Hydrogen Fuel About to Get Much Cheaper

A report from Bloomberg says that hydrogen fuel might be about to become a lot cheaper than it presently is. Hydrogen gas production costs are falling, and experts predict that in the years to come it will continue to see hydrogen become cheaper and cheaper.

The cost of producing hydrogen for cars has been historically high because of economies of scale along with some requirements, such as in California, that a certain percentage be produced renewably.

A chance to make hydrogen cheaper?

Speaking about this was Kobad Bhavnagri, the Head of Special Projects at BNEF, who said in a report: “Once the industry scales up, renewable hydrogen could be produced from wind or solar power for the same price as natural gas in most of Europe and Asia,

“These production costs would make green gas affordable and puts the prospects for a truly clean economy in sight.”

If hydrogen is produced at scale that it is needed for, then it could be used for everything from fueling vehicles to home energy to production of metals and even cement. It would have a huge impact on some of the most energy-heavy industries around, reducing their environmental footprint by a considerable margin.

Hydrogen is also be able to deliver the same kind of temperatures needed to melt both metal and stone, meaning that it would help to replace another expensive part of our industry. These are some of the most emission-heavy industries around, so being able to power them with cheaper hydrogen would be massive.

We have a little ways to go, but at least hydrogen fuelling could become genuinely affordable in a short time.

Citation

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-21/cost-of-hydrogen-from-renewables-to-plummet-next-decade-bnef