Knowra Hydrogen economy Hydrogen economy A proposed energy system in which hydrogen carries energy between production, storage, transport, and end use. Its feasibility depends on how hydrogen is made and the infrastructure and energy required to handle it.
Electrolysis : A process that uses electricity to drive a chemical reaction, such as splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. Water electrolysis can turn surplus renewable electricity into hydrogen.
Green steel : Steel production designed to greatly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, often by using hydrogen to reduce iron ore. Hydrogen can replace coal-derived carbon as the reducing agent in ironmaking.
Green hydrogen : Hydrogen produced by water electrolysis using renewable electricity. It is the proposed low-emissions fuel most closely associated with a renewable hydrogen economy.
Hydrogen pipeline : A pipeline designed or adapted to transport hydrogen gas between production, storage, and demand sites. A broad hydrogen economy would require networks suited to hydrogen’s physical properties.
Hydrogen economy debate : The disagreement over hydrogen’s future role, costs, climate value, and best uses in energy systems. The central dispute is whether hydrogen merits broad deployment or should serve selected sectors.
Steam methane reforming : An industrial process that extracts hydrogen from methane using steam, producing carbon dioxide as a by-product. It is a major current production route, but its emissions challenge low-carbon goals.
Ammonia production : The industrial manufacture of ammonia, chiefly by combining nitrogen with hydrogen through the Haber–Bosch process. Low-emissions hydrogen can decarbonize a major existing use of hydrogen.
Blue hydrogen : Hydrogen produced from fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage intended to reduce emissions. It offers a fossil-based pathway whose climate impact depends on capture performance and methane leakage.
Hydrogen embrittlement : The degradation of some metals’ mechanical properties after hydrogen enters the material. It can limit pipeline materials and require inspection or infrastructure replacement.
Power-to-X : The conversion of electrical power into fuels, chemicals, or other products, often using renewable electricity. Hydrogen can be a feedstock for synthetic fuels and chemicals, extending its possible markets.
Show all 30