International call for the development of hydrogen technology

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has called on governments around the world to accelerate work on hydrogen technologies for green industry and transport.

“We need to reduce the cost of hydrogen decarbonation technology faster,” the IEA emphasizes in its report.

Low-carbon hydrogen needs unprecedented support from governments and businesses; The IEA emphasizes that more and faster efforts are needed to reduce costs and ensure the development of this energy, which can “green” industry and heavy transport.

Governments must act faster and more decisively, urges the Paris agency.

“In the past, low-carbon hydrogen seemed like a false start, but we are seeing good progress,” says IEA director Fatih Birol.

Governments must act quickly to lower barriers to the development of this industry, which is critical if the world has a chance to become carbon neutral in 2050, Birol noted.

In 2019, only France, Japan and South Korea planned to use hydrogen, the IEA emphasizes. In 2021, 17 countries already have a strategy for the development of this technology, and more than 20 are working on it. Pilot projects are underway to produce steel or chemicals using hydrogen energy.

Long used to purify and produce fertilizers, hydrogen is now produced almost entirely from fossil fuels. Cost remains a major obstacle to its production, as the technology requires large amounts of electricity.

The IEA notes that there are also no measures to support hydrogen demand. Without this, it will be difficult to develop warehouse and transport infrastructure, - the agency notes and calls for the expansion of international cooperation.

Countries developing hydrogen technologies are planning about $ 37 billion in investments in the industry, and the private sector has announced an additional $ 300 billion - according to the IEA estimates, which requires an investment of $ 1.2 trillion by 2030.

The capacity of electrolysers, which can extract hydrogen from water using electricity, has doubled in the past five years, and nearly 400 projects are under development, according to the IEA.