From electricity to hydrogen: a new phase in the development of renewable energies in Europe

Last month, Denmark's largest energy company, Ørsted, said it was advising wind farms in the North Sea to convert some of the excess electricity into natural gas
.
The current flowing in from the sea will feed onshore electrolysis plants, which split the water to produce clean-burning hydrogen, with oxygen as a byproduct
.
This will provide a new set of customers who need energy, not electricity
.
This will put some pressure on Europe's power grid as it grapples with an ever-increasing supply of hard-to-handle renewable energy
.

Converting clean electricity into high-energy gases such as hydrogen or methane is an age-old idea that is making a comeback
as renewable energy generation surges.
This is because the gas can be stored in the natural gas distribution system to compensate for the instability
of wind and solar energy.
They can also provide concentrated energy to replace fossil fuels
for vehicles and industry.
While many U.
S.
energy experts believe this "energy-to-gas" vision may be too expensive, some of Europe's largest industrial companies are working to make the idea
a reality.

European power equipment makers are expecting a series of renewable hydrogen projects, such as Ørsted saying in January that all gas turbines will pass up to 20 percent hydrogen fuel tests next year, burning faster
than methane-rich fuels.
Gas dealers, meanwhile, say they will use hydrogen to help them completely replace gas supplies
in Europe by 2050.

Switching electricity to natural gas is on the rise in Europe as the
region has more coherent and aggressive climate policies.

"In order to meet our climate protection goals, we need more renewable energy
.
Green hydrogen is considered one of the most promising ways to achieve the energy transition," said
Armin Schnettler, Head of Energy and Electronics Research at Siemens.

There are already more than 45 demonstration projects in Europe aimed at improving power-gas technology and its integration
with power grids and gas networks.
The main focus is to make electrolyzers that convert electrolysis to hydrogen more efficient, longer-lasting, and cheaper
.

These projects are also expanding technologies
.
Early installations converted several hundred kilowatts of electricity, but manufacturers such as Siemens are now building equipment that can convert 10 megawatts, which will produce enough hydrogen to heat 3,000 homes a year or fuel 100 buses, according to financial advisory firm Ernst & Young
.