“Green” and “blue” hydrogen advocates chastise each other in the media, and government policies, even investor and company decisions, are staked on these colours. The new German government has disavowed subsidies for “blue” hydrogen.
But where do these hydrogen colours come from, and why have they occupied centre-stage in the debate? Are they even useful?
As emphasised at COP26, we’re facing a dire future unless we rapidly decarbonise all of our energy-intensive activities. Substituting fossil-based electricity with renewably-generated electricity is the first step on this path.
But not all energy is provided with electricity – industrial and residential heating, transport fuels and cooking are still reliant on fossil fuels.
Some of these activities can be transitioned to an electrical equivalent. Some activities are difficult or very expensive to electrify, such as ships, aircraft, heavy-duty trucking, industrial…
