Hydrogen in Decarbonized Energy Systems is a new report from the Hydrogen Council and Baringa detailing the benefits of incorporating hydrogen in evolving energy systems.
Key messages from the report:
Hydrogen brings system benefits in addition to decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors
Resource-rich regions need to prioritize connecting renewable resources to demand centres via hydrogen pipelines
Resource-poor regions need to focus on maximising the value of limited renewables available, and can use curtailed power to make hydrogen
Islanded power systems need to pay extra attention to flexibility, which electrolyzers and hydrogen turbines can provide
Renewable hydrogen production will add flexibility to energy systems and consequently reduce the cost to decarbonize
Electrolyzers can respond to market prices to help alleviate supply-demand crunches in systems relying on high levels of intermittent wind and solar
Hydrogen to power provides resilience against most challenging part of the year when renewable load is low and energy demand is high. It complements the role of batteries and CCS in doing so
Network infrastructure and sensible market design rules are critical enablers for decarbonisation using hydrogen
Hydrogen and CO2 pipelines will enable production while storage is key to unlocking flexibility benefits
Allowing electrolyzers to respond to prices will ensure lower overall energy costs and less price volatility
