Hydrogen from renewable power – Technology outlook for the energy transition

The global energy system has to undergo a profound transformation to achieve the targets in the Paris Agreement. In this context, low-carbon electricity from renewables may become the preferred energy carrier. The share of electricity in all of the energy consumed by end users worldwide would need to increase to 40 % in 2050 (from about half that amount in 2015) to achieve the decarbonised energy world envisaged by the agreement. However, the total decarbonisation of certain sectors, such as transport, industry and uses that require high-grade heat, may be difficult purely by means of electrification. This challenge could be addressed by hydrogen from renewables, which allows large amounts of renewable energy to be channelled from the power sector into the end-use sectors. Hydrogen could therefore be the missing link in the energy transition: renewable electricity can be used to produce hydrogen, which can in turn provide energy to sectors otherwise difficult to decarbonise through electrification.
<p class="publication-author" irena