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Pathways for sustainable H2: Critical routes to global adoption

Editorial Comment

Lee Nichols, Vice President, Content

The inaugural issue of H2Tech was published in January 2021. Since then, the global H2 industry has been abuzz with new technologies, pilot projects, research and capital investments. Not a day goes by where I do not receive several emails and/or news or press releases on companies investing in research and development or programs/initiatives to develop H2 projects, infrastructure or other products for different sectors (e.g., mobility). 

For example, in H2Tech’s Q1 2021’s global projects data page, Gulf Energy Information’s Global Energy Infrastructure (GEI) database was tracking nearly 270 active H2 projects around the world. At the time of this publication, active H2 projects have increased nearly four-fold to more than 1,010 (FIG. 1). Most of these projects—nearly 75%—are focused on green H2 production pathways. These projects will be instrumental in developing different routes to produce H2 in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and reach net-zero goals for many countries around the world.

Pathways for sustainable H2. As green H2 production pathways increase globally, it is beneficial to detail how these technologies will work and provide the public with the latest advancements in sustainable H2 production. For this reason, H2Tech has devoted this issue to exploring how H2 can help decarbonize different industrial sectors, as well as critical questions that must be asked when investing and/or developing H2 production processes, equipment and technologies.

This issue will address the following themes: 

  • The five steps to success in scaling up green H2
  • Unlocking the full potential of long-duration renewable energy storage, including H2 energy storage
  • Decarbonizing the skies via H2 as an aviation fuel
  • The routes to drive down green H2 production costs
  • How Power-to-X technologies/initiatives can play a key role in reaching decarbonization targets.

These topics encompass many of the challenges facing the global H2 industry. As countries and companies strive to decarbonize industrial operations, transportation and energy generation, the latest technologies and know-how will be imperative to drive down capital and production costs for H2 production to be adopted globally. The focus of this issue is to help provide answers and pathways in this endeavor.H2T

FIG. 1. Active hydrogen projects, Q1 2021–Q3 2022. Source: GEI database.

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