Green hydrogen in crisis: skepticism about expensive technologies is growing!

Green hydrogen in crisis: skepticism about expensive technologies is growing!

Boxberg, Deutschland - In recent years, the discussion about green hydrogen has played a central role in the energy transition. However, there is currently skepticism compared to this technology, such as oekonews.at reports. The production of green hydrogen (H2) is carried out using electrolysis from green electricity, whereby the high costs of around 3 to 6 €/kg compared to fossil hydrogen, which costs only € 1.5 to € 2/kg, are often considered a hindrance. Critics argue that the resources should be better invested in more practical alternatives to the energy transition.

A concrete example of this are the failed hydrogen projects of the coal group Leag in Lusatia. These developments have already led to politicians and representatives of fossil groups increasingly avert themselves from hydrogen projects. In this context, SMR atomic strength is also discussed as a possible alternative technology.

technological challenges and perspectives

green hydrogen is nevertheless considered a key technology for a climate -neutral industry. The company Thyssenkrupp Nucera, leader in the area of electrolysers, has announced that it will provide significant amounts of green hydrogen by 2025. The development of scalable 20 MW electrolysis modules (SCALUM®) could help to significantly reduce the production costs, as techzeitgeist.de. A 300 MW system is already being developed for the CEPSA energy supplier, which is supposed to produce 47,000 tons of green hydrogen annually.

The various electrolysis technologies, including alkaline electrolysis (AEL) with efficiency of 65–70 % and proton exchange membrane electrolysis (PEM) with up to 80 %, offer different approaches to improve efficiency in hydrogen production. Furthermore, high-temperature electrolysis (SoEC technology) promises efficiency over 80 %, which could reduce electricity requirements by up to 30 %.

market conditions and state support

In order to promote the development of the market for green hydrogen, significant state support is essential. The Federal Ministry of Economics is planning to set up an electrolysis capacity of 40 GW in Germany by 2030 and invests over 6 billion euros in corresponding programs. The EU aims to generate at least 10 million tons of green hydrogen by 2030, while the challenges by raw materials and a shortage of skilled workers should not be underestimated (bundeswirtschaftsministry.de).