{"id":7810,"date":"2020-10-04T12:41:38","date_gmt":"2020-10-04T10:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=7810"},"modified":"2020-10-04T12:42:44","modified_gmt":"2020-10-04T10:42:44","slug":"eu-hydrogen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2020\/10\/04\/eu-hydrogen\/","title":{"rendered":"EU hydrogen strategy needs to prioritise hard-to-decarbonise transport modes"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 8 July, the college of European Commissioners will formally adopt its EU Hydrogen Strategy to help decarbonise the EU economy. This strategy will be launched together with its Strategy on Smart Sector Integration. The hydrogen strategy will outline concrete steps the EU can take to support all aspects of hydrogen production. The integration strategy will aim to better incorporate different energy sectors that have lived separate lives until recently (in particular the power and transport sectors). In addition, a Clean Hydrogen Alliance – involving industry and other stakeholders – will be launched simultaneously to support the Commission in developing new initiatives to support the hydrogen sector.<\/p>\n

The announcement takes place in Brussels<\/strong> at approximately 12.00 CEST <\/strong>on Wednesday, 8 July 2020.<\/p>\n

T&E submitted its response to the Commission\u2019s consultation<\/a> on the EU Hydrogen Strategy and supported an NGO coalition letter<\/a> calling on the Commission to focus on lead markets for sustainably produced, renewable hydrogen.<\/p>\n

WHAT WILL THE EU HYDROGEN STRATEGY DO?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Production:<\/strong> The Commission will decide whether only renewables-based \u2018green\u2019 hydrogen will receive policy support – grants, incentives for investors, etc – or whether fossil fuel-based \u2018blue\u2019 hydrogen (with carbon capture and storage) will play a transitional role.<\/p>\n

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Demand:<\/strong> Past attempts to jumpstart a \u2018hydrogen economy\u2019 have failed, mainly because the demand for hydrogen never materialised. This is why the Commission will also need to give a clear steer on which end-use sectors will be required to use hydrogen. Industry and transport modes like aviation and long-distance shipping, where electrification is not an option, need to be prime candidates.\u00a0In aviation, for example, powering flights in 2050 with electrofuels will require a huge rollout of wind and solar energy, boosting investment and further lowering costs (see graph<\/em>).<\/p>\n

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Supporting industry:<\/strong> The EU Hydrogen Strategy will offer financial support for those industries where hydrogen will be indispensable for decarbonisation (e.g. contracts for difference to compensate users for the higher price of using hydrogen, similar to the mechanism used in some countries to support wind and solar).<\/p>\n

European:<\/strong> Producing renewable hydrogen domestically – in the EU – versus relying on imported hydrogen from locations outside the EU will be another key question for the Commission to address.<\/p>\n

WHAT ROLE IS THERE FOR HYDROGEN IN TRANSPORT?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not cars and vans:<\/strong> Hydrogen is one of the Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV) technologies, but the EU strategy must prioritise hydrogen for those transport sectors where direct use of electricity is not feasible. As battery electric cars and vans are a much more efficient use of energy (see infographic), hydrogen powered ones should not be the priority.<\/p>\n

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Clear role in aviation and shipping:<\/strong> Hydrogen – as a fuel or as a feedstock in the production of other electrofuels – offers decarbonisation pathways<\/a> for aviation and long-distance shipping. The strategy must clearly state that they are high-priority end-use sectors.<\/p>\n

And trucks?<\/strong> For trucks doing urban and regional deliveries, battery electric lorries are more efficient and cheaper to run. For the decarbonisation of long-haul heavy-duty trucks, the jury is still out on which zero-emission vehicles technology – battery electric (BEVs) or hydrogen fuel cell trucks (FCEVs) – will ultimately prevail.<\/p>\n

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SHOULD THE EU ONLY PROMOTE \u2018GREEN\u2019 HYDROGEN?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The meaning of the term \u2018clean\u2019 remains open for interpretation (as in the case of the Clean <\/em>Hydrogen Alliance) and could include the fossil gas-based production of \u2018blue\u2019 hydrogen by means of the steam methane reforming process combined with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). But \u2018blue\u2019 hydrogen is fossil-fuel based and would be a distraction from the necessary move to renewable based hydrogen.<\/p>\n

When electrolysis is used to produce hydrogen, the hydrogen is only as \u2018clean\u2019 as the electricity used to produce it: If new zero-emission wind and solar are used, the hydrogen can be considered close to zero-emission (green hydrogen). However, if grid electricity is used with the current EU average carbon footprint, the hydrogen can have about one and a half times the carbon footprint of fossil diesel, for example.<\/p>\n

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CONCLUSION and NEXT STEPS<\/strong><\/p>\n

The EU Hydrogen Strategy will outline the next steps on hydrogen for the European Commission:<\/p>\n