Image Credit: Scientific Frontline
Scientific Frontline: "At a Glance" Summary: Green Hydrogen Supply Chain Sustainability
- Main Discovery: Green hydrogen could fail as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels unless global energy grids and supply chains are rapidly decarbonized.
- Methodology: Researchers evaluated 20 production and transportation scenarios across 14 leading countries from 2023 to 2050, analyzing five hydrogen production methods, including three electrolysis and two biomass systems.
- Key Data: Currently, approximately 96 percent of hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels, resulting in electrolysis technologies having high global warming impacts in 2023 due to their reliance on fossil-powered electricity grids.
- Significance: The environmental viability of green hydrogen is completely dependent on national energy mixes; without a definitive shift to low-carbon electricity, the fuel cannot effectively support global net-zero emission targets.
- Future Application: By 2050, utilizing proton exchange membrane electrolysis powered by clean grids could reduce environmental impacts by over 90 percent, potentially establishing a highly resilient US-UK export supply chain.
- Branch of Science: Environmental Science, Energy Management, and Sustainability Studies.
- Additional Detail: Any delays in policy implementation or disruptions to renewable energy deployment could substantially compromise the projected sustainability and efficiency of future hydrogen networks.
Green hydrogen - the cornerstone of net zero strategies around the world - could fail in becoming a truly sustainable fuel unless countries rapidly decarbonize their energy grids, according to research led by the University of Sheffield.
Both the UK and US could play major roles in determining the success of green hydrogen as a clean fuel, should they decarbonize their grids by 2050, research suggests
Green hydrogen - the cornerstone of net zero strategies around the world - could fail in becoming a truly sustainable fuel unless countries rapidly decarbonize their energy grids, according to research led by the University of Sheffield.
In a study published in the journal Nature Communications Sustainability, researchers have highlighted the decisive role that national energy mixes will play in determining the level of emissions involved in producing the fuel and its impact on the environment.
The researchers, led by Professor Lenny Koh, an expert in supply chains at the University’s Management School, evaluated 20 possible scenarios for producing and transporting green hydrogen across 14 countries from 2023 through 2050. The countries included were the UK, Japan, China, France, Norway, Canada, Germany, South Korea, the USA, Austria, Ireland, Poland, Italy, and the Netherlands - all of which were chosen because they are currently world leaders in hydrogen development.
The research focused on five different ways of making hydrogen fuel - three of which used electrolysis and two of which used biomass systems - the current main production methods globally.
Results show that in 2023, electrolysis technologies had the highest global warming impacts, mainly due to their energy-intensive operation, maintenance and manufacturing stages, as well as how the electricity used in these systems largely came from grids that were powered by oil, gas or coal.
However, the research suggests that making hydrogen via proton exchange membrane - a type of electrolysis - could be the most sustainable option by 2050, if the grids supplying electricity have moved away from fossil fuels.
Many of the study’s scenarios project substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, if electricity grids become cleaner and countries shift towards renewable energy. In some cases, hydrogen supply chains could reduce key environmental impacts by more than 90 percent compared with current hydrogen production.
One of the most environmentally friendly supply chains could involve both the UK and US, should they meet their clean energy ambitions, according to the research. This scenario is based on manufacturing hydrogen in the United Kingdom using proton exchange membrane, with significant exports to the United States, which could support the US and UK’s ambition to transition to a more resilient energy system by 2050.
Professor Lenny Koh, Professor of Operations Management at the University of Sheffield, said: “Green hydrogen is seen as the answer to the world’s energy crisis in terms of reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, however at present, approximately 96 percent of hydrogen is made using fossil fuels. We cannot be successful in using hydrogen to reach net zero, if fossil fuels are still playing such a huge role in the hydrogen supply chain.
“Our research suggests that hydrogen could still live up to its promise and play a vital role in the clean energy transition, but only if the electricity used to produce it comes from genuinely low-carbon sources and the full supply chain is designed with sustainability in mind.
“Aligning green hydrogen technology selection with regional decarbonization trajectories is crucial for achieving sustainable and resilient international supply chains by 2050.”
Dr Moein Shamoushaki, Research Associate at the University of Sheffield’s Management School, and co-author on the study, said: “Our research is clear that the sustainability of green hydrogen very much depends on energy mix and supply chains. Any delays in policy implementation or disruptions to renewable energy deployment could substantially alter the relative sustainability of green hydrogen supply chains.
“Our findings offer valuable insights for governments and policymakers on shaping green hydrogen production, supply chains, and policies that align with global and national net-zero and sustainability goals.”
Published in journal: Nature Communications Sustainability
Title: Sustainability of green hydrogen technologies depends on energy mix and supply chain
Authors: Moein Shamoushaki, and S. C. Lenny Koh
Source/Credit: University of Sheffield
Reference Number: env030326_01
.jpg)
.jpg)