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Our children will live on the planet we saved.
Droughts and floods have intensified, glaciers are melting, deserts are appearing instead of forests, entire species of animals and plants are disappearing ... the climate is changing, the planet is at risk of starvation and new wars. Is this situation reversible? People are looking for a solution to this problem. One way is to reduce the carbon footprint. This means giving up the use of non-renewable energy sources in favor of renewable ones.
Leaving a carbon footprint
In today's world, the carbon footprint is inevitable: it is left by the car that goes on the street, the smoke from the boiler room thrown into the sky, even the cake that bakes in someone's kitchen ... With existing technologies that use non-renewable energy sources, the problem cannot be solved radically. And we will have to do this anyway only because of environmental pollution: natural gas reserves will be depleted in about 40-50 years.
Information
The carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions that lead to changing climatic conditions as a result of human activity. Its growth is caused by the activity of the industrial and agricultural sectors, the life and activities of every human being on Earth. The gases released increase the greenhouse effect. These include, in particular, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane…
Yes, tomorrow "carbon" awaits us a frightening future. Therefore, "decarbonization" is the key word in world energy. Scientists, society and the governments of long-developed countries are sounding the alarm. Thus, the Paris Agreement, concluded on 12 December 2015, aims to regulate measures to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In the same year, many states have already made appropriate statements: they have committed to limit emissions by 25-40% by 2030 (compared to 1990 or even 2005). And Germany and the United Kingdom have gone even further: they believe it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80-100% by 2050.
Item No. 1
Natural gas and petroleum products have long been looking for a successor. For this very suitable role is the first element in Mendeleev's table - hydrogen, the lightest gas. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, air balloons were filled with hydrogen. Then no one would have thought that he could replace natural gas and petroleum products.
It has a number of advantages. Here are just a few of them. This is the most common element in the universe, it is not in danger of disappearing: its quantity is constantly renewed. The properties of H2 have been studied for a long time and well, it brings less risks than, for example, propane, methane, gasoline. The heat of combustion of hydrogen is 120 MJ / kg. Methane (a source of non-renewable energy, which is currently the leader among its peers) is far behind that of 56 MJ / kg. But this is not all. So, on combustion, hydrogen only emits water vapor. This is probably the most environmentally friendly fuel today. By the way, biofuels, ammonia or coconut gas, which are also attributed to "green" energy resources, when burning burns a whole cocktail of harmful substances. More briefly,
The world has long appreciated all the qualities of hydrogen, but today it seems to have been discovered for the second time. Governments in different countries fund scientific research to ensure that "item 1" takes its place in the market as soon as possible.
There has been a decisive transition in global energy to a low-carbon future. The first in this regard was Japan. It adopted the "hydrogen strategy" in 2017. No other developed countries were expected: in 2019, such strategies appeared in South Korea and Australia, in 2020 - in several European countries: the Netherlands, France , Portugal, Great Britain ... On October 12, 2020, they were joined by Russia.
Gray and green
Yes, hydrogen is not a new gas. It has been used so far, but very limited, but in the future it is already going as a "new energy producer - environmentally friendly, affordable and cheap.
Of course, not everyone will agree that hydrogen is capable of making such a career. Why has he been underestimated so far? The energy producer is as cheap and tolerant of the environment as the source that produces it is cheap and tolerant.
Until now, this has been the so-called "gray hydrogen" from natural gas (ie fossil fuels with limited reserves).
The inexhaustible source of hydrogen is water. Its electrolysis is a simple and ecological process, but for now it consumes quite a lot of energy. The cost of "green" organic hydrogen obtained in this way has so far been high. But time passes, new technologies and materials appear, the level of production increases. Now "green hydrogen" has become much more accessible. By the way, in their time, solar power plants followed the same path. The former were expensive, but after ten years they no longer needed significant government support. The cost of "solar" energy produced by them has decreased, it has become competitive.
Now it's hydrogen's turn. The cheaper it is - the wider its scope: from space to household use. H2 successfully replaces natural gas and petroleum products without leaving a carbon footprint.
Hydrogen vs. oil
"Item No. 1" is becoming more and more popular in the field of transport. It already operates on hydrogen cars, small goods vehicles, scooters and bicycles. Light aircraft are powered by it. Since 2018, suburban hydrogen trains have been running in Germany. In the UK, an express on hydrogen has also been tested. Here, in general, it is intended to replace the former "dirty" diesel locomotives with this type of transport by 2040. In Germany, the USA, Japan and South Korea, there are programs to support hydrogen transport and it is developing rapidly and successfully. . Thus, Hyundai Motor Company invests a lot of resources in hydrogen technologies. The Koreans introduced the first car on hydrogen elements ix35 in 2013. And in 2015, mass production began. Toyota Mirai hydrogen car sales began on December 15, 2014.
There is also a growing demand for hydrogen in the industry: as long as it is used as a base for the production of synthetic gases.
The first element can be used in the electricity industry: it will become hydrogen-based. So will the heating. We remind you that now CHPs and boiler rooms are part of the top 10 anti-leaders, so they leave a significant carbon footprint.
What else is hydrogen good for? For its transport it is not necessary to create a special piping system. Ordinary gas pipelines are used, mixing hydrogen with natural gas. By the way, experts "Gazprom Export" believe that in modern pipelines, such as "Nord Stream" hydrogen content can reach 70%. Such a H21 North of England project is already being tested in the north of the UK, which is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 million tonnes per year. And for the European large-scale transport system, mixing even 20% hydrogen, according to the IEA, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 million tonnes per year (7%).
There are plenty of options for storing hydrogen - from salt caves to high pressure tanks. Even cryogenic technologies have come to the rescue, allowing the creation of liquefied cooled hydrogen reserves.
A beautiful low-carbon future
Every year, the world already consumes 55 million tons of hydrogen. H2 successfully competes with traditional energy operators. In the near future, Japan and South Korea will give up carbon fuel. France, the United Kingdom, Russia and a number of other countries will produce their own hydrogen, and Germany intends to invest 100 million euros annually in studying hydrogen technology. Experts believe that we can talk about the emergence of a new industry.
Probably other developed countries will follow in the footsteps of these states. This is demonstrated by the actively developing international hydrogen infrastructure. Unique trade partnerships have emerged that link not only countries but also continents. Here is just one example: Australia exports hydrogen to Singapore, Japan, South Korea and from there to Europe and the USA.
The second discovery of hydrogen gave us the chance to save the planet our children will live on. The main thing is to be able to jump into the "hydrogen express", which is already gaining speed.
Author: Catruc Valeri
