Clean Energy Future (hydrogen production and use to reach 50 million tones by 2030.)
The European Clean Hydrogen Alliance was set up in July 2020 to support the large-scale deployment of clean hydrogen technologies by 2030. It brings together renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production, demand in industry, mobility and other sectors, and hydrogen transmission and distribution. Its members come from industry, public authorities, civil society, and other stakeholders. The European Commission announced “REPowerEU Plan” an additional investment of €200 million available for the Clean Hydrogen Partnership through the Horizon Europe Programme. The funds will help double the number of Hydrogen Valleys in Europe and aim to accelerate the implementation of the hydrogen economy across the EU.
Clean hydrogen will play a complementary role to decarbonize sectors where direct electrification is likely to be technologically very challenging or prohibitively expensive, such as in steel production and long-distance shipping. A combination of private-sector collaboration and policy support can drive the initial ramp up of clean hydrogen production and use to reach 50 million tonnes by 2030. Which countries are leading the way with hydrogen? Europe and Japan are leading the pack in terms of patent numbers, closely followed by the US, says Hydrogen Patents for a Clean Energy Future. The EU filed 28% of all international patent families (IPFs) in hydrogen technologies in 2011-2020, with Japan on 24% and the US on 20%. However, the US was the only region where IPF numbers fell compared with the previous decade. The fastest growth was in China at 15.2%, and in South Korea at 12.2%. The EU is being led by three main clusters – in Munich and the Ruhr area in Germany, and in the French capital of Paris. In the Ruhr area, steel production company Thyssenkrupp is the top applicant for hydrogen-linked patents. It is eyeing 2024 as the date to start up its first industrial-scale plant using direct-reduced iron production – a method of making steel that creates around a quarter of the carbon emissions of traditional blast furnaces.
Hydrogen Valleys – regional ecosystems that link hydrogen production, transportation, and various end uses such as mobility or industrial feedstock – are important steps towards enabling the development of a new and sustainable hydrogen economy. Currently, 23 European hydrogen valleys at different stages of development have been identified in the Mission Innovation Hydrogen Valleys Platform, developed for the Clean Hydrogen Partnership (and its predecessor, the FCH JU). Technologies related to producing hydrogen accounted for the largest number of hydrogen patents in 2011-2020. The main trend has been a significant shift towards low-emission production methods. The main focus is creating hydrogen fuel cells capable of propelling vehicles forwards. Japanese and South Korean automotive companies are dominating this area, benefiting from apparent synergies with their work on electrolyzer technology. At the same time, innovation in automotive fuel cells is helping with developments in electrolysis, as certain fuel cells can be used in reverse for electrolysis.