The European Commission has proposed a Hydrogen Accelerator, envisioning scaling renewable hydrogen domestic production to 10 million tons, along with 10 million additional tons of hydrogen imports. According to the Commission, reaching such a proposal/production will require a massive scale-up of electrolyzer capacity, which involves the manufacturing sector increasing their short- and long-term targets for 2025 and 2030.
But, Is hydrogen production economically practicable? Is hydrogen more efficient than electricity in different regions? Is hydrogen fuel production sustainable?
Several ways to produce hydrogen from domestic resources, including fossil fuels, biomass, and water electrolysis with electricity; hydrogen’s environmental impact and efficiency depend on how it is made. The electrolysis plant’s hydrogen production efficiency is around 80% electrolyzers, requiring little maintenance.
The project on hydrogen in the EU strategy for energy system integration was adopted in 2020 to create a European hydrogen ecosystem from research and innovation to scale up production and infrastructure.It helps bring together the industries national and local authorities, civil society, and other stakeholders.
The proposal outlines the challenges industries face in advancing the electrolyzer capacity and reports commitments and initiatives to overlook the obstacles.
The Commission highlights a series of actions, including widening the market for renewable hydrogen, developing raw materials partnerships with other countries to avoid raw materials dependency issues, and focusing on high-quality project proposals aligned with EU Climate targets.
The proposal includes the establishment of an “Electrolyser Partnership” to bring electrolyzer manufacturers and suppliers of components and materials within the existing structures of the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance.
Clean renewable is becoming critical in the low carbon transition. Hydrogen from water electrolysis is now cost-competitive and another piece of a path for the low-carbon economy. The advantage of using electrolysis will improve with constant support from the regulation and market growth and get cheaper and more efficient in more sun and wind regions. It still requires high investments for industries to approve and a standardized regulatory framework to support large initiatives.
