Tag: Hydrogen

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World News

Renewable hydrogen can journey by means of present pipelines, CEO says

Renewable hydrogen can travel through existing pipelines, CEO says

The CEO of Italian infrastructure giant Snam outlined a vision for the future of hydrogen on Friday, saying the “beauty” of it is that it can be easily stored and transported.

Speaking to CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe, Marco Alverà spoke about how current systems would be used to facilitate the delivery of hydrogen from renewable sources as well as biofuels.

“If you turn up your heating in Italy now, the gas will flow in pipelines from Russia to Siberia,” he said.

“Tomorrow we will have hydrogen produced in North Africa, in the North Sea, with solar and wind resources,” said Alverà. “And this hydrogen can travel through the existing pipeline.”

Alvera said Snam tested various mixing percentages – including up to 100% hydrogen – in existing pipes and it worked.

“So this is an energy transition that uses the infrastructure we have,” he said. “And the very good news is that this new renewable energy will cost less than the existing fossil fuel, namely [a] real breakthrough. “

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Described by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier”, hydrogen has a wide range of possible uses and can be used in sectors such as industry and transport.

It can be made in a number of ways. One method involves the use of electrolysis, where an electrical current breaks water into oxygen and hydrogen.

When the electricity used comes from a renewable source such as wind or sun, some call it green or renewable hydrogen.

Currently, the vast majority of hydrogen production is fossil fuel based and green hydrogen is expensive to produce.

Future challenges

In an interview with CNBC on Friday, Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel, said that “there is no competition for capital between hydrogen and renewables”.

“Hydrogen is a niche today, and it’s a niche that needs to evolve into a commercial standard and … a large, competitively-priced industry,” Starace said, signaling that such a shift would likely take 10 years.

“So it’s a big expense in research and development, it’s a big expense in prototypes, a big expense in pilot plants, but nothing compared to what’s going on today on the very large and competitive battlefield of renewable energies.”

While the potential role of hydrogen in the future is excited, there are still challenges.

A World Energy Council briefing earlier this week said low-carbon hydrogen “is not cost-competitive with other energy sources in most applications and in most locations.”

It is unlikely that the situation will change unless there is “significant support to bridge the price gap”.

The analysis, which was carried out in collaboration with PwC and the US Electric Power Research Institute, raised the question of where the funding for such support should come from, but also pointed to the increasing awareness of the industry and the associated positive effects.

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Business

Cement giants flip to inexperienced hydrogen, carbon seize to curb emissions

Cement giants turn to green hydrogen, carbon capture to curb emissions

The device is in a converted shipping container.

RICE, Energy Security Research Institute, Swansea University

A subsidiary of the multinational building materials company HeidelbergCement is working with researchers from Swansea University to install and operate a demonstration unit for green hydrogen at a location in the UK

The collaboration is another example of how companies involved in energy-intensive processes are looking for ways to maintain productivity while reducing emissions.

In a statement last week, Swansea University said the green hydrogen unit, housed in a converted shipping container, has been installed at Hanson UK’s Regen GGBS facility in the town of Port Talbot, South Wales.

The term GGBS refers to ground granulated blast furnace slag that can be used in place of cement in concrete production.

The effects of cement production on the environment are significant. According to a 2018 report by the British think tank Chatham House, over 4 billion tons of cement are produced annually. According to the political institute, this corresponded to around 8% of global CO2 emissions.

Regen GGBS, while having a smaller carbon footprint than Portland cement, remains an energy-intensive product that requires significant amounts of electricity and natural gas.

According to Swansea University, the idea behind the Port Talbot project is “to replace some of the natural gas used in the facility with green hydrogen, which is considered a clean source of energy as it only gives off water when burned”.

The facility at the Hanson UK site produces hydrogen through electrolysis, which splits water into oxygen and hydrogen.

When the electricity comes from renewable sources – the project in Wales uses on-site wind and solar panels – the end product is called “green hydrogen”.

The system was put together as part of the Industrial Carbon Emission Reduction initiative led by the Energy Safety Research Institute at Swansea University.

In a statement, Charlie Dunnill, a lecturer at ESRI, described cement making as “one of the most energy and carbon intensive industries, and therefore a perfect place to have an impact on carbon reduction”.

Last week, the world’s largest cement company, LafargeHolcim, also announced that it would be part of a collaboration to “explore” the development of carbon capture and storage solutions.

In a statement, the company said it will “study the feasibility of carbon capture” at two facilities, one in Europe and one in North America, using Schlumberger New Energy’s carbon sequestration technology.

The United States Geological Survey describes carbon sequestration as “the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide”. Carbon capture can occur naturally – for example through forests – or through man-made systems developed by humans.

Cement making is just an industrial process that can be significantly improved in terms of emissions and other sustainability metrics.

The production of aluminum is different. BMW recently announced that it has started sourcing and using aluminum, made using solar power, for example.

In an interview with CNBC’s “Street Signs Europe” last Friday, the CFO of aluminum manufacturer Hydro spoke about the market for more sustainable offers.

“We are seeing a demand for our specific products, Hydro REDUXA and Hydro CIRCAL, which are low carbon or recycled … and really pick up again,” said Pal Kildemo.

“And we can charge a premium for these products compared to other ‘more normal’ products.”

Categories
Business

The Gospel of Hydrogen Energy

The Gospel of Hydrogen Power

The proliferation of hydrogen vehicles on the east coast even strained Mr. Strizki’s talent for invention. On the west coast, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California who owned a hydrogen lobster, removed regulatory obstacles with the stroke of a pen in 2004. The East has a number of bureaucracies to deal with. For example, hydrogen is not allowed to drive over bridges and tunnels. “We don’t want to bring out a vehicle that you can’t drive to Manhattan,” said Gil Castillo, who oversees regulations at Hyundai Motor North America.

In addition, Air Liquide, a gas maker, has quietly built five operational stations between Hempstead, New York and Littleton, Massachusetts that have to deal with state and city officials through to the firefighter, said David Edwards, director of the hydrogen team for Air Liquide in the USA. “Every place has its own firefighter.”

Progress is hampered by the impression that hydrogen is likely to explode, an idea cemented by the burning of the Hindenburg in 1937. More recently, hydrogen took a hit when Nikola, a hydrogen-electric vehicle maker and darling of the exchange, claimed to have exaggerated its accomplishments. The allegation came from a short selling company called Hindenburg Research. The Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission have issued subpoenas to Nikola.

“Hydrogen is in some ways safer than gasoline,” said JoAnn Milliken, director of the New Jersey Fuel Cell Coalition, a volunteer group Mr. Strizki knew from her time in the energy division. She cited a 2019 study by Sandia National Laboratories that found that a hydrogen car is no more flammable than a conventional vehicle.

Ever since Elon Musk described fuel cells as “amazingly stupid,” there has been a fierce rivalry between lithium-ion and hydrogen supporters. Cooler heads always see a place. Electric is suitable for those with a garage who can travel limited distances and charge overnight. In long-haul trucks, however, hydrogen does not add weight or cargo space like batteries. In addition, hydrogen tanks can be refueled in a few minutes.