Hydrogen Power:
A Stepping Stone to Net Zero
Learn more about hydrogen power, a critical element to a renewable and clean energy future.
Hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, and recent technological advancements have demonstrated its potential to fuel a clean energy future. Hydrogen can be produced using excess energy from wind and solar, creating a clean energy source which emits zero carbon. The resulting element can be converted to power a wide range of applications, from large trucks to backup generators for emergency operations.
With changing climate and severe weather events becoming more common, the demand for renewable, reliable, clean energy continues to grow. Efforts to reduce greenhouse gases to combat climate change are resulting in accelerated decarbonization goals and efforts. As this transformation toward clean and sustainable energy continues, hydrogen will continue to play an important role.
A Source of Renewable, Reliable, and Clean Energy
Hydrogen provides a means to store and transport energy generated by renewables such as solar and wind. In many instances, energy from these sources goes unused due to an imbalance between energy generation and demand. Converting this energy to hydrogen through electrolysis (i.e., using energy to separate the hydrogen from water) allows the energy to be captured and stored for later use. That stored hydrogen can then be converted to electricity by hydrogen fuel cells, which are virtually noise-free and generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, emitting only water. This demonstrates a significant development for clean energy.
Clean hydrogen can play a significant role in providing renewable, reliable, clean energy to support:
- Decarbonization and net zero emissions targets
- Energy transportation and long-term storage
- Scalable power solutions (e.g., stacking hydrogen fuel cells to match power requirements and sizing hydrogen tanks based on needed durations)
How Can Hydrogen Power Be Used?
Hydrogen power has potential applications across various sectors:
- Transportation: Hydrogen fuel cells can power cars, trucks, and buses as a clean alternative to gasoline and diesel, significantly reducing emissions in heavy and long-haul transport.
- Industrial: Clean hydrogen can be used in hard-to-decarbonize industrial applications and processes, such as chemical, steel, and fertilizer production.
- Retail/Commercial: Hydrogen power can provide clean energy to reduce costs during peak demand and provide backup power.
- Residential: Hydrogen can fuel backup power generators.
- Microgrids: Microgrids combine one or more power generation sources, including hydrogen fuel cell and renewables, that can be controlled with or independently from the transmission grid. They can be operated to provide independent power, backup generation, and/or optimize energy costs by using power from the cheapest available source (i.e., the commercial utility grid or locally generated sources).
- Energy Storage: Hydrogen offers a solution to store excess renewable energy from wind and solar. The surplus can be used to produce hydrogen through electrolysis, which can be later converted back to electricity when demand is high.
What Does Nationwide Adoption of Hydrogen Power Look Like?
The US National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap provides a nationwide framework and targets to use clean hydrogen to meet decarbonization goals. It envisions emissions reductions, jobs, energy security, and resilience through affordable, clean hydrogen to promote a net zero carbon future. The roadmap lays out a vision for clean energy production, delivery and storage, and market adoption focusing on hard-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy. These sectors include industrial applications, transportation, and power sector applications, such as backup power and long-duration storage.
The increased use of clean hydrogen power will help reduce costs, as regional networks/hubs create critical mass for adoption. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $7 billion dollars in funding to establish seven regional clean hydrogen hubs (i.e., networks of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure) across the country—supporting this transition.
What Is Next for Hydrogen Power?
The production, processing, delivery, storage, and end-use of clean hydrogen, including innovative uses in the industrial sector, are crucial to Department of Energy’s strategy for achieving a 100% clean electrical grid by 2035 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Advancing the use of green hydrogen power requires governments, industry, and research institutions to continue investing in technologies to reduce costs and projects that demonstrate its viability across applications. This will require a combination of technical expertise in fuels engineering, energy solutions, and resilience and the ability to successfully manage projects and programs across multiple disciplines and sectors.
Do you want to discuss your sustainable energy and resilient solutions needs? Get in touch with one of our experts helping bring reliable, resilient, clean energy to your business and community to explore how hydrogen can be incorporated into your strategy.
APTIM. In Pursuit of Better.
Connect with APTIM
Subscribe to the APTIM Xchange Newsletter
APTIM's newsletter, The APTIM Xchange, provides industry news flashes, regulatory updates, service spotlights, and topical columns from our subject matter experts.