Hydrogen

Abstract

Hydrogen is an essential building block in the transition to a net-zeroemissions world economy. It can be produced from zero-emissions electricity and thereby can be used to store and ship clean energy, usually from renewables such as wind and solar. In this way it can replace fossil fuels in many applications that are otherwise difficult to decarbonise. Hydrogen will be crucial for the carbon-neutral production of some energy-intensive goods that currently account for large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, and which are difficult or impossible to convert to electricity – so called ‘hard to abate’ processes. It is an alternative to fossil carbon in reducing oxide ores to metals – for Australia, most importantly for reducing iron ore to iron in the first stage of steelmaking. It is the chemical foundation for producing many industrial products – for example, ammonia for nitrogenous fertilisers and explosives. It will help decarbonise heavy transport.