German businesses intends to construct a 500 MW electrolyzer for a 1 GW green hydrogen project in the North Sea.
The German energy provider RWE and the Belgian company Tri Energy Solutions (TES) have agreed to construct an electrolyzer at the Belgian company’s green energy facility in Wilhelmshaven.
The electrolyzer will be operational by 2028 and have a 500 MW production capacity as part of efforts to reach 1 GW of on-site green hydrogen capacity.
The two firms stated in a joint statement that the declaration of intent “is part of Germany’s energy plan to harvest clean energy from the North Sea and develop green hydrogen production sources.” They also mentioned the potential to construct up to 2 GW of electrolyzer capacity.
Converting hydrogen from ammonia
A light-activated nanomaterial was created by Rice University researchers to transform ammonia into hydrogen. The scalable iron-copper catalyst, which breaks ammonia into hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas using cheap raw materials, simply requires the power of light.
The outcomes demonstrate that photocatalysis can be carried out effectively with low-cost LED photon sources.
According to data tracked by the specialized energy platform, the finest thermal catalysts are constructed from platinum and related precious metals like palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium.
In contrast, Canadian researchers from the Schulich College of Engineering at the University of Calgary presented a new technique for structuring catalysts for fuel cells. They used a larger catalyst support — a carbon particle that was 130 nanometers in size rather than 30 nanometers — and a larger catalyst support.
Demand for hydrogen in 2050
According to a report from the international management and consulting firm McKinsey & Company, if four key criteria are met, the world’s total demand for hydrogen might reach 600 million to 660 million tons by 2050.
According to her, the sector should improve supplier competitiveness, boost domestic demand, encourage collaboration across value chains, and create mobility technology that uses liquid hydrogen or ammonia as its fuel.
In 2030, an additional cost of between $2.50 and $3 per kilogram of hydrogen may result from turning hydrogen into ammonia for transport from the Middle East to Europe and back again.
Given that green hydrogen production prices in the region could be less than $2/kg by 2030, the corporation recognized its significance.
supplying hydrogen energy to trains
Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory of the US Department of Energy have started a four-year experiment to power the upcoming generation of trains with up to 100% hydrogen and other low-carbon fuels.
The single-cylinder, dual-fuel locomotive engine “Waptec” was installed by the experts at the National Transportation Research Center.
According to a November 25 article in PV Magazine, the Oak Ridge Laboratory research team said it would focus on creating hardware and control schemes for the engine, which will run on hydrogen and diesel fuel, to demonstrate the viability of using alternative fuels.
Capturing and storing hydrogen
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand and the multinational Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have inked a contract to investigate and exchange information on hydrogen and carbon capture, usage, and storage in the nation. The collaboration will last for the next three years.
In order to collaborate on hydrogen development in Indonesia, the government-owned power provider BLIN (Purusahan Lester Negar) and Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
According to the specialized energy platform, ACWA Power said that the two parties will construct 4 gigawatts of battery storage capacity for renewable energy facilities and hydroelectric hydrogen development projects in Indonesia.
The first cryogenic hydrogen tank was constructed at Airbus in Bremen, Germany, roughly a year ago. In response, Airbus is creating cryogenic hydrogen storage tanks for hydrogen use in Nantes, France.
