Currently, most hydrogen production is based on fossil fuels, with less than 1% being produced from renewable electricity or with carbon capture and storage (CCS). According to the IEA, hydrogen demand will increase at least 4 times by 2050. Clean hydrogen‘s critical role in facilitating emissions reductions means that a facts-based allocation of scarce resources, such as renewable electricity and clean hydrogen, is key.
Future Cleantech Architects’ new Hydrogen Guardrails Report offers guidance for deploying hydrogen to decarbonize industry and heavy transport.
The report expands on the current state of hydrogen in Europe as well as detailing the various hydrogen production pathways from fossil to renewable, and the challenges of handling, transporting, and using hydrogen. It makes four recommendations to guide hydrogen deployment:
- Decarbonize first current hydrogen uses
- Prioritize hard-to-abate sectors
- Abandon incompatible sectors
- Invest in RD&D to close commercialization gaps
The report proposes to prioritzes hydrogen as follows:
High-and medium-priority sectors: Sectors that currently are or will be dependent on hydrogen as a feedstock, such as chemicals, refinery and steel, are high priority. Sectors that are hard-to-abate with limited alternative decarbonization solutions, such as aviation and shipping, should receive priority access to clean hydrogen only once hydrogen-dependent sectors have transitioned to clean hydrogen, or when clean hydrogen is available in such abundance that it allows including these sectors.
Non-priority sectors: Sectors for which effective alternative decarbonization solutions exist, such as direct electrification, should be excluded from hydrogen deployment strategies including public funding. That would include buildings, road transport, and electricity generation.
You can find the complete report here.