There is great interest in hydrogen and its derived products in politics and business. The gradual phase-out of fossil fuels is a central economic, social and political challenge for the upcoming years.
Hydrogen as an energy carrier offers a wide range of possible applications. It is particularly needed in areas where electrification is not economically efficient or technically feasible. Hydrogen can be used as a raw material in the process industry, as a combustible for industrial process heat, space heat or electricity generation, or as a fuel for the mobility sector.
In addition to direct use, hydrogen can also be a feedstock for synthetic downstream products such as ammonia, methane, methanol, or kerosene. Compared to hydrogen, hydrogen downstream products have more favourable transport properties, which, however, include the trade-off of lower overall efficiencies and higher production costs.
As the hydrogen market ramps up, a simultaneous build-up of demand, supply and infrastructure needs to be coordinated. There are still various uncertainties in all three areas. This situation can be described as a “three-sided chicken-or-egg problem”: Without supply there is no demand, without demand there is no supply and without transport infrastructure trade is not possible.
Within the framework of the Hydrogen Research Programme, the EWI is addressing key questions, relying on a systematic and integrative approach as well as state-of-the-art scientific methods.
