Nuclear power and renewable energy sources have a vital role to play in decarbonizing electricity production. They can also be used to power hard-to-abate sectors, including hydrogen production. A side event on ‘The Role of Green Hydrogen in Advancing 24/7 Carbon Free Energy’ examined how ‘green hydrogen’, or hydrogen produced solely with clean electricity, is key for the net zero transition. The event, organized by Sustainable Energy for All, also looked at the challenges that must be overcome to produce clean hydrogen on a large scale.
“Africa has a lot of potential to harness and really use green hydrogen energy,” said Peter Oviroh, a lecturer at the University of Johannesburg and member of the UN Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition. “There is a lot of interest but not enough resources to give. The private sector needs to step in to help.”
Hydrogen is used for a variety of applications, from manufacturing semiconductors to powering fuel cell electric vehicles. But for now, most of it is produced with fossil fuels. Nuclear power and renewables can be used to drive electrolytic processes to produce hydrogen cleanly — though the costs are relatively high. Hydrogen produced through electrolysis powered by nuclear energy is known as 'pink hydrogen'.
“Right now, on the basis of cost, it doesn’t make sense to produce hydrogen at nuclear power plants,” said Henri Paillere, Head of the IAEA’s Planning and Economic Studies Section. “We need to find ways to reduce these costs, including the cost of electrolyzers.”
Speakers from the IAEA, industry and academia discussed ways to boost green hydrogen production, including infrastructure needs and private sector involvement.
