Funding awarded to five hydrogen-powered dry-bulk vessels.
20 June 2024
Brussels Airport launches H2 fuel pilot with mobile refueling station
21 June 2024There has been much speculation as to whether the “hydrogen hype is fizzling out” (“Green energy sector seeks to divine demand for hydrogen”, Special Reports, FT.com, June 12; and “How the hydrogen hype fizzled out”, FT Big Read, Lex in depth, May 20).
Hydrogen will not be the silver bullet solution that solves all our net zero challenges. The energy transition will not, however, happen without hydrogen, which is an essential tool in the decarbonisation toolbox. Much of the debate is centred on electrification vs hydrogen. But this narrative is misguided. In fact, electrification and hydrogen complement each other, as hydrogen can do what electrification cannot. A binary approach will only hinder the progress of the entire industry.
In the UK hydrogen strategy published in 2021, the government identified hydrogen as essential for reaching net zero and has set an ambition of delivering 10GW of low-carbon hydrogen production by 2030. This is supported by the Climate Change Committee forecasts that between 20-30 per cent of final energy demand will be derived from hydrogen. This is too large a fraction to be dismissed.
