RENEWABLE HYDROGEN
Electricity passing through water splits the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen produced from this process can be used as a fuel directly, or as a building block to make other energy- intensive products such as ammonia and methane. Using renewable electricity for this process can reduce dependence on fossil fuels and extend the reach of wind and solar power beyond the confines of the electric grid.
Electrolyzers are the set of technologies for converting electricity and water into fuel. They can provide completely flexible electrical demand, helping to accommodate the variability of renewable resources, and reduce the amount of renewable energy lost when supply exceeds demand for power. At-scale deployments in Europe have caused the cost of the technologies to drop precipitously, introducing a new opportunity to address climate change with a win-win solution.
SURPLUS RENEWABLES AND HYDROGEN
Power from wind and solar is the least cost source of electricity in many regions. Costs for these resources are historically low and continue to drop, prompting utilities and states to depend more and more on renewable electricity.
A key feature of these renewable sources is the variability in output levels—sometimes producing less than demand, and increasingly, more power than demand can support. When supply exceeds demand, wholesale electric market prices drop, sometimes resulting in wind and solar power being turned away altogether due to lack of demand.
Using the excess or “surplus” renewable power to produce hydrogen is a more efficient use of the energy created, and increases the value of renewables by creating flexible demand for power when it can’t otherwise be efficiently put to good use.
See the global Hydrogen Council’s “Hydrogen Scaling Up!” video below. (full report)
More renewable hydrogen facts:
UPCOMING EVENTS
RHA Oregon Policy Subcommittee Meeting, Jan 20, 2021, 1 PM – 2 PM PST.
RHA Communication Committee Meeting, Jan 22, 2021, 2 PM – 3 PM PST.
RHA Commercial Development Committee Meeting, Jan 28, 2021, 9 AM – 10 AM PST.
RHA Technical Committee Meeting, February, 2021.
**2nd World Hydrogen Summit, Mar 9-10, 2021, Virtual.
Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Energy Summit, Mar 17/18, 2021, Porto Portugal.
Hydrogen + Fuel Cells Europe, Apr 12-16, 2021, Hanover, Germany.
**European Hydrogen & P2X Conference, Jun 16-17, 2021, Copenhagen.
Forth Roadmap Conference, June, 14-16, 2021, Portland, OR.
World Hydrogen Energy Conference, June 26-30, 2022, Istanbul, Turkey.
*RHA invited to speak.
** Special offer to RHA members may apply.
* **RHA member discount, RHA speaking.
