At-a-Glance:
Hydrogen topped several of 2021’s headlines within the energy transition narrative. Due to the Chinese, U.S., and European automotive markets – the demand for clean hydrogen is anticipated to quadruple electrolyzer sales. A flurry of hydrogen companies are expected to go public this year, followed by a massive influx of nations releasing their own national hydrogen strategies. To learn more read, “Hydrogen – 10 Predictions for 2022.”
Key Takeaways
According to Bloomberg, these are the top ten hydrogen predictions in 2022:
#1: Electrolyzer sales will quadruple, with China being the largest market.
#2: The U.S. will see many hydrogen project announcements, but action will lag
#3: New subsidies will spur a boom in the European hydrogen market
#4: A flurry of hydrogen companies will go public in 2022
#5: Hydrogen strategies will be adopted by 22 countries in 2022
#6: Net zero will drive hydrogen demand more than carbon pricing
#7: Heavy industry will dominate clean hydrogen demand
#8: Green ammonia announcements will rise
#9: Policy will keep blue hydrogen on life support
#10: Alkaline electrolyzers will increase their market share over other technologies
Path to 100% Perspective:
Rapidly maturing energy storage technologies, together with sector coupling, are for the first time paving a route towards zero-emission electricity generation. The missing piece of the puzzle is viable long-term storage which will be needed to provide megawatts of capacity and megawatt hours of energy during long duration seasonal conditions or unexpected renewable droughts. 2021’s energy transition narrative often claimed hydrogen as the answer. Hydrogen-based sustainable fuels can be stored in large quantities and for extended periods at power plants for long periods of use, enabling clean capacity to be cost effectively scaled up according to the needs of grids.
2022 will show whether or not hydrogen continues to be promoted as a “silver bullet” for everything, or if there is more clarity regarding the most sensible and feasible use cases. A lack of focus and prioritization around hydrogen will simply delay decarbonisation and waste scarce resources.
Photo by Eelco Böhtlingk on Unsplash