Study on blue hydrogen +++ TUM coordinates future lab for green hydrogen +++ Graichen becomes State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy +++ DFG initiative for the production of green hydrogen +++ Dates
A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week
+ + + + +
An international group of researchers led by the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and Heriot-Watt University has analyzed the climate impacts of blue hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas. The study shows that blue hydrogen could play a positive role in the energy transition "under certain conditions."
Like gray hydrogen, blue hydrogen is made from natural gas by heating it and then splitting it into hydrogen and carbon dioxide using steam reforming. However, the carbon dioxide is not allowed to escape into the atmosphere, but rather a part of it is captured and permanently stored underground (Carbon Capture and Storage, CCS).
Researchers at ETH Zurich have been able to simulate CO2 capture. According to their findings, the environmental impact depends heavily on how much methane is lost between natural gas extraction and hydrogen production, and how effective the CO2 capture process is during natural gas reforming. The analysis is based on a study by US researchers which concluded that, despite CCS, blue hydrogen for heat generation is not better for the climate, but ultimately about 20 percent worse than natural gas used directly as an energy carrier.
+ + + + +
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is coordinating an international future lab with researchers from 13 countries. Together, they aim to lay the foundation for a future hydrogen-based circular economy. The research focuses on high-temperature electrolysis, innovative gasification processes, and the synthesis of basic chemicals and energy carriers. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project, called "Redefine H2E," with five million euros over three years. The acronym stands for "Renewable Electricity Dispatch and Expendable Feedstock-Integrated Net-Zero-Emission Hydrogen Economy."
+ + + + +
Patrick Graichen , Executive Director of the Berlin-based think tank Agora Energiewende , will become State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action , where he will be responsible for implementing climate and energy policy. Graichen co-founded Agora Energiewende in 2012 and has led it as Executive Director and Managing Director since 2014. Before joining Agora Energiewende, Graichen worked at the Federal Ministry for the Environment from 2001 to 2012.
+ + + + +
The German Research Foundation (DFG), together with its French partner organization , the National Research Agency (ANR), is funding a project at the University of Paderborn to produce green hydrogen. With funding of nearly one million euros, the project aims to develop new compounds that combine the use of sunlight with hydrogen production. The researchers are focusing on materials that do not require expensive and difficult-to-extract precious metals. Instead, they are using only iron and cobalt, which are abundant on Earth. In addition to established electrolysis methods, the direct conversion of sunlight into hydrogen is another approach that needs further development.
+ + + + +
Photos
iStock / © aryos
