If you see yourself as a solar person like me, you’ve likely heard about hydrogen being a key to unlocking a decarbonized future, but you may not know too much about the technology or how many opportunities for partnership lie ahead between renewable energy and hydrogen companies. 

Hydrogen is still considered nascent within mainstream commercial decarbonization efforts, but actions are underway and have been for quite some time to change that. Hydrogen has the potential to be used in many different sectors, like steel production, long duration storage, and long haul trucking, to offer solutions as they work to decarbonize. 

In fact, hydrogen is already a multibillion dollar industry. There are well established processes to produce hydrogen that have been around for decades as it’s a critical component in fertilizer production, petroleum, refining, and even rocket launches. However, according to the Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy, 98% of the current production methods rely on fossil fuel inputs and are responsible for 830 Mt of CO2 each year. 

Much of the excitement for hydrogen lies in a process to produce hydrogen called electrolysis, which in layman’s terms means the process of utilizing electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. When this is done using electricity from renewable sources, there are no carbon emissions from this process. This is what is known as green hydrogen and it could be a critical part of a low carbon future. 

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), hydrogen is an increasingly important piece of the net zero emissions by 2050 puzzle as its share has been increasing in importance for cumulative emission reductions. The key pillars of decarbonizing the global energy system are energy efficiency, behavioral change, electrification, renewables, hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). 

While you’ve likely heard all about how the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act was a win for solar, wind, and geothermal industries, it will also help to supercharge the green hydrogen economy in the United States. Included in the bill is a tax credit that provides up to $3 per kilogram for hydrogen produced with renewable energy and nuclear energy. This will incentivize companies to prioritize more environmentally responsible ways to produce hydrogen. It is also expected that the increased production of green hydrogen will result in more demand from companies wanting to use green hydrogen in lieu of fossil fuels for things like long haul transportation, heavy industry, and more. 

It’s an exciting time to learn more about hydrogen, particularly the opportunities of green hydrogen. The Hydrogen Economy course taught by Andy Nyce provides learners with a broad foundation on the basics of the hydrogen economy, where it currently stands, and how it could be a total game changer in the coming years. 

Don’t wait to enroll as the first 30 registration get 50% off using the discount code – hydrogenin2023. See you in class!