Anti-Russian sanctions make Europe look for new energy sources, one of which is hydrogen.
In the future, a partial transition to it is possible, but it will not completely replace gas. Dmitry Koptev, an expert of the Institute for the Development of Fuel and Energy Complex Technologies (IRTTEK), told about it.
“If we talk about combustion of gas and hydrogen in furnaces of TPPs and household appliances, technologically this process differs only in requirements for equipment,” Koptev noted in a conversation with Prime news agency.
In addition to the adjustment of burners, as explained by the interlocutor of the agency, this includes increased requirements for seals, pipelines and storages. The hydrogen molecule, Koptev explained, is much smaller than the methane molecule, so hydrogen is more volatile. He warned that a mixture of hydrogen and air is extremely explosive.
Now the transition of European production to hydrogen is impossible, according to Koptev.
“This hydrogen is nowhere to be found. <…> According to the plans of the International Energy Agency, by 2050 the production of hydrogen should be about 530 million tons, but even then it will take no more than 20% of the world energy balance, and half of it will still be gas,” Koptev explained.
In addition, hydrogen is not a cheap resource. For Europe, the cheapest option remains pipeline Russian gas.
“Thus, I do not expect a mass transition to hydrogen in the foreseeable future – fossil fuels will remain the basis of energy,” Koptev believes.
