What are the benefits of Hydrogen for net-zero?
Hydrogen has been touted as one of the key methods of energy production that will aid in the energy transition. But what is hydrogen energy and how is it produced? There are a number of different types of hydrogen, one such method is
Power-to-Liquid (P2L), which transforms renewable energy into e-fuels, also known as liquid hydrogen. The way we produce P2L hydrogen is as follows:
How does Power-to-Liquid (P2L) Hydrogen work?
Types of Hydrogen and their environmental impact
While green hydrogen is well-known, there are also grey, blue, pink, and white hydrogen variants:
How Hydrogen supports the net-zero transition
Hydrogen is a key tool in the successful transition to net zero, in some cases replacing fossil fuels in hard-to-decarbonise sectors. Some industries find it more difficult than others to reduce their carbon emissions because they have high energy requirements. Schemes like carbon offsetting or integrating renewables into their everyday operations isn’t appropriate because of the scale of the carbon emissions they produce. One such industry is shipping: it requires fuelling over very long distances in remote locations, and therefore, renewable energy isn’t the appropriate source of energy. P2L is a good solution here and also in the case of the industrial sector, which has extremely high energy needs.
Hydrogen also plays a role in power generation and industrial heat. Processes such as heating, thermochemical, roasting, and drying require a lot of energy, which usually utilises fossil fuels. Another Power-to-Heat solution, Power-to-Heat (P2H), works by utilising thermal energy created as a byproduct of renewable energy production. This is an effective way to make use of unneeded energy produced by a renewable process. Other P2H processes electrify heating actions, eradicating the need for fossil fuels.
What are the environmental benefits of Hydrogen energy
The benefit of using hydrogen in fuel cells is that it’s a zero-emission fuel – it doesn’t produce carbon emissions, just heat and vapour. The only output from hydrogen fuels cells is water, electricity and heat, making it an eco-friendly and green source of energy.
It also reduces the carbon footprint of the transport and heavy industry sectors. In Power-to-Liquid (P2L), as mentioned above, heavy industry can use hydrogen as a drop-in replacement for fossil fuels, utilising hydrogen as a fuel over long periods. This also makes it a suitable solution for the transport industry.
Economic and strategic advantages of Hydrogen
While hydrogen faces competitive and infrastructure challenges, its advantages include:
Energy independence
Fuel diversification
New clean energy jobs
Role of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR)
AFIR mandates:
This will encourage wider hydrogen adoption in transport and logistics.
Hydrogen’s role in energy storage and grid stability
Seasonal storage and backup supply
Hydrogen fuel cells store renewable energy for long durations, helping to balance the grid and provide backup power in emergencies.
Converting excess renewable energy into Hydrogen
Hydrogen helps absorb energy surpluses during high production periods (e.g., windstorms), preventing waste and making renewables more efficient.
Challenges to Hydrogen adoption and future outlook
Key barriers to Hydrogen deployment
As with many clean energy solutions, not all of the issues have been ironed out in implementation. Cost, infrastructure, and policy hurdles are three of the most prominent issues with hydrogen for net-zero.
Hydrogen development and the infrastructure required to distribute it are major concerns. The current grid is composed of legacy equipment and distribution network, which would likely result in coupling problems between hydrogen systems and the grid. To retrofit the current infrastructure would also be a cost and policy nightmare - it’s an expensive process with many legislative hurdles to overcome one of the biggest cost and policy hurdles is the hydrogen infrastructure. Pipeline projects, for example, can damage the pipelines they flow through, causing degrading and decreasing the lifetime of the pipes.
Infrastructure compatibility and safety concerns
Corrosion to the pipes can leak, which then becomes a policy issue. Policy can demand that certain standards are introduced to prevent leakage of hydrogen into the atmosphere. For example, it can be mandated that pipelines must be manufactured from materials that are resistant to hydrogen—the ISO 15156 Standard prescribes hardness limits for materials that will not be subject to SSC in hydrogen sulphide environments.
Hydrogen offers a versatile, low-emission solution for sectors that are difficult to electrify, making it an essential pillar in global decarbonisation strategies. With continued investment, infrastructure upgrades, and supportive policies, hydrogen is set to power a cleaner, more resilient energy future.
