Why is Hydrogen fashionable?

The energy crisis we are experiencing worldwide is leaving points to be considered on the road to decarbonization. The first and most notorious is the importance of fossil fuels in a balanced energy basket for the coming decades. The second is to achieve a responsible transition, where renewable energies achieve the reliability that is required of them and at competitive costs. And the third is to meet the great objective of significantly reducing emissions in accordance with the established limits.

Now, speaking of non-emissions, hydrogen emerges as the great bet to achieve this objective, which is classified with colors. Gray hydrogen is obtained from natural gas, as a by-product of methane and which can also be obtained as a by-product of oil refining processes, with relatively low costs.

On the other hand, blue hydrogen is obtained from the capture of C02 emitted in the process of generating gray hydrogen. It is expensive and is in the development stage. According to experts, the capture process is around 30% in the most advanced projects.

Therefore, it is clear that both gray and green hydrogen are obtained from fossil fuels and here we return to the first point mentioned, the importance of these fuels in the energy basket. Now, green hydrogen is obtained from the electrolysis of water by separating the hydrogen and releasing the oxygen. This does not generate greenhouse gases (GHG), because the energy required comes from renewable energies. It is the most expensive and is under investigation. Its efficiency, according to experts, does not reach 50%.

However, what has been seen so far is that in the search for an accelerated process of non-emissions, options such as energy efficiency, consumption reduction, electrification of demand or the reforestation.

In a recent report by the World Economic Forum and the Boston Consulting Group, eight industries with the most carbon-intensive global supply chains were analyzed, and which together account for a good percentage of the world's total GHG emissions within the which stand out: food (-25%), construction (-10%); fashion, freight transport and household consumer goods (-5%). Could it be that the detractors of the oil industry will be clear?

It seems that the lack of a structured and responsible energy transition plan is taking its toll. Today more than ever the need for fossil fuels has become notorious and voices of possible energy rationing before winter are already being heard.

We are living in a situation full of contradictions where something unsustainable is being forced, to achieve decarbonization with technologies that are not yet available at the required level. Hydrogen emerges as one of the fuels called for the reduction of GHG, the question is in how long? There is still a long way to go and both its efficiency and its competitive costs are some of the great challenges to be achieved. Let's hope this isn't just a hot topic.