Change of Directions Newsletter 28.06.2023
Carbon-free steel, hydrogen in the aviation industry, and a new technology for electrolysers are this week's topics in our newsletter.
It’s no surprise that the most important role for hydrogen will be in the heavy-industry sector. We will need steel, cement, and chemicals to innovate and build the future of our societies. Steel and chemical plants alone are emitting 10% of all CO2 worldwide. That is more than the whole of India emits in one year. These numbers alone show that we have to decarbonize the entire sector as soon as possible – however, this is not an easy task to do. The amount of energy that you need to produce steel is so high that you can’t just plant a wind park next to a facility and hope for the best.
But the steel industry, together with other stakeholders, is working hard behind the scenes to make the change to a net-zero-emission industry. The first small steel factory that uses Hydrogen as an energy provider is already up and running. But we require, of course, more factories like this across the globe. One of the largest steel companies in the world, ArcelorMittal, is now planning a switch to hydrogen. Anticipated to start operating in 2026 and expected to produce 2.3 million tonnes of low-carbon direct reduced iron (DRI) per year, ArcelorMittal says the project could avoid the release of 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2). https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_3404
Steel is an important asset in our everyday life, but so is aluminium. To produce this metal, you require even more energy compared to steel. The Norwegian steel company Norsk Hydro ASA is behind this project. They replaced natural gas with green hydrogen during a test at its extrusion plant in Navarra, Spain. Hydro’s renewable hydrogen company, Hydro Havrand, conducted the trial in partnership with Fives North America Combustion, an engineering firm with expertise in hydrogen burner technology. Hydro will publish a final report from the test in the fall. The aluminium produced in the test will be utilized to make the world’s first extruded profiles using hydrogen. https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/norway-firm-produces-worlds-first-aluminum-using-green-hydrogen
When you think that it is hard to decarbonize the heavy-industry sector, then have a look at planes. It is clear that batteries will not play a role in mid- or large-sized planes at any time. Batteries are too heavy and have a massive risk in commercial planes. Hydrogen can be a solution here. First, in the production of e-fuels, which can be used as a substitute for kerosene. But secondly, hydrogen can be used directly in a plane with a fuel cell. ZeroAvia, a UK- and US-based company, has developed a small commercial passenger airplane that is currently in its testing phase. And they have sold the first batch of 250 planes to Air Cahana in the US. https://avitrader.com/2023/06/23/zeroavia-secures-order-from-flyshare-for-hydrogen-electric-engines/
The German company H2Fly is also developing a hydrogen-powered aircraft. Furthermore, they are looking into a hydrogen infrastructure for planes. H2Fly just announced a strategic collaboration with Air Liquide, a global leader in gases, technologies, and services for industry and health. The partnership aims to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen as a clean energy source in the aviation sector. The collaboration between those companies will focus on several key areas. Firstly, the two companies will work together to optimize hydrogen fuel cell systems for aircraft, enhancing their efficiency, performance, and reliability. By leveraging Air Liquide's extensive knowledge in hydrogen technologies, H2Fly aims to refine their existing solutions and develop new advancements that meet the unique requirements of aviation. https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/h2fly-and-air-liquide-tests-hydrogen-electric-aircraft-storage/
Electrolysers and fuel cells are the most important tools to create green hydrogen. But both need iridium to function properly. The problem here is that iridium is a very rare—and thus costly—metal. If you want to reduce the price of hydrogen, you also have to reduce the price of the tools that are used to produce the gas. The company H2U Technologies has now successfully demonstrated the first non-iridium proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser for commercial hydrogen production. During the in-house demonstrations of the system, the H2U team collected operations data to validate the durability and performance of novel non-iridium catalysts at a commercial scale. These findings will be applied to the design review and construction of the company’s first external proof-of-concept units, expected to be released by the end of this year. https://www.h2-view.com/story/h2u-technologies-demonstrates-200kw-commercial-scale-iridium-free-pem-electrolysers/
In case you missed it: Cummins Inc. is one of the largest independent manufacturer of Diesel engines for trucks and other heavy-duty machinery. The CEO, Jennifer Rumsey, talks to us about how they see the future of hydrogen.
That was it for this week. Thank you for subscribing to the Change Of Directions newsletter! If you have any questions or if you want to share an interesting link, feel free to contact us: contact@changeofdirections.com