The Global Energy Agenda with results of recent surveys of ‘global energy leaders.’
When asked which carbon-free energy technologies will see the greatest increase in investment in 2021, most respondents (31%) said hydrogen, followed by battery storage (23%), prompting the think tank to suggest that 2021 might be ‘the year of hydrogen.’
Experts and entrepreneurs, speaking on a panel entitled ‘Accelerating the hydrogen economy,’ also expressed cautious enthusiasm. They shared their views on how to move hydrogen from what is a nascent technology to one that works at scale, looking for the tipping points.
Molecules vs. electrons
Hydrogen is anticipated to be a versatile intermediary in a carbon-free energy system, an energy carrier in the form of ‘green molecules’ derived from electricity produced by nuclear, hydro, renewable and other non-carbon and low-carbon sources. Fossil fuels equipped with carbon capture to make so-called ‘blue hydrogen’ are also anticipated to play an important role.