The Future of Energy

Transforming global energy systems is essential to mitigating climate change and improving air quality and ecosystem health.

In 2019, 35% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gases came from the energy supply sector, particularly through the unabated combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas. A further 15% came from the transport sector, also principally from the burning of fossil fuels. Renewable energies such as wind and solar power are driving electricity systems in various countries to lower emissions, but the intermittency of such technologies can risk power grid stability at high levels of deployment. On the other hand, large non-dispatchable power generation capacity can cause an opposite problem: that of too much electricity generation during periods of moderate demand and high sunshine and/or high wind. Means of long-term energy storage are thus needed to help balance the peaks and troughs of solar and wind power generation in order to support their widespread deployment and heavily reduce greenhouse gas emissions, along with emissions of other air pollutants such as NOx, SOx, mercury and particulate matter.

The green energy vector complementing solar and wind

While battery storage is emerging as a useful short-term means of energy storage, hydrogen is a more promising form of long-term energy storage where other means such as pumped hydro are not available due to geographical constraints. Per unit of volume, hydrogen stores more energy than batteries, making it also a good candidate for heavy transport, including shipping, aviation and rail, especially as when combusted, it produces only heat and steam. In addition, it can be mixed with natural gas to be transported via existing gas delivery infrastructure, and used as a feedstock for the production for even more energy-dense fuels such as green methanol and green ammonia. Estimates suggest that hydrogen could account for up to 12% of global energy use by 2050.

Green hydrogen is made using renewable energy, usually through the process of electrolysis – the splitting apart of water molecules using electricity. It will therefore be a key component of the deep decarbonisation of energy systems, as it can be produced during periods of excess renewable electricity production and consumed when renewables output does not meet demand, and in non-electrified heavy transport. Looked at from a different point of view, countries which are currently economically dependent on the extraction of fossil fuels tend to be those that have favourable conditions for the production of green hydrogen, providing a pathway to sustainably transition their economies.

The production and use of green hydrogen is not without challenges, however. Principle among them are that:

Production costs are high, as electrolyser technology is not at a mature stage and currently not mass produced.
The efficiency of energy conversion when producing green hydrogen is relatively low, meaning energy more energy is lost than would be ideal.
For use of hydrogen as a pure fuel (not mixed with natural gas), storage and transport infrastructure will need to be adapted, and for consumers, it will need to be built from scratch.
The hydrogen shipping industry needs to be developed.
Uses of green hydrogen, including as an intermediary to the production of other green fuels, needs to be spurred to further stimulate demand and improve technology.
Policies and regulations need to be set to provide conducive environments for the development of the green hydrogen industry at both the national and international levels.

This session will explore:

Technologies and innovations to develop green hydrogen as a flexible energy vector.
Opportunities and challenges for developing countries for the production and use of green hydrogen.
The use of green hydrogen and associated green fuels for transport.
The complementarity of renewables and green hydrogen.
Policies and financing required to fast track solutions and boost demand.