Hydrogen next big thing for low-carbon future, ADB climate expert says

By Cai Ordinario, BusinessMirror, May 15, 2019

Developing countries like the Philippines could emerge as the “big winners” if they move toward a hydrogen economy, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

In an Asian Development Blog, ADB Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department Chief of Energy Sector Group Yongping Zhai said hydrogen energy is “the next big thing” in the bid to reach a low carbon future.

Zhai said the combustion of hydrogen with oxygen is a cleaner form of energy since the only by-product is water. This is better than fossil fuels, which produce carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

“Developing countries would be the big winners from the move toward a hydrogen economy. First, on the supply side, developing countries could tap their renewable-energy resources to produce hydrogen and export it to other countries, as is already done with liquefied natural gas,” Zhai said.

“Second, on the demand side, developing countries could start using hydrogen technologies in specific areas. For example, fuel-cell vehicles can be charged fully with hydrogen within five minutes for a driving range of 500 kilometers and more, with zero carbon-dioxide, sulfur-dioxide or nitrogen-oxide emissions,” he added.

Hydrogen, Zhai said, can be used directly as fuel in power generation and other heat applications. It can also be blended with natural gas in pipeline networks.

He also said hydrogen used with fuel cells—a device that converts chemical potential energy into electrical energy—is promising for trucks, rail and ships, as well as industrial applications which require both electricity and heat.

In order to develop a hydrogen economy, Zhai said pioneers are needed. In Japan, the government aims to be a hydrogen economy by 2050. This was the aim of the world’s first hydrogen strategy, which Japan formulated in December 2017.

“The hydrogen economy is premised on the use of hydrogen as a fuel, particularly for electricity production and hydrogen vehicles; and using hydrogen for long-term energy storage and for the long-distance transportation of low-carbon energy,” Zhai said.

“The key to achieving such a hydrogen economy is to bring the cost of hydrogen down from more than $10 per kiligram to about $2 per kilogram, which would then be competitive with natural gas,” he added.

In order to help countries move toward a hydrogen economy, Zhai said multilateral institutions such as the ADB can do more in terms of financing hydrogen energy projects, including production, transportation and distribution infrastructure, as well as market applications.

Zhai added that ADB can also share information about the latest trends and technologies and help governments develop strategies and road maps for hydrogen energy development.

He added that ADB can also help enhance the carbon trading platforms and pilot hydrogen technologies and business models for scaling up.