Now global interest in hydrogen is cresting once again — and not just in fuel cells but in the promise of "green hydrogen," which could help reduce emissions from carbon-intensive industries. This time, analysts and industry experts think it will stick.
But here's the thing: While hydrogen is abundant and all around us, you can't just pull it out of thin air. As a result, the hydrogen industry is a hefty polluter. It's responsible for releasing about 830 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year — or about the same as the UK and Indonesia combined, according to the IEA.Sunfire's hydrogen electrolyzer. The company is one of a handful of startups in the fast-growing green-hydrogen industry.Electrolysis, while expensive, is appealing to an industry trying to reduce its carbon footprint.
But that's starting to change. The cost of solar panels has dropped by about 80% since 2009, and wind turbines are now 30% to 40% cheaper, according to the"Deploying electrolyzers that make green hydrogen out of wind and solar electricity is becoming more and more cost-effective," Harrison said. There's another reason the market for green hydrogen is set to grow: Even if we switch to renewable power, some industries will still be carbon-intensive, says Eric Ingersoll, a hydrogen market expert and managing director of the clean-energy consulting firm LucidCatalyst."In some ways, we're making a lot of progress with renewables, but we're not making the kind of progress we need with overall decarbonization," Ingersoll said.
Like batteries, fuel cells can power electric motors. Plus, they have numerous important benefits, such as charging quickly, Harrison said.
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