Green hydrogen is an energy vector capable of storing, transporting and distributing energy from renewable sources, making it a fundamental tool in the clean and sustainable economy of the future.
Spain is consolidating its position as the European country with the greatest potential for green hydrogen production and is now eligible for aid for its installation through the H2 Pioneers Programme of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
The characteristics of its production, transformation and use process make green hydrogen a sustainable, reliable, competitive and zero-emission way of harnessing energy.
Depending on the origin of the hydrogen and the pollutant gas emissions inherent in its production processes, there are four types of hydrogen:
BROWN HYDROGEN
It comes from coal gasification, the most polluting form of hydrogen.
GREY HYDROGEN
It is obtained from the steam reforming of natural gas when there is no CO2 capture.
BLUE HYDROGEN
It is generated from steam reforming of natural gas with subsequent CO2 capture.
GREEN HYDROGEN
It is obtained from the electrolysis of water powered by energy from renewable sources.
Currently, more than 90% of the hydrogen used is grey and comes from fossil fuels. However, in order to comply with international decarbonisation agreements, the market trend is shifting towards green hydrogen.
At Cobaltiq, we are committed to the planet and society, which is why we are experts in green hydrogen.
Green hydrogen is obtained from the electrolysis of water, a chemical process that breaks down water molecules into H2 and O2 using electrical energy from renewable sources, without polluting emissions of any kind. Electrolysis is produced with the help of an electrolyser, which uses a stack of conductors, a membrane and the application of an electric current to separate the water molecules.
There are various types of electrolysers that can be used to obtain green hydrogen:
ALKALINE ELECTROLYSER (AEL)
They use a liquid electrolyte solution and the resulting hydrogen is of medium purity. It requires very bulky equipment.
SOLID OXIDE ELECTROLYSER (SOEC)
It uses a solid ceramic material as electrolyte and obtains high-purity hydrogen. The process is highly efficient but requires temperatures of between 500ºC and 850ºC, which makes the operation very expensive.
PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE ELECTROLYSERS (PEM)
They use a solid polymer electrolyte in the form of a thin membrane that the ions pass through during decomposition. They are the most widespread because they produce high purity hydrogen that is easily cooled. The process is costly but the most cost-effective, and they are also the electrolysers with the fastest response to power variation, which makes them ideal for renewable energies.
At Cobaltiq we work with PEM electrolysers as they are the most competitive on the market and have the best ratio between efficiency and profitability.
The development of green hydrogen is expanding and there are many fields of application for this technology:
ENERGY STORAGE
After electrolysis, the resulting hydrogen can be compressed, either in liquid or gaseous form, or it can be stored in the form of metallic hydrocarbons. This allows it to be stored for long periods of time and transported over long distances and makes it an ideal replacement for traditional renewable energy storage batteries.
VEHICLE FUEL
Due to its high energy density, light weight and fast refuelling capability, hydrogen is the perfect fuel for both light and heavy-duty vehicles, allowing a long range.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
The use of hydrogen is very common in the chemical industry as a raw material to obtain ammonia or methanol, in the petrochemical industry to transform heavy crude oil into refined fuels, in the metallurgical industry to improve finishing or welding processes, and in the energy industry as a fuel in gas-fired power plants.
ELECTRIC POWER GENERATOR
Once the hydrogen has been obtained and stored, it can be transported to consumption points where it is transformed by an electrochemical reaction with oxygen into electrical energy in a hydrogen cell, resulting in only water as a by-product. This generated energy can then feed the electrical requirements of buildings, industrial complexes if developed on a large scale, or electric vehicle engines.
Because of the endless opportunities presented by the development of hydrogen, the wide variety of applications it has and the benefits of its use, at Cobaltiq we are strongly committed to this technology, which in a few years will revolutionise the electricity market and become a fundamental part of the energy sector.
In addition to the flexibility of uses of green hydrogen, other advantages of its integration into the energy mix are:
High purity hydrogen is obtained from electrolysis, which avoids secondary treatment and incurs no conditioning costs.
It has a high energy density per unit mass, much higher than traditional fossil fuels, which gives it a high energy storage capacity.
It is easily transportable and does not emit greenhouse gases at any stage of the process, its procurement, storage and use are clean and sustainable, in line with the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and decarbonisation targets.
Thanks to innovation and research, much progress has been made in making the process cheaper and more efficient, increasing the cost-effectiveness of the process and making green hydrogen the key to the energy future.
The European Union is strongly committed to this technology, providing companies and citizens with substantial subsidies for its installation. It is time to be a pioneer and invest in green hydrogen.
Cobaltiq is a specialist in green hydrogen
We advise our clients on how to incorporate this technology into their renewable generation plant in order to achieve maximum profitability.
As specialists in renewable energy and energy storage, Cobaltiq is the best choice to study, process, design and implement your green hydrogen project.