7 reasons why Spain and Portugal are about to become a green hydrogen powerhouse – WEF.
It is hard to imagine that today’s energy crisis is anything but a bad thing. It is hitting people in the pockets and, at the same time, damaging the planet: a scramble for energy security has meant a comeback for coal. Global greenhouse gas emissions are rising.
It is, however, possible that we will look back at this moment as a critical turning point in the fight against climate change. This crisis has reminded everybody that energy is everywhere and in everything. If energy costs more, everything costs more. This is focusing minds on a number of once-in-a-generation opportunities.
An example can be found on the Iberian Peninsula, which has everything it needs to become the hydrogen powerhouse of Europe.
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And make no mistake, Europe needs hydrogen.
The need for energy
Solar panels and wind turbines can help meet our need for electricity, but electricity is less than a fifth of the energy we use. To maximise decarbonisation, to get the most from solar and wind, we need to convert much more of our energy consumption to electricity.
Yet, even if we electrify everything that can be electrified we will still only have dealt with around half of our energy use. There are many sectors that rely on fossil fuels and cannot see a way to electrify: heavy road freight, shipping and aviation…heavy industry such as steel, cement and chemicals.
Green hydrogen is likely to be a big part of the answer. It can be made by using renewable electricity to split water molecules through electrolysis, or by using biomethane. This is “green hydrogen”, and it is carbon neutral.
It can be piped across long distances, compressed or liquefied. It can be used in planes, trucks and ships – converted into biofuels like biodiesel or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), into e-ammonia and e-methanol, or even burned directly as a fuel in some cases. It can be burned like natural gas, to produce heat for industrial processes, among many other uses.
In short, hydrogen is a highly flexible fuel. That is why the UN’s climate change body, the UNFCCC, believes hydrogen could meet up to 20% of global energy demand by 2050 – about the same share of the energy system that electricity has today.
That demand is already beginning to grow. In the summer, Germany launched the world’s first network of hydrogen-powered trains.H2 Green Steel is about to start building a hydrogen-based steel plant in northern Sweden. A matter of weeks ago, Rolls-Royce started testing a new hydrogen-fuelled jet engine.
Highlights:
- Green hydrogen is a highly flexible fuel that can help meet the need for energy.
- The Iberian Peninsula is in a unique position to become a green powerhouse.
- Spanish and Portuguese produced green hydrogen can be very cost effective.
7 reasons why Spain and Portugal are about to become a green hydrogen powerhouse, January 11, 2023
