Hydrogen is only interesting from an environmental point of view if it is “green”, produced from electrolysis. In fact, it is its decarbonized form that attracts interest and will allow it to develop. The European project is to impose it in energy-intensive sectors to promote a green transition. Collaborations are being studied with Ukraine and North Africa.

Industrial hydrogen:

Hydrogen is only interesting from an environmental point of view if it is “green”, produced from electrolysis. In fact, it is its decarbonized form that attracts interest and will allow it to develop. The European project is to impose it in energy-intensive sectors to promote a green transition. Collaborations are being studied with Ukraine and North Africa.

River applications:

Hydrogen is developing more and more in the heavy mobility sector; the boat is not left out and intends to integrate it. Cruise ships and the Norwegian fjords are already the subject of zero-emission projects, reflecting this desire to make the river sector one of the first fields of application. To replace diesel, especially for freight transport, the shuttles would rely on fuel cells, which could also provide power on the quayside. We are therefore seeing an increasing number of projects in Europe, on rivers as well as on the seashore.

Production and storage technologies:

Production: Although the best-known way to produce green decarbonated hydrogen is electrolysis, it is not the only one. Indeed, pyro-gasification and thermolysis can also produce this form of hydrogen, and the choice is made according to the conditions of each project in order to determine the most relevant one.

Storage: After having produced it, it must be stored, hence the collaboration with industrialists for the design of tanks in which the French company Faurecia is a key player. Storage can also take place in underground cavities within gas networks.

Aeronautics:

The aeronautics industry is not left behind and is also planning this transition to hydrogen, particularly in view of the installation of the first stations in Europe to supply buses and land vehicles. Initially planned for electricity on board planes, since the crisis, hydrogen could also be used for propulsion, and this concerns small aircraft intended for tourism such as airliners. Airbus is preparing a plane for 2035. However, regulations and tests remain issues to be monitored in this sector.

Hydrogen, a key element in the energy transition:

With ever-increasing investments, in the order of 470 million euros for the European Commission, hydrogen is still a pillar on which we must rely for the energy transition, being part of the Green Deal. Indeed, the Europeans, led by more than 22 countries, are betting on it, despite some opposition, with a project of common interest (IPCEI), and intend to catch up with other countries such as China, Korea and Japan that have made this energy vector a priority. The challenge now is to coordinate territories at different levels, national, regional and European, in order to dispose of them in the right way and to ensure that the different strategies are consistent.

A global approach to mobility:

In a horizon of decarbonization of transport, hydrogen also has a role to play. Indeed, by offering greater autonomy and complementing the battery which recharges more quickly, it allows the mobility sector, whether it be cars or heavy mobility such as buses, to develop. The railway sector is also experiencing a substitution of diesel by hydrogen, while recovery plans are planned in aeronautics for future hydrogen flights and drones. In order to reduce its carbon footprint, the maritime industry is also planning a transition to hydrogen and is therefore organizing itself to reduce costs and develop a shared network.

Industrialization in Giga mode: 

In order to facilitate this transition, Europe must equip itself with the most efficient means of production for the fuel cells, tanks and electrolysis necessary to produce green hydrogen. This will be the era of Gigawatts. Many projects are underway, initiated by the European Commission, but many questions remain about the strategies to be adopted, the place of start-ups in this transition, or the regional deployments. The answers to these questions will allow the States to set up an adequate common strategy to decarbonize the society.