The objective of decarbonisation presents several paths, but there are some sectors in which green hydrogen has become the clear bet. And Spain has become the reference in Europe, positioning itself as the main opponent of the United States.
Europe’s efforts to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels they are intense, but in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they have been redoubled to avoid becoming a vulnerable opponent for Vladimir Putin.
There is no doubt that the renewable energy are crucial in this regard, although without losing sight of the nuclear one. But, although solar and wind energy contribute significantly to the energy mix, they do not have the decarbonisation potential that green hydrogen has in certain sectors.
“Many countries are interested in green hydrogen, but in Spain the sector has accelerated rapidly”
These sectors are mainly industrial and heavy transport, in which renewables do not yet have the necessary technology to be a viable option. We are talking about steel mills, airplanes or ships, for example, in which green hydrogen offers many advantages and has become a viable and advantageous option.
Spain, world leader in green hydrogen
It is precisely in the green hydrogen sector that Spain has made a strong commitment and has positioned itself as a European and world leader in the wake of the United States.
According to a report from Wood MackenzieSpain currently concentrates 20% of green hydrogen projects all over the world. Far behind the United States, which accounts for more than half, but ahead of the rest of the countries.
“Many countries are interested in green hydrogen, but in Spain the sector has accelerated rapidly”affirms the associate professor of research in Energy Economics at Comillas Pontifical University, Rafael Cossent.
We are talking about a sector that is still far from reaching cruising speed. But the war in Ukraine has caused the European Union to double its green hydrogen production targets for 2030 and turn it into a key pillar for carbon neutrality in 2050.
“Spain has become a very attractive country for green hydrogen”said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a visit to Spain in May. “A shift to competitive hydrogen is happening on a large scale.”
A highly developed renewable sector
One of the keys that make Spain a European and world potential in green hydrogen is the remarkable development acquired in the renewable energy sector.
Both wind and solar are necessary to produce green hydrogen and Spain has important resources of this type. In addition, one of the drawbacks of the production of this type of energy, the high cost, is progressively reduced in the face of advances in technology and production, in addition to the spectrumsharp rise in the price of fossil fuels.
Another advantage that Spain has is its extensive network of natural gas and LNG terminalswhich can be adapted for the transport and supply of green hydrogen.
Funding is also lacking, with the government last year launching a €1.5bn plan to support green hydrogen projects over the next three years, leveraging a European Union COVID recovery fund to do so.
Adding private investments, the forecast indicates an expense of €9 billion by 2030 in an energy that could replace coal in heavy industry and that can also be used to make fertilizers. Even as fuel for buses, trains, planes and ships.
The private sector invests in green hydrogen
The efforts of the European and Spanish public administrations are not taking place alone, as various Spanish companies have also seen the potential of this sector.
Thus, large firms such as Iberdrola, Repsol and Enagas Various projects have been launched. Like the one in the first industrial renewable hydrogen plant in Lloseta, Mallorca, led by Enagás, Acciona, IDAE and Cemex.
Asturias, for its part, has no less than 43 renewable hydrogen production projects, standing out among them hydeal, formed by Enagás, ArcelorMittal and Fertiberia. This will have 15 solar parks and a target production of 330,000 tons of green hydrogen in 2030.
“This shows that the sector has matured”, says Javier Brey, president of the Spanish Hydrogen Association (AeH2). “2030 may seem like a long way off, but it is actually tomorrow. Spain has all the cards to become an energy hub », he adds.
However, Spain must also work to improve some aspects if it wants to strengthen its leadership position in this flourishing sector.
“To win, Spain will have to accelerate the deployment of solar and wind farmsas electrolysis consumes a lot of electricity,” notes Cossent, adding that the projects were stuck at “administrative bottlenecks.”
Font: Techxplore