Climate change refers to anthropogenic changes imposed on systems by humans. It has had a negative impact on the world by making it difficult for animals to survive and quickly creating a disaster that will be a major problem in the future. Scientists are developing technologies that would lessen the damage of climate change. An innovative technology that would have the most impact on mitigating climate change is green hydrogen power. Green hydrogen power is when the energy used to power electrolysis is renewable, such as wind, water, or solar. Obtaining Green hydrogen power can have a significant impact on the world and provide benefits in everyday life, but there are still issues that must be addressed.
The first step to obtain green hydrogen is conducting electricity. To conduct electricity, the water used in electrolysis must contain salt and minerals. A direct current is passed through two electrodes immersed in water and connected to a power source. This hydrogen and oxygen dissociation occur when the electrodes attract ions with opposite charges. Because of the effect of the electricity, an oxidation-reduction reaction occurs during electrolysis. It would save the 880 million tons of CO2 emitted each year when natural gas is produced using fossil fuels.
The first future impact that green hydrogen power would have been electricity and drinking water generator. In a fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen react to produce electricity and water. This process has proven to be very useful on space missions, providing crews with water and electricity in an environmentally friendly manner. Energy storage is the second future impact. Because compressed hydrogen tanks are lighter, they can store energy for longer periods of time and are easier to handle than lithium-ion batteries. The final future impact would be on transportation and mobility. Because of its versatility, hydrogen can be used in difficult-to-decarbonize consumption niches such as heavy transport, aviation, and maritime transport.
The first benefit of using green hydrogen power is that it is completely sustainable. Green hydrogen emits no pollutants during combustion or production. The second advantage of green hydrogen energy is that it can be stored. Hydrogen is easily stored, allowing it to be used for other purposes and at times for uses other than immediately after production. The final advantage is that green hydrogen is adaptable. Green hydrogen can be converted into electricity or synthetic gas and used in commercial, industrial, or transportation applications.
The first issue that must be addressed is hosting. Renewable energy, which is essential for producing green hydrogen via electrolysis, is more expensive to produce, making hydrogen more expensive to obtain. The second problem would have to be excessive energy consumption. The reason for this is that producing hydrogen in general, and green hydrogen in particular, takes more energy than producing other fuels. The final issue is one of safety. Because hydrogen is a highly volatile and a flammable element, extensive safety precautions are required to avoid leakage explosions.
Despite the fact that hydrogen is dangerous to use, it is the most abundant chemical element in nature. Furthermore, global demand for this chemical element has increased since 1975, reaching 70 million tons per year in 2018. Hydrogen has a long history in the industry, having been used to power cars, airships, and spaceships since the early 20th century. The inevitable decarbonization of the global economy will increase public awareness of hydrogen. This could imply that if its production costs are cut in half by 2030, as predicted by the World Hydrogen Council, we will undoubtedly be dealing with one of the future fuels.
To summarize, green hydrogen power is one of the most innovative technologies that could have the greatest impact on climate change mitigation. Green hydrogen, unlike coal and air, emits only water vapor and leaves no residue in the atmosphere. Aside from issues such as hydrogen production and safety, it can have an impact as an energy storage device as well as an electricity and water generator. Green hydrogen power is completely sustainable, as well as storable and versatile.
Link of image: https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/july-2022/green-hydrogen-viable-option-transforming-africas-energy-sector
