Hydrogen energy emerges as an alternative to fossil fuels

by times news cr

[조진혁의 Car Talk] The biggest advantage is zero emissions… Hyundai Motor Company is the leader in hydrogen mobility

The Russia-Ukraine war that broke out in 2022 had a huge impact on the European energy market. The European Union (EU) reexamined its energy policy to significantly reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, and in the process, hydrogen energy emerged as an alternative. The EU began building a hydrogen economy in earnest by announcing the European Hydrogen Strategy to respond to climate change and achieve energy independence. An important part of the hydrogen strategy is green hydrogen. It is evaluated as having the potential to replace fossil fuels in various fields, from power grid stabilization to industrial energy supply and transportation. The EU plans to install 40GW of electrolyzers by 2030 and expand green hydrogen production to cover more than 23% of its energy share with green hydrogen by 2050. Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Spain are producing hydrogen through large-scale wind and solar power plants, and projects are also underway to develop major logistics bases such as the Port of Rotterdam in Germany into hydrogen hubs.

Hyundai Motor Group booth at ‘H2 MEET 2024’. [현대자동차 제공]

‘H2 MEET 2024’ shows the future of the hydrogen industry

The United States is also paying attention to hydrogen energy. The Joe Biden administration has set a specific goal to lower the cost of hydrogen production, with the key goal being to reduce the cost of hydrogen production to $1 per kg by 2030. First, we are providing large-scale financial support to the hydrogen industry to promote hydrogen production and the construction of charging infrastructure. California and Texas are already being developed as major hydrogen hub regions. U.S. energy companies are also actively participating in clean hydrogen production and green hydrogen projects, accelerating the growth of the hydrogen economy. In addition to building a hydrogen ecosystem, Korea is actively developing hydrogen mobility.

‘H2 MEET 2024’, Korea’s largest hydrogen industry exhibition that ended on September 27, was an important opportunity to check the present and future of the hydrogen industry. A total of 317 companies and organizations from 24 countries around the world participated in the largest ever event in three areas: hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and transportation, and hydrogen utilization. In particular, the direction of cutting-edge hydrogen mobility that will lead the hydrogen era was presented. Hydrogen buses, as well as hydrogen trucks, tractors, hydrogen drones, and hydrogen electric trams were introduced throughout the exhibition hall, allowing visitors to experience the hydrogen future that will unfold in industrial sites and daily life in advance. It showed that hydrogen plays an important role in the transportation sector beyond being used as a power or industrial energy source.

Hydrogen energy emerges as an alternative to fossil fuels

Hyundai Motor Company’s hydrogen car model Nexo. [현대자동차 제공]

‌Hyundai Motor Group is at the forefront of the hydrogen mobility industry. Hyundai Motor Company already mass-produced the hydrogen car model Nexo in 2018 and sold it in domestic and overseas markets. It has been more than 7 years since the Nexo was launched, so it is expected that we will soon be able to see the 2nd generation Nexo or a new hydrogen car model. In the commercial vehicle field, we developed the hydrogen electric truck Xient, contributing to reducing carbon emissions in the logistics and transportation market. Hyundai Motor Company also announced plans to further develop hydrogen fuel cell technology and apply hydrogen to various mobility fields such as aircraft, ships, and railways in addition to vehicles. Since the infrastructure for producing and charging hydrogen is important for hydrogen vehicles, producing hydrogen vehicles can also be interpreted to mean that the development of the hydrogen ecosystem is achieved together.

Hyundai Motor Company unveiled its hydrogen value chain business at the CES (International Electronics Show) early this year, which can be said to be a plan to enter the hydrogen society. According to Hyundai Motor Company’s plan, the goal is to apply hydrogen fuel cells to all commercial vehicles by 2040 and build a hydrogen ecosystem that includes hydrogen production, transportation, and charging infrastructure. Hyundai Motor Company is focusing on developing technologies based on renewable energy for green hydrogen production, and is also promoting the popularization of hydrogen mobility by expanding large-scale hydrogen production facilities and charging stations. The goal is to go beyond simply manufacturing hydrogen vehicles and build a sustainable energy ecosystem centered on hydrogen energy.

The future eco-friendly mobility market is an important axis

In addition to Hyundai Motor Company’s Nexo and Xcient, Germany’s Mann Truck and Japan’s Toyota and Honda are also developing hydrogen vehicles. Germany’s Man Truck unveiled a large hydrogen truck equipped with a hydrogen engine that replaces a diesel engine. It is an important example of maximizing the potential for hydrogen use in the commercial vehicle field as it does not use hydrogen batteries, so development costs are low and it can be applied quickly. evaluated. Toyota has succeeded in commercializing hydrogen mobility by launching the hydrogen car Mirai in the global market. Honda also demonstrated the feasibility of commercializing hydrogen fuel cell technology with its hydrogen car Clarity. However, there are not many automakers that have taken on the challenge of the hydrogen mobility market. Compared to the EU’s grand green hydrogen blueprint, the hydrogen ecosystem and hydrogen mobility are still in their infancy. However, it must be emphasized that the potential is endless. The biggest advantage of current hydrogen mobility is that it produces zero emissions. As transportation that does not emit carbon dioxide becomes increasingly important, hydrogen vehicles are expected to form an important axis of the future eco-friendly mobility market along with electric vehicles. Compared to electric vehicles, the charging time is shorter and the ability to drive over long distances is especially advantageous for large commercial vehicles or long-distance logistics vehicles.

The growth of hydrogen mobility is not limited to the development of vehicle technology, but is intertwined with the development of the entire hydrogen ecosystem. As hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and charging infrastructure is expanded, the spread of hydrogen vehicles will accelerate, thereby establishing hydrogen as an important energy source in the global transportation sector. In particular, as government support in Europe and the United States continues, and Asian countries such as Korea and Japan are taking the lead in developing hydrogen vehicles, the future of hydrogen mobility is worth looking forward to.

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〈This article Weekly Donga No. 1459It was published in.〉

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2024-10-06 18:19:52

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