In August 2019, scientists at the Catholic University of Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) in Belgium released the results of a study on the development of a new solar panel design capable of generating hydrogen through solar energy.

 

The rector of the University of Luc Sels noted that hydrogen is one of the few types of energy resources that does not generate carbon emissions when burned. However, to date, the preferred method of industrial production of hydrogen is electrolysis. The cost of such a method of hydrogen production is high, and its generation uses natural gas methane. L. Sels stressed that the prototype solar panel, developed by the team of researchers at the Catholic University of Leuven, using only solar energy and moisture in the air, generates 250 liters of hydrogen per day.

 

Commenting on the achievements of Belgian scientists, Kobad Bhavnagri, the Head of Bloomberg Renewal Generation Programs, said that in the case of such a widespread use of technology, the cost of hydrogen production will be reduced from the current USD 5-7 per kg of hydrogen to USD 1.4 per kg of hydrogen by 2030. And in 2050, the cost of hydrogen will be reduced to USD 0.7-0.8 per kg. This, according to Bhavnagri, will allow households to get involved in the process of generation of energy in the same way as solar and wind power. Hydrogen can be used by households not only to save excess generation of solar energy, but also for the continued use of hydrogen at home and for refueling vehicles. K. Bhavnagri is convinced that in the medium and long term, the spread of such technology will have a significant impact on changing the energy balance and reducing the consumption of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) in many countries.

 

 

Talking about the potential of using hydrogen in industry, Bhavnagri noted that it is able to completely replace the use of natural gas in metallurgy, aluminum, cement, cellulose, fertilizers, etc. and become an alternative to gasoline and diesel in transport. Consequently, the mass transition to hydrogen will have a significant impact on reducing fossil fuel consumption and reducing global carbon emissions. Bhavnagri emphasized that such dramatic changes and the massive transition to renewable hydrogen would require considerable political support and overcoming the oil and gas lobby.

 

Concerning the prospects of growth of renewable generation investments, K. Bhavnagri noted that Bloomberg had prepared an analytical report on “New Energy Outlook 2019”, which predicts that by 2050 the volume of investments in renewable generation in the world will increase to USD 13.3 trillion, 77% of these investments will be spent on the construction of new renewable electricity generation facilities (mainly solar and wind). So, about USD 5.3 trillion will be invested in wind power generation, USD 4.2 trillion in solar generation, investments in the construction of storage batteries will amount to about USD 843 billion. For comparison, global investment in the development of traditional fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) by 2050 will not exceed USD 2 trillion. Over the next 30 years, approximately 15145 GWt of new renewable generating capacity will be built, 80% of which will have zero carbon emissions. Installed renewable energy storage capacity in 2050 will be about 1666 GWt. Batteries and accumulators will become the bridge to integrate new renewable capacity with existing power grids.

 

K. Bhavnagri stressed that by 2026, coal generation in the world will reach its peak, after which there will be a rapid reduction of these capacities worldwide, with the exception of Asia. Coal generation in China and India will continue to further grow after 2026. However, globally by 2050, coal generation will be reduced by almost 51%, its share in the global energy balance will be reduced from the current 27% to 12%. According to K. Bhavnagri, the European Union will take the leading position in the pace of transition to renewable generation in the world, whereby the end of 2040 renewable generation will make up 80% of all electric generation. In the US and China, the transition to renewable generation will be slower than in the EU.

 

In addition, in this context, the research of generation of hydrogen from unconventional oil in Canada, conducted by the Canadian University of Calgary, is drawing attention. According to Dr. Ian Gates, the Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Calgary, the explored reserves of unconventional hydrocarbons in the world are far in excess of traditional oil and gas reserves. Calgary scientists have developed a technology for the extraction of hydrogen from shale oil using a pre-installed set of equipment and mechanisms for production of shale oil. Experimental studies have shown that the cost of producing hydrogen in the area of ​​shale oil field development will be in between USD 0.1 to USD 0.5. per kg of hydrogen. Speaking of the technology itself, Dr. Gates noted that it has been experimentally established that when oxygen is pumped into an oil well, the temperature in the underground layers of shale oil production increases, the molecules of oil split, releasing pure hydrogen, which is pumped for further industrial use. Such technology, according to Dr. Gates, is now being used by Canadian company “Proton Technologies” for commercial hydrogen production. Grant Strem, CEO of “Proton Technologies”, said that the technology is capable of producing significant amounts of hydrogen while leaving carbon dioxide underground. The cost of producing hydrogen (USD 0.1 to USD 0.5 per kg) is comparable to the cost of producing petroleum products (gasoline, diesel, etc.) from shale oil. It is important that when extracting hydrogen, companies avoid the extra cost of purification and refining of oil  and the cost of building and maintaining oil refining infrastructure.

 

 

Over the next 30 years, about USD 13.3 trillion will be invested in renewable generation. However, investments in traditional fuels (oil, gas, coal) will not exceed USD 2 trillion. 

After 2030, with the reduction in the cost of production of hydrogen to USD 0.1 – 1.2. US per kg, we should expect a significant increase in the production and consumption of hydrogen, especially in developed EU countries. Hydrogen will gradually replace oil and gas consumption. Consequently, the consumption of traditional hydrocarbons will primarily decrease in the EU in the long run.

The experience of the Canadian company “Proton Technologies” shows that the oil and gas companies will have technologies enabling, without loss of investment in geological exploration and drilling equipment, transfer of the traditional model of oil and gas production to the production of hydrogen, which is an environmentally friendly green fuel carbon gas.