Hydrogen is an important alternative for sectors stuck in the fossil fuel economy. As national governments and European parliamentarians negotiate the EU's hydrogen strategy, EASAC issues a new commentary. "Hydrogen can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels," says William Gillett, director of EASAC's energy programme. "But the climate benefits are limited if we use fossil fuels to produce it - even with carbon capture and storage. The EU must put an end to fossil fuel subsidies. The fast-growing demand for hydrogen must be met by a massive increase in renewable electricity generation, along with certified imports from third countries."
"Electricity is a great way to decarbonise our economy. But important sectors like shipping, freight and air transport or steel production cannot easily be powered by electricity. To become carbon neutral, they need a fuel that can be transported like oil or gasoline, or that can be used to make steel from iron ore at high temperatures as well as coal," explains William Gillett, EASAC Energy Programme Director. "The growing demand for hydrogen and synthetic fuels makes it necessary to increase renewable electricity production in the EU. In addition, Europe will need imports and must develop partnerships with third countries to drive global trade in renewable hydrogen and the technologies to produce it."
CO2 capture and storage does not make fossil hydrogen climate neutral
EASAC calls on the EU to put an end to direct and indirect subsidies, taxes, levies and other incentives for fossil fuels. Gillett: "Direct and indirect support for fossil fuels sends the wrong signals. Instead, the EU should revise the Emissions Trading Directive to make CO2 more expensive and boost investor confidence in the future markets for renewable electricity and renewable hydrogen. Even in combination with carbon capture and storage, fossil fuel-based hydrogen still has a significant carbon footprint. To achieve climate neutrality, the EU should take a leadership role in the global markets for renewable hydrogen and in the production of low-cost electrolysers to produce it".
Avoid commitment to expensive infrastructures
The scientists also point out how important it is not to commit prematurely to infrastructures that are later made redundant by cheaper technologies or market developments. "In the power sector, decentralised generation is playing an increasingly important role. Building on this experience, it makes sense to think locally for hydrogen and to proceed in stages: first, decentralised electrolysers should be used for local hydrogen production and feed into local grids," Gillett explains. "Also, we should not forget that the synthetic fuel route is less efficient than the direct use of electricity or battery storage. Hydrogen or synthetic fuels should predominantly only be used where electrification is not an option."
Annex:
The scientists call on policy makers:
- urgently increase the generation of electricity from renewable energies. This should be used directly wherever possible and is indispensable for regenerative hydrogen production;
- Remove subsidies, taxes, levies and other incentives for fossil fuels that distort energy markets and limit the growth potential for renewable hydrogen and synthetic fuels;
- involve independent experts beyond the Clean Hydrogen Alliance in the work to identify and develop measures to remove market barriers;
- Strengthen carbon pricing by revising the Emissions Trading Directive to stimulate markets for renewable hydrogen and hydrogen-derived synthetic fuels;
- introduce new schemes (besides the ETS) to accelerate the switch from fossil to renewable hydrogen in the chemical industry and other industries including steel production;
- Increase investor confidence by supporting stakeholders working together in local hydrogen networks (Member States, industry, civil society and scientific community);
- Promote the sustainable development of hydrogen markets, starting with local or regional networks near renewable electricity supply, hydrogen production plants and hydrogen consumption centres;
- Establish strong links between the EU, national, regional and local levels for the coordination of governance mechanisms;
- Secure imports of renewable hydrogen into the EU (in addition to EU production) by building international partnerships and trade cooperation with interested third countries as well as with EU neighbours;
- orient the promotion of investments in renewable hydrogen and hydrogen-derived synthetic fuels towards minimising energy consumption and total life-cycle costs per unit of greenhouse gas emissions saved;
- Encourage investment in renewable hydrogen under the EU taxonomy with its disclosure requirements for environmentally sustainable economic activities;
- Set standards for hydrogen production based on life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions and certification of low-carbon hydrogen for use with the EU taxonomy for investment;
- Support the rapid development of electrolysers, prioritising electrolysers with decreasing costs and fast market diffusion and learning curves to accelerate hydrogen production;
- discourage the use of whole trees for the production of renewable hydrogen by using sustainability criteria that limit the "carbon payback period" to less than 10 years.
- Support research, market studies and demand-driven initiatives on hydrogen infrastructure (local, national and international), certification and standardisation.
Contact:
Dr William Gillett
EASAC Energy Programme Director
Email : William.Gillett@easac.eu
Prof.dr.sc. Neven Duic
Power Engineering and Energy Management Chair
Department of Energy, Power and Environmental Engineering
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture
University of Zagreb
Prof. Dr Konstantinos Boulouchos
Director of Aerothermochemistry and Combustion Systems Laboratory (LAV)
Institute of Energy Technology
ETH Zurich
Head of Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research (SCCER)
in Efficient Technologies and Systems for Mobility
Prof. George A. Giannopoulos
Academy of Athens (Energy Committee)
Prof. Dr Veronika Grimm
Professor of Economic Theory
Friedrich Alexander University (FAU)
Erlangen-Nuremberg
Prof Jenny Nelson
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Physics
Imperial College London
Prof.dr.ir. M.C.M. van de Sanden (Richard)
Group Leader PSFD
DIFFER, Eindhoven, NL
Prof Asgeir Tomasgard
Director FME NTRANS, Director NTNU Energy Transition Initiative
Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
About the European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC)
EASAC is formed by the national science academies of the EU Member States, Norway, Switzerland and United Kingdom, to collaborate in giving advice to European policymakers. EASAC provides a means for the collective voice of European science to be heard. Through EASAC, the academies work together to provide independent, expert, evidence-based advice about the scientific aspects of European policies to those who make or influence policy within the European institutions.
Link
www.easac.eu
Source: easac-PM of 29.9.2020
Keywords:
Energy storage, Renewable, Research, Climate protection, Sustainable management, News Blog Europe (without DE), Power-to-Gas, Resource efficiency, Environmental policy, Hydrogen
