H2Tech - Q4 2021 - 23

FUTURE OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
a more sustainable option. Green H2
is
produced by electrolysis from renewable
sources such as wind or solar. While
green H2 only accounts for 1% of global
production, it is the gold standard of H2
energy and will be critical to making H2
the most environmentally friendly and
sustainable energy source.
Several initiatives are underway
around the world to bolster the production
of H2
with renewables, but perhaps
the most significant one to date is the
UN's Climate Change Green Hydrogen
Catapult initiative.10
The project's goal
is to accelerate the global production of
green H2
by 50 times its current levels in
the next 6 yr. This is a significant undertaking,
but it may be necessary if green
H2
is to become cheap enough to emerge
as an attractive option for future power
generation needs.
The role of AI. With so many potential
benefits to a clean H2
energy system,
why have countries not made this a major
initiative already? Unfortunately, the
production of H2
and revamping the exas
a fuel-alongside ini-are
all incredibly comisting
global energy infrastructure to take
advantage of H2
tiating processes for generating electric
power from H2
plex and expensive factors. This is where
AI technologies come in. AI systems are
already heavily utilized by several of the
world's largest energy providers in the oil
and gas industry, and many of the technology's
benefits for optimizing efficiencies
and producing cleaner fuels can be
applied to the H2
sector.
One of the most immediate opportunities
for AI is improving the utilization
of renewable resources fueling the electrolysis
process. Before an H2
plant is even
constructed, AI systems can analyze the
available resources, interconnections and
landscape of the area to determine the
optimal location, as well as which methods
between solar, wind, geothermal and
other renewables will be most effective.
This same principle also applies to
planning and distribution strategies.
Businesses and local governments can
utilize AI to better determine the cost/
benefit ratio with anticipated demand
for energy using H2
as fuel or production
feedstock, as well as optimal pipeline
layouts and storage planning based on
current energy usage patterns and future
population and construction plans.
6
monitor thousands of measurements
and data points to identify inefficiencies
in H2
production, transportation and
electricity generation, and provide recommendations
to human operators on
how to correct those issues.
Moreover, because AI is analyzing
these systems in real time, it can quickly
and accurately pinpoint pipeline leaks,
faulty equipment or other issues requiring
maintenance-and even offer
predictive maintenance recommendations-to
ensure the facility is running
at peak efficiency.
The H2 future starts today. The concept
for the H2
fuel cell was first conceived
almost 200 yr ago; however, the
technology still only makes up a small
percentage of global power and energy
infrastructure today. Significant obstacles
stand in the way of broader adoption,
including limited technological resources,
relatively high production costs
and a lack of investment to possibly compete
in the future with existing electrical
Once the infrastructure is in place,
AI equipped with smart sensors and big
data sets can also play a crucial role in
maintaining and optimizing the production
site's operations. AI and machine
learning platforms can continuously
grids. However, H2
SPECIAL FOCUS
's potential as a clean
energy resource is drawing renewed interest
around the world.
AI will also play a key role in government
and business initiatives to scale
and establish clean H2
in the power
systems of the near future. By equipping
H2
AI will play a key role in
government and business
initiatives to scale and
establish clean H2
in the
power systems of the
near future. By equipping
hydrolysis facilities and
distribution systems with
AI, providers can achieve
higher production rates,
reduce costs and develop
smarter facilities.
bution systems with AI, providers can
further improve upon recent H2
electrolysis facilities and distritechnology
advancements to achieve higher
production rates, reduce costs and develop
smarter facilities. All these factors
will be crucial to the success of clean H2
power. If these projects are not invested
in today, that future may be here sooner
than we think.
LITERATURE CITED
1
Schiavo, M. and Nietvelt, K., " How hydrogen can
fuel the energy transition, " S&P Global Ratings,
November 2020, online: https://www.spglobal.
com/ratings/en/research/articles/201119-howhydrogen-can-fuel-the-energy-transition-11740867
2
3
4
International
Energy Agency, " The future of
hydrogen, " June 2019.
" A hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe, "
European Commission, June 2019.
Walton, R., " Japanese launch world's largest-class
hydrogen production unit, " Power Engineering,
March 2020.
5
Hydrogen Council, " Hydrogen scaling up, "
November 2017, online: https://hydrogencouncil.
com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Hydrogenscaling-up-Hydrogen-Council.pdf
Hydrogen
Council, " Path to hydrogen
competitiveness, " January 2020, online:
https://hydrogencouncil.com/wp-content/
uploads/2020/01/Path-to-HydrogenCompetitiveness_Full-Study-1.pdf
7
Wijk,
A., " Could hydrogen replace the need for
an electric grid? " BRINK, January 2020, online:
https://www.brinknews.com/could-hydrogenreplace-the-need-for-an-electric-grid
8
Hornyak,
T., An $11 trillion global hydrogen energy
boom is coming. Here's what could trigger it, "
CNBC, December 2020, online: https://www.cnbc.
com/2020/11/01/how-salt-caverns-may-trigger11-trillion-hydrogen-energy-boom-.html
9
Bartlett,
J. and A. Krupnick, " Decarbonized
hydrogen in the U.S. power and industrial sectors:
identifying and incentivizing opportunities to lower
emissions, " Resources for the Future, December 2020.
10
Climate Champions, " Green hydrogen catapult, "
Race to Zero, December 2020, online: https://
racetozero.unfccc.int/green-hydrogen-catapult
STEVE KWAN is Director of Product
Management for power generation/
grid management at Beyond Limits,
an industrial-grade AI company that
builds advanced software solutions
for the energy, utilities and
healthcare sectors. He has more
than 25 yr of experience in product management and
engineering, holding previous positions in the product
organizations at OSIsoft and GE Energy. Dr. Kwan
earned a BS degree in engineering chemistry from
SUNY Stony Brook and a PhD in materials from
Pennsylvania State University.
H2Tech | Q4 2021 23

https://www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/research/articles/201119-how-hydrogen-can-fuel-the-energy-transition-11740867 https://www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/research/articles/201119-how-hydrogen-can-fuel-the-energy-transition-11740867 https://www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/research/articles/201119-how-hydrogen-can-fuel-the-energy-transition-11740867 https://hydrogencouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Hydrogenscaling-up-Hydrogen-Council.pdf https://hydrogencouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Hydrogenscaling-up-Hydrogen-Council.pdf https://hydrogencouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Hydrogenscaling-up-Hydrogen-Council.pdf https://www.hydrogencouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Path-to-Hydrogen-Competitiveness_Full-Study-1.pdf https://www.hydrogencouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Path-to-Hydrogen-Competitiveness_Full-Study-1.pdf https://www.hydrogencouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Path-to-Hydrogen-Competitiveness_Full-Study-1.pdf https://www.brinknews.com/could-hydrogen-replace-the-need-for-an-electric-grid https://www.brinknews.com/could-hydrogen-replace-the-need-for-an-electric-grid https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/01/how-salt-caverns-may-trigger-11-trillion-hydrogen-energy-boom-.html https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/01/how-salt-caverns-may-trigger-11-trillion-hydrogen-energy-boom-.html https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/01/how-salt-caverns-may-trigger-11-trillion-hydrogen-energy-boom-.html https://racetozero.unfccc.int/green-hydrogen-catapult https://racetozero.unfccc.int/green-hydrogen-catapult

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