New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Hydrogen outlook: new realism or missed opportunity?
20/7/2022
6 min read
Feature
Ambitious forecasts for hydrogen demand in the energy transition through to 2050 are being re-examined by analysts at DNV, with an emphasis on potential applications in difficult-to-electrify, hard-to-abate sectors, writes Brian Davis.
Development of the hydrogen economy in the energy transition has always been a big ambition, given the potential for clean emissions. Although hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, the tiny molecule is locked into compounds like fossil fuels, gases and water. And it takes a vast amount of energy to release those molecules.
Nevertheless, it can be done, either through the process of making ‘blue hydrogen’, using steam methane reforming or auto thermal reforming to separate the hydrogen from CO2, which is then captured via carbon capture and storage (CCS). Or, through producing ‘green hydrogen’ by applying electrolysis, powered by renewable electricity, to water to isolate hydrogen from oxygen.
In its latest Hydrogen Forecast report, DNV suggests that hydrogen is likely to satisfy just 5% of global energy demand by 2050. This figure is said to be two thirds less than is required in a net zero pathway. Furthermore, much stronger policies are needed globally to push hydrogen to the levels needed to meet the Paris Agreement.