Hydrogen

Green hydrogen will play a key role in achieving the goal of decarbonization and will replace fossil fuels in the long term. Presently, the focus is on the material use of hydrogen, such as for the production of synthetic fuels or in the production of ammonia and methanol.

Green hydrogen is produced from renewable energy sources by electrolysis. Thanks to its storage capacity, generation and consumption can be decoupled from each other. For example, solar energy from PV systems that are surplus in the summer can be stored for winter and low sunshine periods and later accessed as needed. This storage also holds great potential in the telecontrol technology sector to primarily use Germany as a storage location and not have to fall back on the sale of excess energy abroad, as is currently necessary.

For grid-compliant feed-in management of your power plants (PGPs) at the grid connection point (GCP), we recommend our PGP controller with WAGO Power Plant Control. Our robust RTU solutions with IEC 61850, IEC 60870, DNP3 or Modbus® telecontrol protocols are available to optimize your telecontrol technology.

Hydrogen is widely used as the primary material for the Power-to-X transformation, especially in the chemical industry and refinery technology. Among other things, it is used to produce ammonia and methanol.

Ammonia and Methanol Production
Ammonia is produced by so-called ammonia synthesis. The clear advantage of using ammonia as an energy carrier is that it has a high transport and storage capacity. This makes it possible to use ammonia as a power-to-X in the future, for example, as fuel for motors and for operating power plants. Methanol is an organic chemical produced in large quantities, which can also be used as a basic chemical or an energy carrier. Like ammonia production, hydrogen and CO2 are also required for synthesizing methanol.

Synthetic fuels – so-called eFuels – could be used to operate CO₂-neutral internal combustion engines in the future. A starting material for the production of synthetic fuel is hydrogen. This is obtained by separating hydrogen (H₂) from water by electrolysis. To make the hydrogen a liquid fuel, carbon dioxide (CO₂), which originates as a waste product from industry or biogas plants, is then added. The mixture formed in this process assumes the properties of gasoline, kerosene or diesel through specific chemical processes, making it suitable for gasoline and diesel engines or in aircraft propulsion. In addition, the hydrogen bound in the ammonia can be recovered and further used.

Transformation – eFuels, Synthetic Fuels
Whereas conventional fuel is produced from petroleum, natural gas or coal, alternative fuels or propellants are produced from “biogenic” or “synthetic” materials. Biogenic fuels are derived from plants, plant residues or liquid manure. In contrast, CO₂-neutral, synthetic fuels are produced by complex chemical processes and, as a rule, without using fossil raw materials. A starting material for the production of synthetic fuel is hydrogen. To make hydrogen a liquid fuel, carbon dioxide (CO₂), which originates as a waste product from industry or biogas plants, is added. These processes give rise to synthetically produced gasoline, kerosene or diesel, which are suitable for conventional internal combustion engines.

The steel industry currently accounts for about 5% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Conventional steel production via the established blast furnace route generates significant amounts of CO₂. In order to reduce the degree of emissions, the compounds hydrogen and carbon monoxide relevant for the reduction process can be provided through high-temperature electrolysis. The simplest type of process coupling is the addition of hydrogen to natural gas. The use of green hydrogen can lead to significant savings in CO₂ emissions.

With Power-to-X technologies and processes, renewable energy can be stored long term and used in an environmentally friendly way, regardless of the location of the power producers. “Green” hydrogen and its derivatives become completely emission-free energy sources: primarily for synthetic kerosene in aviation, ammonia or methanol.

Hydrogen is thus becoming a sustainable alternative for ship propulsion, as fuel cells for heavy-duty and rail transport, and for battery-electric vehicles used in personal transportation – especially where battery-electric systems have reached their limits.