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Green Hydrogen Energy,
the Key to 'Renewable Energy'
Countries around the world are implementing a new climate regime to respond to climate crisis. Hydrogen is now quickly emerging as a major alternative to fossil fuel as an energy source to help achieve carbon neutrality. In particular, green hydrogen is increasingly drawing attention as an eco-friendly energy source that does not generate carbon dioxide in the production process.
Text by Editorial Staff
Sources K-water
Global Hydrogen Industry: a New Energy Source in Focus
Human race has achieved rapid growth over the past century through industrialization. On the other hand, industrialization has generated massive amounts of greenhouse gases, as a result of which the average temperature on Earth has steadily risen, causing an unprecedented climate crisis. According to the IPCC 6th Assessment Report released on March 20, 2023, the average global temperature has increased by 1.09℃ as of 2023 from the levels of the period between 1850 and 1900. In response to global warming, hydrogen has emerged as a
major alternative to fossil energy, the key culprit of greenhouse gas emissions. When combined with oxygen in a chemical reaction, hydrogen generates electricity. With water being the only byproduct generated in the process and no other pollutants released, hydrogen energy can be produced in an environment-friendly manner. Hydrogen energy is a highly preferred energy because it requires only hydrogen and fuel cell to produce and it can be easily used in various different fields.
Major countries including the US, Germany, China, Japan, and Australia recognize hydrogen as a key future industry, and they are working to foster their respective hydrogen industries. For example, under the P2G (Power to Gas) project, Germany has built a cluster of 33 renewable energy production facilities including wind power plants in the northern region of the country, using the electricity produced there to produce hydrogen. The United States has been investing extensively in the development of eco-friendly production technologies with the goal of achieving 100% hydrogen self-sufficiency by 2030. The state of California announced its plan to generate 50% of electricity using renewable energy and replace 30% of transportation fuel with green hydrogen and methane by 2030.
China has lowered tariffs on key parts of the hydrogen fuel cell in a bid to promote the hydrogen mobility sector, with Japan creating a global hydrogen supply chain to secure large amounts of hydrogen from abroad and importing hydrogen using the world’s first liquid hydrogen storage technology. Leading countries are stepping up their efforts to nurture and grow their respective hydrogen industries.
Types of Hydrogen and Green Hydrogen
Hydrogen is used for fuel cell in hydrogen vehicles, medium- and large-sized power plants, homes, and buildings as an eco-friendly energy source that can replace coal and gas used for thermal power generation. One of the advantages is that hydrogen can be stored in large quantities without loss for a long period of time. In addition, hydrogen can be transported for a long distance in liquid or gaseous form, with energy density per mass that is 3 times higher than natural gas and 4 times higher than gasoline; thus making it versatile in uses. Hydrogen is classified by color, which varies according to the production method and the amount of CO2 emissions generated in the production process. For example, hydrogen produced by nuclear power is pink, whereas that produced by fossil fuel is grey. Green hydrogen is the eco-friendliest of all because it is produced via electrolysis using renewable energy sources including water, wind, and tidal currents.
In electrolysis, purified water (pure water) is split into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. Electrolysis is the key
technology for green hydrogen, and it has different kinds. In advanced countries, Alkaline and PEM are the most Alkaline electrolysis is the most stable method since it is most widely used in the industry and research has been conducted extensively. Plus, it is cost-efficient and easy for systemized large-scale management. On the other hand, proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis using a polymer electrolyte membrane enables responding promptly to the volatility of renewable energy, with the strong hydrogen-blocking property providing greater stability.
Hydrogen Energy Policy in Korea and Green Hydrogen of K-water
The 120-item policy agenda released by the government in July 2022 includes expansion in clean hydrogen trade and creation of new industries and new markets, demonstration of hydrogen reduction steelmaking, reduction in fine dust using hydrogen vehicles, and recycling of plastic to get materials for hydrogen production, declaring its commitment to promoting the country’s hydrogen industry.
With the domestic hydrogen economy expected to grow, K-water is playing a role in the shift toward the hydrogen economy based on its water energy infrastructure including hydroelectric power plants and floating solar panels as well as extensive empirical research and knowhow on new renewable energy.
K-water built the Seongnam Water Purification Plant—the first green hydrogen production facility in Korea that uses small hydropower—which will contribute to the growth of the national hydrogen economy with the goal of producing 12,000 tons per year by 2050. The water purification plant plans to produce approximately 69 tons of green hydrogen per year via electrolysis of water that flows from Paldang Dam into the plant. The plant is expected to supply some 188kg of hydrogen a day, which can charge 40 hydrogen vehicles (sedans) a day. Building upon the experience of having successfully constructed the Seongnam Green Hydrogen Plant, K-water is planning to expand its green hydrogen business. One of the major projects to that end includes building hydrogen infrastructure in the city of Ansan, which will use wind to produce 244kg of green hydrogen per day. K-water is constantly developing its clean water energy and expanding the hydrogen business while spreading the use of new renewable energy using water by working closely together with various other organizations.
Meanwhile, K-water signed an agreement on joint international research and development with EPFL, the world’s first institute to launch a hydrogen storage alloy research project, and Switzerland’s GRZ Technologies Ltd., which is working on the commercialization of a hydrogen storage system based on research findings. The agreement is part of the efforts of K-water to advance its industrial competitiveness. K-water is planning to acquire the PEM electrolysis system that is currently in the early stage of commercialization and integrate it into GRZ’s unique hydrogen storage alloy (metal hybrid) to create an integrated green hydrogen production and storage system that will then be connected to hydrogen transportation and uses (fuel cell and hydrogen EVs) to expedite technological advances throughout the entire hydrogen cycle.
