Hydrogen is now hailed as a viable and rapidly developing pillar for the Energy Transition: it is an energy vector with the potential to help decarbonize several energy-intensive sectors, such as steel and cement, aviation, and shipping.
Hydrogen is not found in its molecular form in nature; it needs energy to be produced. This means it can have different labels based on the energy source employed and its carbon intensity.
Grey H2
The vast majority of current H2 production is through unabated, partial oxidation of fossil fuels. This leads to significant production and emission of CO2 as a by-product in the atmosphere.
Blue H2
Also known as low carbon H2, blue H2 is produced by coupling the traditional H2 production process (by partial oxidation) with a process to decrease CO2 emissions. The CO2 is captured and either reused or permanently stored through Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) processes.