Hydrogen will be the driving force of the future hydrogen society, where it will serve as the primary energy source for all types of mobility and industry. The expanded use of hydrogen will produce a multiplier effect creating countless new jobs and extending the value chain throughout the economy that promises to improve the quality of life for all—generating zero emissions and producing pure water vapor as its only by product.
Hydrogen is the key to the global energy transition and a sustainable future.
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Energy from nature
Hydrogen production
By using electricty from renewables, we can produce clean, 'green' hydrogen generating zero carbon emissions in the process. The green hydrogen becomes the driving force for a sustainable future. The transition to a hydrogen society begins with the production of green hydrogen.
Why is green hydrogen superior?
Hydrogen is categorized into grey, blue and green hydrogen according to the level of carbon emissions during the production process. As can be inferred from its name, grey hydrogen emits the most carbon of the three types; blue hydrogen accounts for much lower carbon emissions. In contrast, green hydrogen is eco-friendly hydrogen that does not emit carbon.
Variations in carbon emission levels
The three different hydrogen production methods
The prevailing type of hydrogen
Grey hydrogen
Grey describes the process of obtaining hydrogen from fossil fuel. Grey hydrogen is the by-product of a petrochemical process or reformed hydrogen extracted from natural gas. Both generate carbon emissions and hence the ‘grey’ designation.
The intermediate solution
Blue Hydrogen
Blue hydrogen is produced with CCUS technology that captures, stores, and utilizes the carbon emissions generated in the manufacturing process. While it is an improvement over grey hydrogen, blue hydrogen nevertheless generates some carbon emissions and is less than ideal.
The cleanest hydrogen
Green Hydrogen
Green describes the production process, namely water electrolysis which relies on electricity to split the H2O molecule and releases hydrogen gas.
When renewable energy sources provide the electricity used for the water electrolysis process, clean, green hydrogen is produced with zero carbon emissions.
Green hydrogen for a cleaner world
The clean hydrogen society starts with the production of green hydrogen gas.
However, grey hydrogen currently accounts for more than 90% of hydrogen in use. The manufacturing process for grey hydrogen generates unwanted carbon emissions but it is cheap and widely available. However, the cost competitiveness of green hydrogen is gradually improving with advances in technology and ever-tougher environmental regulations.
Grey hydrogen and blue hydrogen (which relies on CO2 capture and storage technologies to clean up the manufacturing process) will be used for a transitional period—inevitable for the time being—but the world is steadily moving towards the goal of green hydrogen to realize a truly sustainable future.
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Clean energy for everywhere
Hydrogen Storage & Transportation
Converting green hydrogen into a high-pressure gas or liquid state makes it easy to store and transport clean energy on a large scale. In a hydrogen society, clean energy from Mother Nature is easily accessible by all.
Hydrogen: the clean energy carrier
Electrical energy can only be stored and transported via batteries or transmission infrastructure. However, converting electricity into hydrogen, which is in gaseous or liquid form, makes it possible to store and transport energy directly. In addition, hydrogen has an energy density per mass 3 to 4 times higher than fossil fuels, making it the most efficient means of dealing with large-scale energy.
Hydrogen enables the clean energy storage & transportation
Using electricity from renewable sources in the water electrolysis process creates green hydrogen, an energy product that is highly efficient to store and transport.
Currently, hydrogen is stored/transported through pipelines and tanker trailers.
Over the long term, promising new technologies are now under development to transport hydrogen in liquid form to achieve higher energy density and even greater storage efficiency. These technologies include liquefying hydrogen gas at -253℃ and various innovative methods of combining hydrogen with other elements to form a liquid state.
As technology advances, it is expected that in the future, it will be possible to transport liquid hydrogen to distant markets by loading it on a ship similar to an LNG carrier.
Hydrogen is an efficient storage medium for clean energy transportable to all parts of the world to help clean up the global environment.
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For all applications
Hydrogen supply and use
In a hydrogen society, hydrogen will replace fossil fuel to serve as an energy source in all aspects of daily life. Hydrogen powerplants will be expanded beyond automobiles to all other types of mobility and will serve as the energy source for homes and industry.
How can we use hydrogen energy in our lives?
The transition to a hydrogen society begins with the creation of a hydrogen supply infrastructure and the widespread adoption of fuel cells, the device converts hydrogen into electrical energy.
The hydrogen distribution infrastructure delivers hydrogen wherever it is needed.
The hydrogen charging station will play a pivotal role in the distribution network by providing the same function as today's gas-filling stations. Compressed hydrogen gas is stored in the huge storage tanks of the charging station, which dispenses gas into the smaller tanks of hydrogen-electric vehicles.
The hydrogen fuel cell system —the eco-friendly powerplant serving
the hydrogen society
A hydrogen fuel cell system is a device that uses hydrogen as its fuel and produces electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen in the atmosphere. It is different in that it generates and uses electric energy directly from hydrogen rather than electricity transmitted from a power cable or stored in a battery. It is also the cleanest technology that produces energy by emitting only pure water during the power generation process.
The hydrogen fuel cell system is highly versatile and adaptable: It can be used in automobiles and any other application that requires electrical power. It can even serve as an electrical power generating station.
From mobility such as hydrogen-electric trains, ships, and aviation, to power
generation, buildings, and overall industries, the variety of applications for
hydrogen fuel cell systems and hydrogen energy will steadily increase. This will
lead to the creation of new industries and countless new jobs — the hydrogen value
chain.
Preparing for the hydrogen society of the future
Since the transition to a hydrogen society requires substantial investment and major changes in energy policies, technologies, infrastructure, and the formation of social consensus.
Nevertheless, the world's major countries, realizing that the transition to a hydrogen society is not an option but a necessity, are announcing policies and strategies for technology investment and industry promotion to lead the upcoming hydrogen society. Long-term investments are also being made in oil refining, steel, automobiles, ICT, and finance, as well as inter-company and inter-industry mergers and acquisitions.
HTWO is accelerating the expansion of hydrogen energy-based fuel cells to pave the way for a hydrogen society. Through this, we will accelerate the transition to a genuine hydrogen society and actively participate in industrial and national cooperation so that humanity can advance one step further.
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