Can Europe meet its clean energy goals by 2030?

Euronews reveals in a recent article that hydrogen is increasingly seen as a key solution for achieving a cleaner, more sustainable energy future, especially in sectors like home heating and industry. 

By 2030, Europe aims to import and produce 20 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen.

The UK has achieved a significant step in its clean energy shift with the opening of its first neighborhood-scale hydrogen-powered homes.

Three pilot homes in eastern Fife, Scotland, were officially inaugurated by First Minister John Swinney.

These homes demonstrate the potential of hydrogen for both heating and cooking. Known as the H100 project, the goal is to expand this initiative to up to 300 homes in the near future.

Heating is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for 22 per cent of the UK's total emissions. Hydrogen is considered a crucial technology for reducing emissions in this sector.

Adopting a hydrogen supply necessitates the use of new home appliances, such as cookers and boilers. Bosch has unveiled its first hydrogen cooking hob, distinguished by its "invisible flame," which will be tested in the homes of the H100 Fife project.

For residents, a hydrogen-powered home feels very similar to a conventional one. The appliances function in the same manner, with most of the changes occurring on the supplier's end. This makes it one of the least disruptive methods of decarbonizing home heating.

The EU's hydrogen strategy and the REPowerEU plan outline the bloc's approach to hydrogen technologies. It specifies that by 2030, Europe aims to import 10 million tonnes and produce 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen. By 2050, hydrogen is expected to meet 10 per cent of the EU's energy demands.

Despite the urgency surrounding these targets, the adoption of hydrogen at the residential level has been slow, with only a few small-scale initiatives in progress.

Europe's first hydrogen-powered house was completed in 2022 in Benevento, Southern Italy. This student building uses hydrogen not only for heating but also to generate the electricity it needs.

In the Netherlands, several pilot projects have been launched, such as the connection of 12 homes in Lochem to hydrogen for heating in 2022. In 2023, 33 homes in Wagenborgen switched to hydrogen heating, and in Hoogeveen, 80 to 100 new homes are set to join the hydrogen network.

In Helsinki, work is underway on the 3H2 Helsinki Hydrogen Hub, which will produce around three megawatts of green hydrogen annually. This hydrogen will be used as fuel for trucks, with the excess heat from production being used to heat nearby homes.

At the point of consumption, hydrogen is an exceptionally clean fuel, producing no carbon dioxide when burned, unlike coal and gas.

However, not all hydrogen is equally beneficial. The process of generating hydrogen involves electrolysis, which separates hydrogen from oxygen in water. If the electricity used for this process comes from non-renewable sources, the environmental advantages of using hydrogen fuel are diminished.

Currently, hydrogen makes up about two percent of the EU's energy mix, with nearly all of it produced using fossil fuels. The European Parliament estimates that the production of existing hydrogen supplies generates around 70 to 100 million tonnes of CO2 annually.

To make hydrogen truly sustainable, electrolysis must be powered by renewable energy. This type of hydrogen, known as green hydrogen, is the only fully sustainable form but represents less than one percent of total hydrogen production today.

According to the International Energy Agency, producing all hydrogen as green hydrogen would require about 3,000 terawatt hours (TWh) of renewable energy, which is approximately equal to the total electricity demand of Europe.

By Naila Huseynova