Isn't renewable energy the solution to greenhouse gas emissions?

The world has started to switch from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources in the last five years. However, recent studies have revealed that alternative energy sources will not completely end greenhouse gas emissions and therefore global warming. But how does hydrogen, an important renewable energy source, cause greenhouse gas emissions?

How will renewable energy source hydrogen cause greenhouse gas emissions?

Electricity obtained from wind, hydro and solar energy is very important for the alternative energy economy. However, for countries that want to convert their entire economy to alternative energy, electric energy alone is not enough.

renewable energy hydrogen, hydrogen production, alternative energy, greenhouse gas

Accordingly, heavy industry in particular needs hydrogen energy in addition to electrical energy. Hydrogen production facility research is currently being conducted all over the world. However, certain conditions need to be met here. First of all, hydrogen production facilities have begun to identify suitable locations for the PEM technique, which separates water from hydrogen via electricity. Canada, the central parts of the US, the Sahara desert, Northern China and Northwestern Europe are currently the most suitable places for hydrogen production.

The dark side of clean energy! 4000 species will go extinct

The clean energy issue threatens biodiversity areas. Research has shown that 4,642 vertebrate species are at risk.

However, industrialized countries in Europe such as Germany and Switzerland do not have enough space for hydrogen production. The main reason for this is that there is almost no space for the electricity used for hydrogen production in these countries. Again, coastal areas of China, countries such as the USA and Japan are countries where hydrogen production would be costly due to high population density.

This creates a distance between countries with low-cost hydrogen production and those requiring high-capacity hydrogen. However, transporting hydrogen is both dangerous and very difficult. Again, 2.5 percent of hydrogen is lost due to leaks during transportation. This lost hydrogen causes the formation of gases that increase the greenhouse effect, such as ozone and methane.

Despite this, it is estimated that the world will need between 111 and 614 megatons of hydrogen in a renewable economy model by 2050. The world’s current annual hydrogen production is 90 megatons.