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Can hydrogen really bring Germany out of its dependence on Russian gas? The federal government wants to deepen its cooperation with Canada on this issue, but it won’t be that easy with hydrogen technology.
Hydrogen is not per se green, sustainable and low in CO2. The Federal Government’s hydrogen commissioner, Stefan Kaufmann, explains in the 350th episode of the podcast “important today” the different types of element and explains problems: “There are currently very few green hydrogen production plants, all of which have yet to be built. What we currently have in industrial processes, for example in the chemical industry or in the production of fertilizers, is gray hydrogen. However, the production of gray hydrogen using natural gas releases a lot of CO2 – and that is exactly what we want to prevent with green hydrogen. It’s now about a transformation: replace gray hydrogen with green hydrogen, using electrolysis processes. And for that we need a lot of additional renewable energy.”
Green, pink, gray and blue hydrogen
But there are also other ways of generating hydrogen and the different processes also result in different CO2 emissions and the energy required for this: “Green hydrogen, as we talk about it here in Germany, is hydrogen from renewable energies, that’s a clear definition. The pink hydrogen from nuclear energy, more climate-friendly than gray hydrogen (from natural gas).” And if the CO2 does not simply escape during the production of hydrogen, but is stored or even fuels are produced from it, then the hydrogen is used as a “blue” designated.
It all depends on the mix
Which renewable energy is used where should be looked at individually, Kaufmann advocates. Then: “Fuel cell buses are still significantly more expensive than combustion engine buses, but of course also as electric buses. Therefore, when it comes to mobility, you always have to look at where electric makes sense and where does hydrogen make sense. With large machines, with buses that, for example, in my hometown of Stuttgart, travel a lot up and down hill and valley, even in winter, the battery is often not sufficient. With heavy construction machinery and snow cats, with large excavators, everywhere, an electric motor will probably not be enough – there a hydrogen combustion engine or the fuel cell is the better option. In a small car, a battery certainly makes more sense.”
In order to reduce the CO2 balance, it will therefore depend on how much green hydrogen Germany can produce. But this in turn requires a lot of renewable energy.
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Source: Stern
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
