Low-carbon, "green" hydrogen, converted back into electricity via a fuel cell, would help replace fossil fuels in long-distance transportations (trucks, trains or even planes). VIDEOGRAPHIC
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00:08 Presented as a solution to help curb global warming,
00:11 green hydrogen could play a key role in reducing the major carbon footprint of some sectors,
00:16 such as heavy industry and transport.
00:19 Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element in the universe,
00:23 but it does not exist in a pure state.
00:26 It must be extracted.
00:28 It is already produced, but almost all of it comes from a chemical process using natural gas,
00:32 and this generates a lot of CO2.
00:35 Green hydrogen, by contrast, can be produced by electricity
00:38 generated by renewable energies such as wind power.
00:41 Another low-carbon hydrogen would be based on electricity from nuclear power plants.
00:46 In both cases, it is produced by electrolysis,
00:49 which uses an electrical current to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in the water.
00:54 The hydrogen obtained from this process as a gas is 11 times lighter than air and must be stored.
01:00 There are several techniques, high-pressure storage in gaseous form,
01:04 storage at very low temperature in liquid form,
01:07 and storage in solid form within other materials.
01:10 This storage capacity would make it possible to keep surplus production from renewable energies.
01:15 Converted back into electricity by a fuel cell,
01:20 hydrogen would also help to replace fossil fuels in long-distance transport,
01:23 such as trucks, trains or even planes.
01:26 And eventually it can replace coal in industries such as steel that require a lot of heat.
01:31 One kilogram of hydrogen releases about three times more energy than one kilogram of gas.
01:36 But to widen its use, the cost of producing green hydrogen will have to drop.
01:40 Currently it costs two to three times more than grey hydrogen.
01:44 Its widespread use will also depend on the development of low-carbon electricity production and the fuel cell.
01:51 [Music]
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