H2 - Moving Towards Zero Emissions

Written By: Yameena Naqvi | Date: July 20, 2022

The depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the increasing concern for global warming along with rising oil prices has made the switch from conventional to alternative fuels imperative. There is a need for sustainable, low-impact energy sources that provide high energy density to secure the energy supply of the future. Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, is considered to be the most commercially viable and promising fuel since it has zero carbon emissions when burned.

The light, energy dense element, that produces no direct emissions of pollutants or greenhouse gasses, has the power to tackle various critical climate challenges; hydrogen has the potential to become our one and only multipurpose fuel. Both governments and oil and gas companies are aiming to use hydrogen as their pathway to decarbonization, particularly for harder-to-electrify applications. Currently labelled as the ‘missing link’ in the decarbonization roadmap, hydrogen can be used to support integration of renewables and allows for long-term storage of energy, thereby increasing power system flexibility. In addition to having the ability to replace fossil fuels, the potential of hydrogen also lies in its fuel cell that works like a battery which does not require recharging and produces energy as long as fuel is supplied. It can thus be used in transportation and energy back-ups. International Energy Agency claims that demand could increase sixfold by 2050, due to the many uses such as in the steel and chemicals industry, refineries, as a fuel for transport, for heating and for power generation.

Although Hydrogen is considered to be a valuable energy source in the coming years, it must be noted that hydrogen cannot be automatically qualified as a game-changer to address global warming. One of the challenges it faces is the varying GHG emissions from different types of hydrogen production. Globally, production has been dominated by production from fossil fuels. For instance, most of the hydrogen for industrial use is produced today through Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) that utilizes fossil fuels. Pyrolysis and coal/biomass gasification are other production routes. This is followed by electrolysis, which is done either using carbon-based, nuclear or renewable electric sources, the last of which has minimum to zero emissions (called green hydrogen) - considered key in bringing out energy transition. It also has a unique and powerful benefit – it enables renewables like wind energy to store electricity in the form of hydrogen for later use. Another challenge associated with hydrogen usage is its storage due to its low density, making it difficult to carry hydrogen on board vehicles. The high pressures required for compression and liquefaction make storage an energy-intensive process. Other constraints include durability of hydrogen storage systems, long refuelling time and high costs. Thus, many scientists are working on efficient, cost-effective solutions for storage and distribution of hydrogen.

The below table gives and overview of the types of hydrogen depending on production type and the GHG footprint associated with it:



While green hydrogen produced using renewables is considered to be truly clean, it only accounts for 0.1% of global hydrogen production today due to many economic, technological, and infrastructural challenges. These included complexity and costliness of end-to-end green hydrogen systems, difficulties of storage and compression, high energy losses during electrolysis, lack of necessary training and skills to support the hydrogen economy and transportation.

One way to reduce emissions while still producing hydrogen from SMR or gasification is through Carbon Capture and Storage (CCUS) where carbon is sequestered to avoid being released to the atmosphere. Keeping in mind emission intensities with different capacities of CCUS, blue hydrogen is considered as an important steppingstone for many countries in their overall hydrogen deployment, in hope that green hydrogen would eventually be phased in, in the future. It is a good solution to reduce carbon footprint until renewable based electrolysers become cheaper and the challenges can be overcome with government support, engineering advancements, skilled workforce, and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) solutions.

As the country is set to run out of its fossil reserves in less than two decades, Oman has published its Vision 2040 strategy where it plans to diversify the economy and invest in renewables. The country has partnered with many multinationals to progress towards world-class scale renewable energy and green hydrogen development in support of Oman’s 2040 Vision. The aim is to build a hydrogen-centric economy in the country by 2040 utilizing the availability of daytime sun and strong winds at night. There are ongoing plans to build one of the largest green hydrogen plants in the world with the aim to be at full capacity by 2038, powered by 25 GW of wind and solar energy. In recent news, Air Products, ACWA Power, and the Oman state energy firm OQ have signed an agreement to construct a green ammonia facility in the country, while companies like Shell and PDO will study CCUS. Conversion from grey to blue hydrogen is also in progress with companies like 44.01 taking up the lead to provide carbon storage solutions. Moreover, organizations such as the Oman Hydrogen Centre (OHC), a hub for Research, Technology, Education, Industries Applications and Economy, are aiming to develop competences in the field of a hydrogen-based economy in cooperation with local and international parties. Lastly, the second Green Hydrogen Summit organized by the end of this year offers the chances for international and Omani stakeholders to engage and unlock opportunities in their decarbonization journeys.

The major challenge today, thus, is to know if countries and international organizations can put enough efforts through regulatory measures and national hydrogen strategies to overcome the technological and economical challenges of green hydrogen transformation, eliminate fossil fuel-based hydrogen and develop technologies for efficient production, transportation, and storage.