EUROPE PUTS GREEN HYDROGEN AT CENTRE OF CLIMATE ACTION PLANS
▶ Environmentally friendly fuel will help countries meet their Cop 26 pledges, says EC chief
The EU plans to sharply cut the price of clean hydrogen as it positions itself as a leader in a field regarded as critical to the fight against climate change.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said the aim was for green hydrogen, produced from renewable sources, to cost €1.80 ($2.03) a kilogram by 2030.
Current prices can be as high as €6, which is typically more expensive than blue or grey hydrogen, which are made using fossil fuels.
But high gas prices in Europe mean that green hydrogen can sometimes prevail in the market even today, Ms von der Leyen said.
Hydrogen produces only water when it is used as a fuel, making it attractive to polluters trying to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It can be stored as a gas or a liquid, at extremely low temperatures.
Speaking at the start of a week-long EU forum dedicated to the fuel, Ms von der Leyen predicted that hydrogen planes could be flying in Europe’s skies in the next decade. Cities are already preparing to use hydrogen taxis and buses.
“The evidence is growing: clean hydrogen will have a central place in the climate-neutral economy of the future. I’m very proud of Europe’s role as the world’s clean hydrogen trailblazer,” she said.
“Clean hydrogen is already contributing to decarbonising our economy. And even better, it is beginning to be competitive.
“We have to scale up clean hydrogen production, expand its applications and create a virtuous cycle where demand and supply feed each other and bring the prices down.” The EU was a leading advocate for swift emissions cuts at the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow.
Leaders hope the fuel will help them reach net-zero carbon emissions and put the world on track to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
EU leaders yesterday launched a clean hydrogen partnership that they said would bring together researchers, industry figures and government officials.
Part of their plan is to invest in hydrogen production in Africa, where it is hoped the fuel could power sustainable development.
Concerns for developing countries were a key dividing line at Cop26, with the final agreement acknowledging the need for sustainable growth.
A partnership between the EU and Africa “could bring clean energy to Europe and sustainable development to the African continent”, Ms von der Leyen said.
In Europe, the bloc hopes to increase production of green hydrogen to 10 million tonnes by 2030. At Cop26, it announced a partnership with US billionaire Bill Gates to invest in green technologies.
Projects in Europe include a hydrogen-powered steel factory in Austria and “hydrogen valley” in the Netherlands, a clean energy equivalent to the technology sector’s Silicon Valley.
It is hoped that the Dutch project, which relies on offshore wind turbines in the North Sea, could create more than 20,000 jobs in the region.
Ms von der Leyen said she wanted more hydrogen valleys to spring up in Europe, including on the Adriatic Coast and the Spanish island of Mallorca.
“Clean hydrogen is the energy of the next generation,” she said. “So let us speed up the transition together, to reach climate neutrality by 2050 – it is a big goal – and to propel our economy already today.”