Hydrogen is starting to make its way into businesses and homes across Europe as governments race to find a cleaner replacement for natural gas and coal to heat homes and fuel industry.
Europe has made hydrogen a critical part of its plan to transition away from fossil fuels and slash net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. Supporters say hydrogen, which emits only water when burned, could fuel industrial processes such as those used to make steel and cement, power vehicles, heat homes and serve as a form of clean power for utilities when there is little or no sun or wind—all with zero carbon emissions.
But if hydrogen is going to compete as a clean-energy source, more needs to be produced and it needs to be green—that is, made with renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. European companies also have to figure out how to safely store and move it. Hydrogen is explosive upon contact with air in large enough concentration, and it is the least dense element in the universe, so it can’t be stored as compactly as natural gas.
Among the European companies moving to create a robust storage-and-distribution system for hydrogen similar to the one that exists for fossil fuels is French utility Engie SA, which wants to store hydrogen in skyscraper-size underground salt caverns. Italian pipeline company Snam SpA is spending billions of dollars on network upgrades and acquisitions to expand its hydrogen business. And in the U.K., electricity-and-gas supplier National Grid PLC is testing hydrogen boilers and stoves, while Centrica PLC has proposed storing hydrogen in a former natural-gas reservoir located off the coast of England.
Going green
Of the 228 planned hydrogen projects announced globally, 55% are located in European nations, according to the Hydrogen Council, a trade group, though some of the companies involved say they are awaiting clarity on government spending before moving ahead. The council says hydrogen could supply 18% of the world’s energy by 2050. It currently supplies less than 1%, according to the International Energy Agency.