A zero-emissions commercial vehicle sector needs green hydrogen: Viritech’s response to SMMT “fuelling the fleet” report
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) recently released a report entitled, ‘Fuelling the Fleet: Delivering Commercial Vehicle Decarbonisation’.
Viritech welcomes the report and encourages the SMMT to have a clear voice and support for Green Hydrogen as a critical component of the net zero solution by stating that Green Hydrogen should be maximised for decarbonising the commercial vehicle (CV) sector, which includes heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and light commercial vehicles (LCVs).
A Zero-Emissions Commercial Vehicle Sector Needs Green Hydrogen
The report sets out many of the issues facing the CV sector as it transitions towards zero emissions. The analysis of battery electric CVs is a valuable corrective to those who think that battery electric trucks will naturally follow on from battery electric cars.
We are disappointed, however, to see that hydrogen is covered in only two paragraphs. Further, the document does not fully cover the vital issue of blue vs. green hydrogen*. It says that, ‘The hydrogen dispensed from [refuelling stations] is made from fossil fuel or from electrolysis of water – so unless the electricity used is entirely from renewables, it will not be carbon-neutral.’
No Hydrogen Generated from Fossil Fuel can Be Carbon-Neutral
We believe that the industry should speak with a clear voice on this issue. No hydrogen generated from fossil fuel can be carbon-neutral. What is needed is a hydrogen network made up of 100% green hydrogen generated using electrolysis of water via renewable energy. We need to send a message that the government should be backing zero-carbon (‘green’) hydrogen. Using fossil fuels to generate other hydrogen (either ‘grey’ or ‘blue’), is not going deliver zero-carbon hydrogen propulsion – indeed it may not even reduce overall emissions compared to diesel engines.
The report explains at length why charging of battery electric HGVs is not feasible in the foreseeable future, because of the need for huge infrastructure spending. In contrast, hydrogen vehicles have far longer ranges, so can frequently operate on a “back-to-base” model, where a refuelling facility in the depot is enough to cover the whole journey.
We firmly believe that, for HGVs, the only viable solution to zero-emissions transport is fuel cells powered by green hydrogen. Batteries are too heavy and too short-range to be practical for a 40-tonne truck, and grey or blue hydrogen is only giving the illusion of zero-emissions, because it moves the pollution from the tailpipe to the chemical works, where huge amounts of energy are used to convert natural gas to hydrogen, with an as-yet unproven promise to bury most of the waste CO2 underground.
Types of Hydrogen by Colour*
The National Grid has a comprehensive list of the different types of hydrogen based on the type of production used: ‘Green hydrogen, blue hydrogen, brown hydrogen and even yellow hydrogen, turquoise hydrogen and pink hydrogen. They’re essentially colour codes, or nicknames, used within the energy industry to differentiate between the types of hydrogen.’
Here' are the three colours we think you need to know to understand the green v. blue v. grey hydrogen debate:
Grey hydrogen is produced via steam methane reforming of hydrocarbons (e.g. natural gas) at 700 degrees C. This separates the hydrogen from the carbon, with the carbon going straight into the atmosphere as CO2.
Blue hydrogen is grey hydrogen, with plans to capture the waste CO2 and bury it indefinitely in underground caverns.
Green hydrogen is produced by the electrolysis of water, with no CO2 by-product. As long as the electricity used is from renewable sources, the process as zero-emissions.
Green Hydrogen is a Key Part of the Net Zero Puzzle
Clearly Viritech supports using green hydrogen as a key part of the net zero puzzle. The zero-emissions process of electrolysing water with wind or solar energy is self-evidently superior to taking hydrocarbons, using large amounts of energy to split them into their constituent parts, and then pumping the unwanted portion into underground caverns miles offshore.
We’d love to hear what you think, get in touch info@viritech.co.uk
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