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