Hydrogen

  Admin | August 4, 2024

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10 million tons of hydrogen

Hydrogen is considered one of the most important energy sources of the future. Many countries are grappling with a real "race" towards stable and sustainable production of this new fuel, while others are wasting time and making bad investments.

Unfortunately, hydrogen Europe has a problem: it is called "raw materials", the Old Continent wants to produce 10 million tons of H2 in 2030, but has to deal with minerals, gas pipelines and bureaucracy.

Europe, determined not to be left behind, has recently approved and started numerous projects in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The industry of the future needs hydrogen: the objectives of the REPowerEU plan published in 2022 aim to achieve the production of 10 million tonnes of hydrogen by 2030, in dedicated plants powered by renewable energy, especially hydrogen. . A possible but ambitious value, which to be achieved implies overcoming some major industrial and financial challenges and in particular to obtain capital in a short time, even from private individuals.

All European objectives

In the latest public documents, we learn that, at the time of signing the joint declaration, in May 2022, the overall green hydrogen production capacity of European electrolysers stood at 2.5 GW.

Also according to the report, investments of several million euros in this technology are currently at stake; not only regarding production facilities, but also throughout the supply chain of critical materials and raw materials.

Some countries have then chosen to activate new factories, while many others have announced that they are making efforts with new investment plans towards new hydrogen production technologies less dependent on third countries.

Current problems

The great European expansionist plan still has problems and gaps, both technical and bureaucratic, from an economic, technological and human resources point of view. It would seem that the main problems all derive from the fact that, even today, there is no precise definition of renewable hydrogen, indeed it is completely confusing and open to interpretation. According to multinationals, gaps in the regulatory framework and huge delays in implementation (definitions and certifications, formulation of binding objectives, etc.) persist. Two facts that currently prevent future producers from engaging with this technology with extreme confidence. Then, again according to the companies that participated in the summit, there is still a huge gap between the objectives and the funds actually allocated in Europe, which are necessary above all to attract private investors (which according to them are fundamental). Finally, there is the biggest challenge, that of building or strengthening integrated supply chains (i.e. gas pipelines), as well as verifying the actual availability of components and raw materials for the production of the necessary infrastructure. Regarding the infrastructural issue, a few months ago there was an agreement between France, Germany and Spain to build the H2Med, a huge underwater and land transport gas pipeline. This is a large-scale work, but certainly not enough on its own to guarantee a constant supply to all of Europe. And that's just one example.

Material dependencies

A true "ordeal" of hydrogen, as has emerged in the latest summits, is represented by critical raw materials, regarding which Europe itself drafted dedicated legislation in May 2022, with the aim of guaranteeing countries' access to a safe and sustainable supply of these substances by taking action towards respecting Circular Energy and recovering these materials from what has been abandoned in the environment.

This scope also mainly includes all platinum group metals and all critical raw materials used above all to make electrolysers. The already set target of 65% (per material) for import diversification seems extremely difficult to meet, especially for some of the most used metals.

Since the materials present in fuel cells and electrolysers mainly come from a small number of supplier countries, a strong dependence on them, such as on South Africa for platinum and iridium, probably cannot be avoided. Not least is the poor availability of fluoropolymers, elements widely used for the production of PEM membranes, storage tanks, pipes, gaskets and more if local policies do not actually take action in recycling.

In short, therefore, any desire to expand in the production of electrolysers to produce hydrogen (in addition to requiring billions of cubic meters of fresh water) will have to be counterbalanced by a parallel expansion in the capabilities of sourcing materials, or rather by Critical Raw Materials . Finally, from the report of 16 July 2024 of the European Court of Auditors which rejects the Brussels strategies, it is clear that there is a risk that new strategic dependencies will be created: thus from the dependence on oil we would move on to the dependence of the electrolysers with their supplying countries of critical raw materials, precisely necessary for the creation of electrolysers.

HPP's innovative technology

produces Critical Raw Materials

converts matter into clean hydrogen

produces electricity

produces thermal energy

this zero-impact technology is self-powered and does not require fresh water as a raw material.