In 1964, the Tokyo Olympics left the Shinkansen high-speed train as a technological legacy. In 2021, the respective Tokyo Olympics were the first to be held with hydrogen energy.
Small cars may have won over electric propulsion, but hydrogen has strong advantages over electric propulsion in replacing fossil fuels to propel heavy trucks, buses, ships, planes, and heavy industry.
by Thanos S. Chonthrogiannis
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The advantage of hydrogen
The advantage of this element as a fuel must do only with industrial uses that require temperatures above 400oC. Hydrogen produced by a green process will never be cheaper than the corresponding green type of electricity produced.
But hydrogen will be the key to achieving the ambitious environmental goals set by governments by providing energy to long-distance transport, such as ships, trucks, and unplugged railways.
Three types of hydrogen
Hydrogen can be found in abundance in nature, but to convert it into fuel there are three types of hydrogen for this purpose.
1. The gray hydrogen
It is produced from natural gas or coal and has a large carbon footprint.
2. The blue hydrogen
It is produced from fossil fuels, but the carbon dioxide emitted is collected and reused.
3. The green hydrogen
It is a product of electricity, which is produced from RES and has zero environmental footprint.
Gray hydrogen is the cheapest and is produced mainly in China from lignite, accounting for 1/3 of world hydrogen production. Russia produces gray and blue hydrogen due to its huge gas reserves.
