Hydrogen is a new sustainable solution that can facilitate the decarbonization of the UK’s economy. It can help achieve net-zero and preserve the natural resources of the Planet. In fact, in Scotland, hydrogen became a key element of the country’s decarbonization plan.

Here we explain what exactly is and we take a look at whether it can effectively replace fossil fuels.

What exactly is hydrogen?

Hydrogen is a clean fuel that represents an alternative to methane, also known as natural gas. It is the most abundant element that exists in nature and is 14 times lighter than air. Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of sources, for example, biogas, renewable power, or nuclear power. When hydrogen is consumed in a fuel cell, it produces only water.

Hydrogen has many applications as it can be used for heating houses or powering cars. It can also be used to store or move energy produced from other sources. That means that thanks to hydrogen, the energy created by wind and solar panels can be stored and used even when it is not sunny or windy. Hydrogen has the power to make renewable energy sources even more sustainable.

How is hydrogen produced?

Hydrogen is extracted from water by electrolysis. It is a process during which a high electric current is run through water to separate hydrogen and oxygen atoms. This process tends to be very expensive as it requires a lot of power. The energy used during the electrolysis process comes from either fossil fuels or renewable energy sources.

Another method of extracting hydrogen is through steam extraction during which hydrogen atoms in methane are separated from carbon atoms. This technique is primarily used to obtain large quantities of hydrogen. The biggest downside of it is that a lot of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere during the process.

To obtain electricity from hydrogen, it needs to be conveyed to fuel cells. There, it combines with oxygen and consequently, electricity and heat are generated.

What are the pros and cons of hydrogen?

Here are some of the main advantages and disadvantages of generating electricity using hydrogen:

Pros	Cons
A renewable energy source Infinite supplies of it Can be produced from a variety of source sA clean energy source Byproducts have no side effects Non-toxic Can reduce pollution Extremely efficientSafe for energy-intensive tasks Sustainable Production System	Extremely expensive production Transportation and storage are complicated as it needs to be kept under high pressure Highly flammable Dependent on fossil fuels Barriers to extensive utilization by domestic customers as generating it is very expensive

What impact can hydrogen have on the energy market?

There are two main impacts that hydrogen is likely to have. Firstly, when large-scale production of it is launched, it will reduce the demand for fossil fuels. In turn, it will make the process of producing energy greener. Secondly, hydrogen will help balance the power grid and will popularise producing energy using renewable sources. If hydrogen becomes popular everywhere in the country, it will bring stability to renewable energy prices.

What are the relevant political factors that need to be looked at?

When thinking of using hydrogen to produce energy, there are some political considerations that policymakers have to keep in mind.

National level	Countries should remain focused on meeting the goals of the Paris agreement.
European level	Countries should follow the Hydrogen strategy published by the European Commission.
International level	Hydrogen shipments could disrupt politics of regional markets and evolve into global markets.

What is hydrogen’s impact on climate?

Hydrogen’s impact on the environment varies depending on how hydrogen is produced.

Electricity-based hydrogen is obtained through the electrolysis of water. How many greenhouse gas emissions will be produced during the process depends on where the electricity comes from.
Renewable hydrogen is obtained through the electrolysis of water but with renewable energy being sources of electricity. During such a process, greenhouse gas emissions are close to zero.
Fossil-based hydrogen is produced through a variety of processes that rely on fossil fuels to generate electricity. When producing hydrogen this way, the emissions of greenhouse gases are high.

That said, for hydrogen to be a clean energy source, its production has to move away from fossil fuels and use mainly renewable energy sources.

Can hydrogen boost growth and create jobs?

Investment in hydrogen can have benefits not only for the climate but also for economies. The European Commission believes it can help EU member states recover from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Climate Ch2ampion, investing in hydrogen can create up to 30 million jobs by 2050. Additionally, it could lead to a $2.5 trillion annual revenue boost to economies around the world.

Global energy demand is expected to more than double over the next 30 years. To enable the transition to renewable energy sources, more workforce will be needed. Some estimate that in 2050, renewables will account for 80% of employment opportunities in the energy sector.

What is the hydrogen economy?

The hydrogen economy is an economy where the goals of the Paris Agreement have been met and nations worldwide have significantly reduced their carbon emissions. That can be achieved thanks to the transition to hydrogen. If countries started investing more in hydrogen and developing this way of producing energy, hydrogen could provide 18% of global energy demand.

What is Scotland’s hydrogen policy?

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the development of the hydrogen sector in Scotland and maximising the benefits that come from its production. In the hydrogen policy statement, the Scottish Government outlined the following roles that hydrogen could play in Scotland’s energy transition:

Production of 5GW renewable and low-carbon hydrogen in Scotland by 2030
Capacity for 25GW of electrolysis by 2045, producing 126TWh per year of green hydrogen
32TWh of green hydrogen to deliver Scotland’s deep decarbonisation targets and 94TWh for export by 2045.

To set out actions needed to implement hydrogen policies, the Scottish Government is expected to soon publish the Hydrogen Action Plan. It will be accompanied by £100 million of funding to promote hydrogen research and innovation. Thanks to the funds Scotland is hoping to develop low-cost clean hydrogen production methods by 2026. Scotland already has a lot of raw ingredients that are required for the low-cost production of hydrogen.

Scotland has already established a track record of advancing hydrogen technologies and has an excellent reputation when it comes to green energy sources. Now, Scotland’s goal is to become a leading Hydrogen Nation in the production of reliable and competitive hydrogen.

As the government of Scotland said ‘Scotland’s company base, skills and assets in the oil and gas, offshore wind, and energy systems sectors will also add value and bring the transition opportunity that will be a critical part of building Scotland’s hydrogen economy.’

Is hydrogen safe?

Hydrogen is highly flammable so it is important to be very careful when producing, storing, transporting, and finally utilising it. Luckily, however, there are standards in place in Europe that regulate the production and use of hydrogen. There already are more than 1500km of hydrogen pipelines built in Europe. Hydrogen is safe if those that produce and utilise it exercise caution.

Are all types of hydrogen green?

Unfortunately, not all types of hydrogen are good for the environment.

Type of Hydrogen	Produced by	Is it green?
Grey	Fossil Fuels	Grey hydrogen is mainly used for the production of ammonia or fertilisers. Sadly, grey hydrogen is not green.
Blue	Fossil Fuels	Up to 90% of CO2 released during the production process is captured so blue hydrogen can be considered green.
Green	Renewable Sources	There is no CO2 released when producing Green hydrogen so it is clean and good for the Planet.

The government of Scotland believes that both Green and Blue hydrogen will play a crucial role in energy transition to net zero. Scotland is commited to develop and deploy these types of hydrogen.

Conclusion

Hdrogen can effectively replace fossil fuels and be green provided that renewable electricity is used to produce it. Hydrogen can not only help countries achieve net-zero but also create new job opportunities and drive innovation. Hydrogen can become the fuel of the future so hopefully more and more countries follow Scotland’s example and start investing in it.