Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T01:20:49.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

8 - The Hydrogen Economy

from Technologies for Decarbonising the Electricity Sector

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 October 2021

Kenneth G. H. Baldwin
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra
Mark Howden
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra
Michael H. Smith
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra
Karen Hussey
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Peter J. Dawson
Affiliation:
P. J. Dawson & Associates
Get access

Summary

Hydrogen could help transition the global energy system to a low-carbon future by providing an energy-dense, carbon-free fuel suitable for a wide range of applications. Hydrogen is already used extensively by industry; however, the current supply chain is relatively simple and relies heavily on fossil fuels, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions. The value chain for a future hydrogen economy will be more complex and require different technologies to be further developed and scaled up, including low-emission hydrogen production, large-scale storage and transport, and new energy and industry applications. Hydrogen produced with zero carbon emissions has the potential to be a major new globally traded commodity, which could enable countries with limited renewable energy potential to decarbonise their economies, diversify the global energy supply, and increase energy security. The emergence of the hydrogen economy faces economic, social acceptance and regulatory challenges. Governments around the world have a role to play in providing policies to address potential market failures, socialising the widespread use of hydrogen and establishing international governance and regulations.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ang, B. W., Choong, W. L. and Ng, T. S. (2015). Energy security: Definitions, dimensions and indexes. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 42, 10771093.Google Scholar
Balcombe, P., Brierly, J., Lewis, C. et al. (2019). How to decarbonise international shipping: Options for fuels, technologies and policies. Energy Conversion and Management, 182(January), 7288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bataille, C., Guivarch, C., Hallegatte, S. et al. (2018). Carbon prices across countries. Nature Climate Change, 8, 648650.Google Scholar
Bento, N. (2008). Building and interconnecting hydrogen networks: Insights from the electricity and gas experience in Europe. Energy Policy, 36, 30193028.Google Scholar
Bockris, J. O. and Appleby, A. J. (1972). The hydrogen economy: An ultimate economy? The Environment This Month, 1, 2935.Google Scholar
Bruce, S., Temminghoff, M., Hayward, J. et al. (2018). National Hydrogen Roadmap: Pathways to an Economically Sustainable Hydrogen Industry in Australia. Canberra: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Available at: www.csiro.au/en/Do-business/Futures/Reports/Hydrogen-Roadmap.Google Scholar
Buttler, A. and Spliethoff, H. (2018). Current status of water electrolysis for energy storage, grid balancing and sector coupling via power-to-gas and power-to-liquids: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 82, 24402454.Google Scholar
Caldera, U., Bogdanov, D., Afanasyeva, S. et al. (2017). Role of seawater desalination in the management of an integrated water and 100% renewable energy based power sector in Saudi Arabia. Water, 10. DOI: 10.3390/w10010003.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (2017). Report of the High-Level Commission on Carbon Prices. Washington, DC: World Bank. Available at: www.carbonpricingleadership.org/report-of-the-highlevel-commission-on-carbon-prices.Google Scholar
CertifHy (2015). Overview of the market segmentation for hydrogen across potential customer groups, based on key application areas. CertifyHy. Available at: www.certifhy.eu/images/D1_2_Overview_of_the_market_segmentation_Final_22_June_low-res.pdf.Google Scholar
Cetinkaya, E., Dincer, I. and Naterer, G. F. (2012). Life cycle assessment of various hydrogen production methods. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 37, 20712080.Google Scholar
Chapman, A., Itaoka, K., Hirose, K. et al. (2019). A review of four case studies assessing the potential for hydrogen penetration of the future energy system. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 44, 63716382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, T.-Y., Huang, D.-R. and Huang, A. Y.-J. (2016). An empirical study on the public perception and acceptance of hydrogen energy in Taiwan. International Journal of Green Energy, 13, 15791584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clean Energy Ministerial (2019). Hydrogen initiative: An initiative of the clean energy ministerial. Clean Energy Ministerial. Available at: www.cleanenergyministerial.org/initiative-clean-energy-ministerial/hydrogen-initiative.Google Scholar
COAG Energy Council Hydrogen Working Group (2019). Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy. Canberra: COAG Energy Council. Available at: www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/australias-national-hydrogen-strategy.Google Scholar
Committee on Climate Change (2018). Hydrogen in a Low-Carbon Economy. London: Committee on Climate Change. Available at: www.theccc.org.uk/publication/hydrogen-in-a-low-carbon-economy.Google Scholar
Dalebrook, A. F., Gan, W., Grasemann, M., Moret, S. and Laurenczy, G. (2013). Hydrogen storage: Beyond conventional methods. Chemical Communications, 49, 87358751.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DNV-GL (2018). Hydrogen: Decarbonising heat. DNVGL.com. Available at: www.dnvgl.com/oilgas/natural-gas/hydrogen-decarbonizing-the-heat.html. Google Scholar
European Commission (2003). Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cells: A Vision of Our Future. EUR Community Research 20719. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Available at: www.fch.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/hlg_vision_report_en.pdf.Google Scholar
Feng, Y., Liu, Y. and Zhang, Y. (2015). Enhancement of sludge decomposition and hydrogen production from waste activated sludge in a microbial electrolysis cell with cheap electrodes. Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology, 1, 761768.Google Scholar
Floristean, A., Brahy, N. and Kraus, N. (2018). HyLAW: List of Legal Barriers. Available at: www.hylaw.eu/sites/default/files/2019-01/D4.2 - List of legal barriers.pdf.Google Scholar
Foh, S., Novil, M., Rockar, E. and Randolph, P. (1979). Underground Hydrogen Storage: Final Report [Salt Caverns, Excavated Caverns, Aquifers and Depleted Fields]. Chicago, IL: US Department of Energy and Environment. Available at: www.osti.gov/biblio/6536941.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geißler, T., Abánades, A., Heinzel, A. et al. (2016). Hydrogen production via methane pyrolysis in a liquid metal bubble column reactor with a packed bed. Chemical Engineering Journal, 299, 192200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillingham, K. and Sweeney, J. (2011). Market failure and the structure of externalities. In Moselle, B., Padilla, J. and Schmalensee, R., eds., Harnessing Renewable Energy in Electric Power Systems: Theory, Practice, Policy. Routledge, pp. 6992.Google Scholar
Global CCS Institute (2018). The Global Status of CCS 2018. Global CCS Institute. Available at: www.globalccsinstitute.com/resources/global-status-report/previous-reports/.Google Scholar
Hauch, A., Ebbesen, S. D., Jensen, S. H. and Mogensen, M. (2008). Highly efficient high temperature electrolysis. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 20, 23312340.Google Scholar
He, T., Pachfule, P., Wu, H., Xu, Q. and Chen, P. (2016). Hydrogen carriers. Nature Reviews Materials, 1, 117.Google Scholar
Hickson, A., Phillips, A. and Morales, G. (2007). Public perception related to a hydrogen hybrid internal combustion engine transit bus demonstration and hydrogen fuel. Energy Policy, 35, 22492255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, E. (2019). A hydrogen fueling station fire in Norway has left fuel-cell cars nowhere to charge. Quartz. 12 June. Available at: https://qz.com/1641276/a-hydrogen-fueling-station-explodes-in-norways-baerum/.Google Scholar
Hydrogen Council (2017). Hydrogen Scaling Up: A Sustainable Pathway for the Global Energy Transition. Hydrogen Council. Available at: https://hydrogencouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Hydrogen-scaling-up-Hydrogen-Council.pdf.Google Scholar
IEA (International Energy Agency) (2019a). Energy security. IEA.org. Available at: www.iea.org/topics/energysecurity.Google Scholar
IEA (2019b). IEA contribution to G20 energy in 2019. IEA.org. 28 June. Available at: www.iea.org/articles/iea-contribution-to-g20-energy-in-2019/.Google Scholar
IEA (2019c). IEA Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Program: Renewable Hydrogen Production. Paris: International Energy Agency.Google Scholar
IEA (2019d). The Future of Hydrogen. Paris: International Energy Agency. Available at: www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-hydrogen.Google Scholar
International Standards Organization (2019). ISO/TC 197: Hydrogen technologies. ISO.org. Available at: www.iso.org/committee/54560.html.Google Scholar
IPCC (2018). Global Warming of 1.5 °C: An IPCC Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5 °C Above Pre-Industrial Levels and Related Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Pathways, in the Context of Strengthening the Global Response to the Threat of Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty. Edited by Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Pörtner, H.-O. et al. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: www.ipcc.ch/sr15/.Google Scholar
IPHE (International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy) (2019). International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy. Available at: www.iphe.net.Google Scholar
IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) (2018). Hydrogen from Renewable Power: Technology Outlook for the Energy Transition. Abu Dhabi: International Renewable Energy Agency. Available at: www.irena.org/publications/2018/Sep/Hydrogen-from-renewable-power.Google Scholar
IRENA (2019). Hydrogen: A Renewable Energy Perspective. Abu Dhabi: International Renewable Energy Agency. Available at: www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2019/Sep/IRENA_Hydrogen_2019.pdf.Google Scholar
Itaoka, K., Saito, A. and Sasaki, K. (2017). Public perception on hydrogen infrastructure in Japan: Influence of rollout of commercial fuel cell vehicles. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 42, 72907296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jenkins, J. D. (2019). Why carbon pricing falls short and what can we do about it. Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. 24 April. Available at: https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/policy-digests/why-carbon-pricing-falls-short.Google Scholar
Kosturjak, A., Dey, T., Young, M. D. and Whetton, S. (2019). Advancing Hydrogen: Learning from 19 Plans to Advance Hydrogen from Across the Globe. Future Fuels CRC. Available at: www.energynetworks.com.au/resources/reports/advancing-hydrogen-learning-from-19-plans-to-advance-hydrogen-from-across-the-globe-ffcrc/.Google Scholar
Lambert, V. and Ashworth, P. (2018). The Australian Public’s Perception of Hydrogen for Energy. Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Available at: https://arena.gov.au/assets/2018/12/the-australian-publics-perception-of-hydrogen-for-energy.pdf.Google Scholar
Melaina, M., Antonia, O. and Penev, M. (2013). Blending hydrogen into natural gas pipeline networks: A review of key issues. Contract, 303(March), 275300.Google Scholar
Meldrum, J., Nettles-Anderson, S., Heath, G. and Macknick, J. (2013). Life cycle water use for electricity generation: A review and harmonization of literature estimates. Environmental Research Letters, 8, 015031.Google Scholar
METI (Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) (2017). Basic Hydrogen Strategy. Ministerial Council on Renewable Energy, Hydrogen and Related Issues. Available at: www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2017/pdf/1226_003b.pdf.Google Scholar
Milbrandt, A. and Mann, M. (2009). Hydrogen Resource Assessment: Hydrogen Potential from Coal, Natural Gas, Nuclear, and Hydro Power. Technical report NREL/TP-560-42773. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Available at: www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/42773.pdf.Google Scholar
Mission Innovation (2019a). IC8: Renewable and clean hydrogen. Mission Innovation. Available at: http://mission-innovation.net/our-work/innovation-challenges/renewable-and-clean-hydrogen/.Google Scholar
Mission Innovation (2019b). Overview. Mission Innovation. Available at: http://mission-innovation.net/about-mi/overview/.Google Scholar
Muradov, N. (2017). Low to near-zero CO2 production of hydrogen from fossil fuels: Status and perspectives. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 42, 1405814088.Google Scholar
National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (2016). Sustainable alternative jet fuels. In Commercial Aircraft Propulsion and Energy Systems Research: Reducing Global Carbon Emissions. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Olea, R. A. (2015). CO2 retention values in enhanced oil recovery. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 129, 2328.Google Scholar
Preuster, P., Papp, C. and Wasserscheid, P. (2017). Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs): Toward a hydrogen-free hydrogen economy. Accounts of Chemical Research, 50, 7485.Google Scholar
Rodrik, D. (2004). Industrial Policy for the Twenty-First Century. CEPR Discussion Papers No. 4767. London: Centre for Economic Policy Research.Google Scholar
Schmidt, A. and Donsbach, W. (2016). Acceptance factors of hydrogen and their use by relevant stakeholders and the media. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 41, 45094520.Google Scholar
Schmidt, O., Gambhir, A., Staffell, I., Hawkes, A., Nelson, J. and Few, S. (2017). Future cost and performance of water electrolysis: An expert elicitation study. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 42, 3047030492.Google Scholar
Shaner, M. R., Atwater, H. A., Lewis, N. S. and McFarland, E. W. (2016). A comparative technoeconomic analysis of renewable hydrogen production using solar energy. Energy & Environmental Science, 9, 23542371.Google Scholar
Sheffield, J. W. and Sheffield, Ç., eds. (2007). Assessment of Hydrogen Energy for Sustainable Development. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vogl, V., Åhman, M. and Nilsson, L. J. (2018). Assessment of hydrogen direct reduction for fossil-free steelmaking. Journal of Cleaner Production, 203, 736745.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weger, L., Abánades, A. and Butler, T. (2017). Methane cracking as a bridge technology to the hydrogen economy. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 42, 720731.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zimmer, R. and Welke, J. (2012). Let’s go green with hydrogen! The general public’s perspective. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 37, 1750217508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×