Green Hydrogen’s Role in Energy Security, Resilience and Independence

The Green Hydrogen Coalition recently hosted a webinar that discussed the role of green hydrogen in mitigating the global energy crisis. It covered the current situation in Europe, the global energy reality, and the role of green hydrogen in the global energy economy.

The energy crisis

The energy crisis has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, but our energy challenge predates this geopolitical conflict. The war has highlighted the frailty of the energy system and the nature of our fossil fuel dependence on almost everything - electricity, transportation, industry, heating, and food. This is especially being felt in Europe, where prices are high, and there is a scramble to secure energy for the coming winter. Importantly, it spotlights the need to accelerate the development of renewable energy solutions, particularly those with low lifecycle carbon (not reliant on fossil fuels) and those that address needs that cannot be electrified.

A macro view of global energy realities offers a sobering backdrop to the challenges we face in decarbonizing economies while ensuring sustainability and resilience. The amount of clean energy production required to maintain our way of life (or even a scaled-down version of it) requires that we double down on efforts to develop a multitude of solutions. The terrible duo of the climate and energy crises demands an all-hand-on-deck and systems problem-solving approach.

Enter Green H2

An area of opportunity is hydrogen. This energy carrier will allow us to decarbonize sectors like aviation, marine transport, heavy ground transport, and high-heat industrial processes. Hydrogen can also be used for grid storage and fertilizer production. The challenge, of course, is that most of the hydrogen produced today comes from coal or natural gas. For hydrogen to make any sense, it must be generated using clean energy. Further investment in fossil-based hydrogen only prolongs our dependence on planet-warming gas and coal and prevents us from addressing the energy and climate crises.

Hydrogen created from clean, renewable energy is a critical solution but is a challenge to generate at the scale needed to replace liquid fuels and fuel for industrial products like steel, cement, and glass. The key barrier is access to abundant low-cost renewable or low-carbon energy. This is required to run industrial electrolyzers and, in some instances, desalination systems to generate needed water.

This webinar offers insight into the energy crisis and the role green hydrogen will play in mitigating the crisis. Take a moment to view if you are curious about this space.

The panelists include Dr. Florian Knobloch (Policy Advisor for Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action) and Thierry Lepercq (Founder HyDeal Ambition Soladvent).

For more information on the Green Hydrogen Coalition, visit www.ghcoalition.org.