The State Of Play With Green Hydrogen

I am often asked my opinion on where the world sits concerning green hydrogen. The answer is akin to the curate’s egg.

There has been solid progress, but I wonder if we are where we must be to achieve net zero by 2050.

Why?

It depends on where you sit.

Challenges in the Progress of Green Hydrogen

Technology

The renewable energy folks are no doubt frustrated as the prospective hydrolyzer manufacturers (and, more so, the powerful integrators which include most industrial gas MNCs plus others) fight for ascendency with their various technologies (old school alkaline versus new(ish) kid on the block PEM and the odd fast ball such as solid-state).

Investments

Those who wish to invest are also frustrated that the off-takers are also deliberating on the means of best pushing the green hydrogen into the various market sectors at an acceptable rate.

Then, there is the issue of the off-takers - where are they located?

Of course, the energy-deficient countries of North Asia (Japan, South Korea) are at the forefront of the off-taker queue. However, despite substantial ongoing efforts to stimulate demand, the latter is yet to materialize to a level that would justify massive investment in geographies with…