Plenty of renewable energy resources makes them an ideal source for producing economically-viable hydrogen.
FREMONT, CA: As the world tries to cut carbon emissions, electric power is emerging as a vital energy source from renewable sources. Despite this trend, industry and transport will still need combustible fuels. Hydrogen can address such needs, which can be generated through renewable power.
According to a report, the cost to produce and distribute hydrogen from clean energy sources will drop by 50 percent in the upcoming decade. Currently, hydrogen is generated via natural gas and coal reactions and plays no role in limiting carbonic emissions. However, as per Forbes, the world aims to generate hydrogen from low-carbon energy sources and enhance its usage in power generation.
Some crucial factors are working in favor of hydrogen-based energy generation. For instance, the cost of renewable energy sources is constantly falling while the need to reduce greenhouse gases is gaining momentum.
In addition, solar panels are increasingly being used to produce electricity that can be stored in a battery before it’s mixed with an electrolyzer that creates pure hydrogen gas. Significant energy losses occur when hydrogen is generated and transported using traditional means. However, the losses become insignificant when the energy source for producing hydrogen is solar, as it’s free and abundant.
Hydrogen can replace fossil-based feedstocks. Hydrogen can replace fossil-based feedstocks in high-emission applications. For example, hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas or industrial carbon dioxide to produce syngas. In addition, hydrogen can offer low-carbon mobility via fuel-cell electric vehicles.
Thus, renewable energy system-powered hydrogen can attain immense significance in the long run. Furthermore, the constant improvement in technology and manufacturing infrastructure will further enable the researchers to produce economically-viable hydrogen.
