The Future of Hydrogen

Clean hydrogen is becoming a key energy carrier for the low-carbon transition, but large-scale distribution faces logistical hurdles. Transportation options include pipelines, liquefaction, and conversion into carriers like ammonia, each with unique benefits and trade-offs depending on distance, infrastructure, and end-use factors. A hybrid distribution strategy will be needed to meet varied market demands. 

A rainbow of colors dominates almost every conversation on the transition to a low-carbon economy: green, grey, blue, turquoise, pink, yellow, orange – an ever-increasing palette to describe the same colorless, odorless, and highly combustible molecule, hydrogen. The only difference is the chemical process used to produce it.

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Transportation is the second-largest contributer to global carbon dioxide emissions, after electricity and heat generation, and one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize due to its distributed nature and the advantages provided by fossil fuels in terms of high energy densities, ease of transportation, and storage. While clean hydrogen holds promise for accelerating the overall decarbonization of mobility, its adoption will complement rather than compete with other decarbonization strategies.

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El hidrógeno renovable se enfrenta a tres desafíos fundamentales: incrementar la producción, expandir la demanda, y construir infraestructura para conectar producción y demanda. Sin embargo, la posibilidad de transportar grandes cantidades de hidrógeno a largas distancias distingue al hidrógeno renovable de otras tecnologías y la dota de una dimensión internacional. 

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As witnessed during the G20 presidency, India could pioneer a new economic development model based on technological innovation, side-stepping the carbon-intensive approaches of the past. Accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy should not be perceived as a risk hindering growth but as an opportunity to reduce socioeconomic imbalances and achieve industrial leadership. Is India ready?

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A series of G20 policy briefs addressing the future of hydrogen and its market, geopolitical and technological implications.  

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As the world embarks on the pivotal journey toward a low-carbon economy, we are witnessing a profound transformation of energy value chains from production to consumption. This transition is not just about reducing emissions but redefining how stakeholders interact and collaborate in this new landscape. 

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Will hydrogen-producing nations export to countries with existing ammonia, methanol, and steel industries, or will these industries relocate where hydrogen is produced? 

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This paper was first published in "The Global Quest for Sustainability" by the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) and McKinsey in July 2021 

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Spanish Version

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