Renewable hydrogen in mobility

The gas that will mark the future of sustainable mobility

Whether it is as a raw material to manufacture net zero emission synthetic fuels or as a fuel cell power supply, hydrogen is seen as one of the strategic pillars of the decarbonization of transportation

Of all the sustainable mobility options that will contribute to reducing emissions in the sector ⁠— electricity, low-carbon fuels, and hydrogen ⁠— this latter is perhaps the one that we know least about. However, it has a good chance of becoming a fundamental pillar on the road to a climate-neutral Europe by 2050, as set out in the EU's Green Deal. Because hydrogen, the most abundant chemical element in the universe, could respond to the energy needs of all types of transportation.

The gas that holds the first position in the periodic table has been an old acquaintance in industry since the 1940s, as a raw material for producing everything from ammonia to synthetic fibers and fertilizers, glass and steel, alcohols, cosmetics, and edible oils. There is a sustainable way to produce it that only releases oxygen: electrolysis, which consists of removing it from water by applying renewable electricity to separate it from oxygen.

The most sustainable way to obtain hydrogen is electrolysis, which consists of taking it from water by applying renewable electricity to separate it from oxygen

Despite being spoken of as a fuel alternative since the oil crisis of the 1970s and again being put on the table at the start of the 2000s, with the surge of renewables, “now there is a compelling reason for renewable hydrogen to stay: the aim of decarbonization, which is also a global movement, not only of certain areas around the world. In addition, we have achieved technological maturity that we did not have years ago,” notes Javier Brey, chairman of the Spanish Hydrogen Association.

Hydrogen applications in mobility

Precisely, a fundamental piece in this puzzle of hydrogen as a vector of decarbonization is technological advances. These will allow us to have different options in order to offer a solution to the energy demand for mobility, industry, and the home, as we can make the most of its versatility. In mobility, it targets two main lines of technological development: its direct use as a power source in fuel cell vehicles and the manufacture of synthetic fuels or 'e-fuels' with net zero emissions.

“Hydrogen and its derivatives, such as e-fuels, will be able to power any type of transportation, especially that of long-distance goods, aviation, and the maritime sector, which are difficult to electrify, at least, in the short to medium term,” explains Dolores Cárdenas, product design advisor at Repsol. The advantages of fuel cell electric vehicles that use hydrogen compared to electric ones that use batteries are that “they require less charging time, similar to when we refuel at a gas station, and have greater ranges. With four to six kilos of hydrogen, we can travel around 700 kilometers,” Cárdenas points out. According to the expert, we will probably see hydrogen used directly in road and rail transport by the end of this decade or the start of the next one. In fact, Repsol and Talgo have joined to promote the hydrogen train.

With regards to ⁠net zero emission synthetic fuels manufactured from hydrogen and CO₂ captured from the atmosphere, the big advantage of these is that they are chemically similar to gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. They can be used in current combustion engine vehicles without the need to change the refueling network, so we can start to use them already. That “already” is exemplified in projects such as the construction in Bilbao of one of the world's biggest net zero emission synthetic fuel plants that will use renewable hydrogen and CO₂ as raw materials. Repsol is building the plant, which should be operational by 2024.

An economic driving force for the energy transition

All this production of renewable hydrogen can, according to experts, have a strong impact on our economy “because Spain is rich in renewable energy sources, which are what we need to produce it, and because we'll be able to be more than self-sufficient in hydrogen, and therefore, become exporters to the north of Europe,” Javier Brey explains. Also, “thanks to our geographical location, we can become the natural port of entry from Africa for raw materials in the hydrogen value chain. Moreover, Spain has a broad industrial and technological business network throughout this chain.”

What has to happen for the hydrogen sector to take off? “The regulatory framework, based on the principle of technological neutrality, is a key part to strengthening the technological development of the different decarbonization options, among them renewable hydrogen, as it enables lower production costs and deployment of its use,” Dolores Cárdenas highlights. It's the piece of the puzzle we were missing. In this regard, the Spain's Council of Ministers approved in October 2020 the Hydrogen Roadmap, a commitment to renewable hydrogen that includes 60 measures and sets a series of goals for 2030 that would allow 4.6 million metic tonnes of CO₂ to be reduced between 2020 and 2030, would mobilize around 9 billion euros of investment, and would promote employment.

As we have already seen, renewable hydrogen could be fundamental in the decarbonization of transportation, and it would represent a boost for our economy. According to the experts, it would be one of the main pillars of sustainable mobility alongside electrification and renewable fuels. The combination of all of them, they agree, will enable us to reach the desired climate neutrality faster.

_{Published in El Confidencial}