Afrigather Have you ever ever heard of the hydrogen rainbow?
Whereas hydrogen gasoline is colorless, the trade typically makes use of colours as shorthand to explain which of the various potential processes was used to make a specific batch. There’s grey, inexperienced, and blue hydrogen, together with extra vibrant tones like pink—a complete rainbow (type of).
Hydrogen is commonly heralded as a local weather hero as a result of when it’s used as a gas in issues like buses or metal manufacturing, there aren’t any direct carbon emissions (or associated warming) to fret about. Because the world tries to chop down on our use of fossil fuels, there could possibly be loads of new demand for this carbon-free vitality supply.
However how hydrogen is made may decide simply how useful it’s for the local weather. That’s the place the rainbow is available in. (I’ve added an at-a-glance desk under so you possibly can untangle all these colours.)
Final week, the European Fee launched guidelines that outline what “renewable” hydrogen is: in different phrases, what it means for hydrogen to be green. There was additionally an interesting story in Science final week about naturally occurring, or gold, hydrogen.
So let’s dive into the hydrogen rainbow and discover the place this gas of the longer term may come from.
What do we want hydrogen for?
We already use lots of hydrogen as we speak: world demand was 94 million metric tons (Mt) in 2021. Most of that was used for oil refining, in addition to manufacturing of ammonia (for fertilizer) and methanol (for chemical manufacturing).
That’s more likely to change sooner or later, as a result of it’s additionally an excellent alternative for fossil fuels in transportation, heavy industry, and different sectors. If nations hold their local weather pledges, hydrogen demand could reach 130 Mt by 2030, and a few quarter of that may be for brand spanking new makes use of.
The issue is, making hydrogen as we speak overwhelmingly requires fossil fuels, often pure gasoline. In so-called “grey” hydrogen manufacturing, pure gasoline reacts with water, producing hydrogen gasoline and giving off carbon emissions.
It doesn’t must be that means, although. For one factor, we may attempt to seize the carbon emissions from fossil-powered hydrogen manufacturing (this methodology yields so-called blue hydrogen). This can be a fairly controversial method, as a result of carbon seize is pricey and doesn’t all the time work effectively.
Alternatively, we may rethink the method altogether and begin utilizing electrical energy to make hydrogen as a substitute. This course of makes use of an electrolyzer: water and electrical energy go in; hydrogen and oxygen come out. If the electrical energy powering that response comes from renewable sources, hydrogen formally earns the excellence of being “inexperienced.”
What does it imply to be inexperienced?
That’s the query the European Commission is making an attempt to reply with its new rules launched final week. The objective is to put out which hydrogen initiatives will rely for local weather targets and be eligible for particular funding. (That funding is essential as a result of inexperienced hydrogen is significantly more expensive than fossil-derived grey hydrogen as we speak.)
There are two huge items to those new guidelines. First, inexperienced hydrogen will must be produced utilizing renewable electrical energy. Producers must both hook up on to photo voltaic and wind farms or get electrical energy from the grid and signal contracts with renewable electrical energy turbines.
There’s lots of renewable electrical energy in play right here. As a part of its plan to chop emissions and dependence on Russian fossil fuels, the EU is making an attempt to achieve 10 million metric tons of home hydrogen manufacturing yearly by 2030, together with 10 million extra in imports.
Reaching that home manufacturing objective would require 500 TWh of renewable electrical energy. That’s practically 15% of whole EU electrical energy consumption.
As a result of there’s a lot electrical energy wanted to fulfill hydrogen demand, regulators try to keep away from a situation the place hydrogen manufacturing simply sucks up all the prevailing renewable capability.
To fight this, the fee would require hydrogen producers to stick to a precept referred to as additionality. Principally, hydrogen producers must be including new renewables to the grid, not hogging previous ones. So new necessities say that hydrogen producers should use renewable vitality initiatives constructed not too long ago (inside the final three years).
The foundations nonetheless must be permitted, which may take a couple of months. Within the US, comparable guidelines relating to tax credits for hydrogen within the Inflation Reduction Act are at the moment being developed by the Biden administration, so we should always know extra quickly about what inexperienced means for that market.
What if hydrogen grew on timber?
Okay, not timber precisely, however what about underground? This story, published last week in Science, digs into the opportunity of naturally occurring hydrogen.
Hydrogen isn’t one thing that’s thought of to be widespread in nature (take a look at all these intense methods we’ve provide you with to make it!). However some researchers are beginning to change their minds about simply how plentiful it could be.
A number of exploratory wells have turned up fairly clear streams of hydrogen, and now persons are beginning to seek for reserves throughout Australia, Africa, and Europe. As for why we hadn’t discovered it earlier than, hydrogen wouldn’t happen in the identical locations as oil and gasoline, and never many individuals would have gone searching for it up to now. (Pure hydrogen is typically given the colour “gold,” by the best way.)
The wild factor is, this hydrogen may truly be a renewable useful resource. That’s as a result of reactions that make it might happen naturally underground when water reacts with rocks. It could possibly be fairly cheap to extract, too. There are lots of questions left earlier than we hand over our electrolyzers, nevertheless it’s actually fascinating to see the hydrogen rainbow add one more shade.
Should you’ve had hassle holding all these colours straight, you’re not alone. On the finish of the day, an important factor to know isn’t what nickname is assigned to a specific hydrogen supply, however what the ensuing emissions are. However if you’d like a rainbow reference, right here’s a chart!
Notice that this isn’t an entire checklist, and there could also be different definitions for some colours.
Inexperienced hydrogen was certainly one of our 10 Breakthrough Applied sciences in 2021—check out this feature for extra on what’s at stake and what it’s going to take to make it a actuality.
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
One other factor
New batteries are coming to the US. Ford introduced final week that it plans to construct a manufacturing facility in Michigan that may produce a kind of lithium-ion battery made largely in China as we speak. These batteries may unlock cheaper, longer-lasting electrical automobiles in North America. Read my story for more on the technology and what’s next for this factory.
There have been lots of shifting dynamics around this facility, though, and a few remaining uncertainty, as a result of Ford plans to license expertise from Chinese language battery large CATL to construct the batteries. In his newsletter this week, my colleague Zeyi Yang dove into why batteries have gotten so politicized not too long ago.
Zeyi additionally printed a story this week about how China set up its EV industry for success, which I extremely suggest.
Maintaining with local weather
The struggle in Ukraine started one 12 months in the past this week. Since then, it has remodeled Europe’s vitality panorama, dashing progress in renewables as nations have labored to chop their dependence on Russian fossil fuels. (Bloomberg)
Simply how good is that electrical truck for the planet? Is dependent upon what you’re evaluating it to. I appreciated the visualizations on this piece exhibiting the unfold of emissions from totally different car fashions. (New York Times)
→ Learn final week’s publication for extra on large EVs. (MIT Technology Review)
The “15-minute metropolis” is an city planning concept centered round dense communities, which may help reduce emissions and make life a little bit bit extra gratifying (who wouldn’t thoughts a shorter commute?). However the idea has morphed right into a conspiracy principle on-line. (Wired)
Tesla will open up a few of its chargers within the US to all EV drivers. The transfer comes after lots of campaigning from the Biden administration. (Washington Post)
→ I talked about this and different science information tales on Science Friday final week! Take a look at the section for extra. (Science Friday)
Cryptocurrency miners try to remake their picture to look extra climate-friendly. Environmental teams and researchers are rightly skeptical. (Grist)
United Airways is pouring cash into new fuels, launching a $100 million fund this week to spend money on new and current “sustainable aviation gas” initiatives. (Canary Media)
→ This isn’t the airline’s first rodeo on this area: final 12 months I wrote about certainly one of its investments, an organization making gas with microbes. (MIT Technology Review)
Manufacturing of nickel, a steel utilized in EV batteries, doubled between 2020 and 2022 in Indonesia. Town of Labota is paying the value with air pollution and harmful circumstances for staff. (Wired)
