Hydrogen production by electrolysis
Hydrogen produced by electrolysis is the missing link in the green energy transition. It offers a way to decarbonize sectors such as heavy transport, steelmaking, and the chemical industry, where it is proving difficult to reduce emissions through electrification alone.
Heavy transport
Aviation, shipping, and other heavy transport accounts for 7% of global CO₂ emissions. For heavy transport, hydrogen and synthetic fuels based on hydrogen are the only at-scale option for direct decarbonization.
Steel production
Steel production accounts for 6% of global CO₂ emissions. Hydrogen can enable the production of fossil-free steel by replacing coke as the reducing agent in blast furnaces.
Chemical industry
The chemical industry accounts for 5% of global CO₂ emissions. The CO₂ footprint of commodity chemicals such as fertilizers and plastics can be decreased significantly by replacing fossil feedstock with green hydrogen.
Total hydrogen use in the EU, in TWh
According to Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, hydrogen consumption in the EU was 10 million tonnes (339 TWh) in 2015. This amounts to ~10% of current global hydrogen use.
Hydrogen could cover 6% of EU energy needs by 2030. By 2050, hydrogen is expected to provide up to 24% (2250 TWh) of the total energy demand in the EU.
