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Has green hydrogen sprung a leak?
December
22, 2022
Story by
Sarah Mcfarlane
and
Ron Bousso
A general view of hydrogen electrolysis plant called 'REFHYNE',
one of the world's first green hydrogen plants, during a launch event
at Shell's Rhineland refinery in Wesseling near Cologne, Germany, July
2, 2021. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen
LONDON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The green hydrogen express is gathering
pace, but it may have a worrying problem with leaks.
As governments and energy companies line up big bets on the
much-touted fuel of the future, some scientists say the lack of data
on leaks and the potential harm they could cause is a blind spot for
the nascent industry.
At least four studies published this year say hydrogen loses its
environmental edge when it seeps into the atmosphere. Two scientists
told Reuters that if 10% leaks during its production, transportation,
storage or use, the benefits of using green hydrogen over fossil fuels
would be completely wiped out.
Governments are pushing ahead with financial support for the industry,
however. The United States included billions of dollars of green
hydrogen tax credits in its Inflation Reduction Act and the European
Union approved 5.2 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in subsidies for green
hydrogen projects in September.
Scientists say the problem with hydrogen is that when it leaks into
the atmosphere, it reduces the concentration of molecules that destroy
the greenhouse gases already there, potentially contributing to global
warming.
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They say the lack of technology for monitoring hydrogen leaks means
there is a data gap, and more research is needed to calculate its net
impact on global warming before final investment decisions are taken.
Columbia University, the Environmental Defense Fund, a joint project
by the universities of Cambridge and Reading, and the Frazer-Nash
Consultancy have all published studies about the risk of leaks
undermining green hydrogen's climate benefits.
"We need much better data. We need much better devices to measure the
leakage, and we need regulation which actually enforces the
measurement of the leakage," said Anne-Sophie Corbeau, a researcher at
Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy.
It estimates that leakage rates could reach up to 5.6% by 2050 when
hydrogen is being used more widely.
Norway's climate research institute CICERO is also working on a
three-and-a-half-year study due to conclude in June 2024 on the impact
of hydrogen emissions. Maria Sand, who is leading the research, said
there was a big gap in the science.
"We need to be aware of the leakages, we need some answers," said
Sand. "There is big potential for hydrogen, we just need to know more
before we make the big transition.
MEASURED APPROACH
The hydrogen used now in oil refineries, chemicals factories and the
fertiliser industry is made from natural gas in a process that
produces carbon dioxide. Green hydrogen is made by using renewable
energy to split water through electrolysis, without producing
greenhouse gases.
The chief attraction of using hydrogen as a fuel is that the main
by-product is water vapour, along with small amounts of nitrogen
oxides, making it far less polluting than fossil fuels - assuming it
doesn't seep out.
Leaks are one of many issues plaguing the adoption of green hydrogen,
besides high costs, safety concerns, and the need to invest in enough
renewable energy to make it, as well as in the infrastructure to store
and transport the colourless gas.
Last week, Brussels called for applications for funding for more
research into the risks linked to a large-scale deployment of
hydrogen. It asked the research to show how hydrogen could reduce
global warming by replacing fossil fuels, but also how it could
contribute to global warming in the event of leakages.
The Environmental Defense Fund's study, meanwhile, urged governments
and businesses to gather data on hydrogen leakage rates first, then
identify where the risks were highest and how to mitigate them before
building the infrastructure needed.
The Frazer-Nash report also flagged how measures to prevent hydrogen
leaks needed to be taken into account to allow for greater up-front
and maintenance costs.
"The more we know about how to produce it in a sustainable way, and
the regulation and management needed, the more it costs and therefore
that limits its use unless there is no alternative," said Richard
Lowes, senior associate at The Regulatory Assistance Project
think-tank.
GREEN POTENTIAL
Scientists and analysts say that as hydrogen molecules are much
smaller and lighter than those in methane, they are harder to contain.
While potential leakages of hydrogen are not expected to be on a scale
that could derail all green hydrogen plans, any seepage would erode
its climate benefits, they say.
Almost 300 green hydrogen projects are under construction or have
started up worldwide, but the vast majority are tiny demonstration
plants, International Energy Agency data showed.
The largest is in China where Ningxia
Baofeng Energy Group (600989.SS) is
using green hydrogen produced from solar power to make petrochemicals
such as polyethylene and polypropylene.
Consultancy DNV forecasts that green hydrogen would need to meet about
12% of the world's energy demand by 2050 to hit Paris climate targets.
Based on the current pace of development and DNV's modelling of future
uptake, the world is only on track to reach about 4%, DNV said.
David Cebon, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University
of Cambridge, said 4% might be only what's "manageable", given the
huge amount of renewable energy needed to make enough green hydrogen.
To replace the dirty hydrogen used now in refineries, fertiliser and
chemical plants would require almost double the electricity produced
by every wind turbine and solar panel worldwide, and that's before
green hydrogen is used for anything else, such as steelmaking,
transport or heating, Cebon said.
Still, the EU is considering mandates for green hydrogen's use in
transport, while countries such as South Korea, Japan and China have
targets for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
LEAKY PIPES
The fossil fuel industry hopes that hydrogen could eventually move
through existing infrastructure, such as gas pipelines and liquefied
natural gas import and export terminals.
Hydrogen has not been monitored for leaks in the past, and most of the
odourless gas used now is made where it is consumed - but there are
plans to pipe and ship it vast distances.
About 1% of the natural gas, which is
mostly methane, moving through European
infrastructure leaks, but
rates are higher in some countries
including Russia, according
to analysts and satellite images of leaks.
"There's a lot we don't know about hydrogen," said Sand at Norway's
CICERO. "We don't know yet if we can assume it will behave the same
way as methane."
Initial results of tests in pipelines at DNV's Spadeadam research site
in northern England showed that hydrogen leaks in the same places and
rates as natural gas.
Companies working on green hydrogen projects say, however, that
careful monitoring would be needed.
Once hydrogen enters pipelines, it can weaken metal pipes which can
lead to cracking. Hydrogen is also far more explosive than natural gas
which could create safety issues.
Energy giant BP (BP.L),
which is planning to build multiple
green hydrogen projects,
including a facility in Britain due to start in 2025 known as HyGreen
Teesside, said it was developing leakage monitoring systems.
"We really want to launch an effort now to assess how low can we
maintain the level of leakage across a value chain and that's going to
be the critical thing," said Felipe Arbelaez, senior vice president
for hydrogen and carbon capture at BP.
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