Low-carbon hydrogen, a key element in decarbonising heavy industry and transport
When we talk about decarbonising energy, the first solution that comes to mind is to gradually electrify all energy-consuming sectors: heating buildings, vehicles, industrial processes, etc. And since electricity is (or will be, depending on the country) increasingly decarbonised thanks to the development of renewable energies or nuclear power, this should significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is, of course, true, but only to a certain extent.
This is because not all sectors can be easily electrified. In heavy industry, like chemicals and steel, energy often has to be supplied in the form of a chemical reagent or a flame, hence the need for energy in the form of molecules (liquid or gaseous) rather than electrons. Heavy land, sea and air transport is also difficult to electrify for another reason: the main problem is the very low energy density of current batteries, even though steady progress is being made. On this criterion, liquid fuels currently have a huge advantage over electrified transport. The second problem is their recharge time, which is not always compatible with operating and profitability constraints.
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