Green Hydrogen

Green hydrogen, produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable energy sources, is emerging as a significant player in the transition to a low-carbon economy. It is particularly beneficial for providing backup power and stabilizing grids with high shares of intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar. By acting as an energy carrier, green hydrogen can store excess renewable energy and release it when needed, enhancing grid flexibility. Its applications contribute to three distinct energy solution pathways in the One Earth Solutions Framework:

1. Green Hydrogen Power: Green hydrogen can be used to generate electricity through fuel cells or by burning it in turbines. Fuel cells convert hydrogen into electricity with water as the only byproduct, making them a clean alternative to fossil fuel-based power plants. 
2. Green Hydrogen Heat: Green hydrogen can be used to generate heat through combustion for high-heat industrial needs or co-generation fuel cells for lower-heat commercial and residential markets.
3. Green Hydrogen Fuel: Green hydrogen can be transported through cooled pipelines for use in fuel cells in vehicles, where it combines with oxygen to generate electricity while producing only water and heat.

Currently, almost all hydrogen used in industry is produced using fossil fuels (often called gray hydrogen). However, in the past five years, the capacity to create green hydrogen has doubled.