Very-low / decarbonised hydrogen from natural gas

Decarbonised hydrogen from natural gas

FSR online workshop series on Hydrogen Technology

2-hour online workshop

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It is widely accepted that renewable and decarbonised hydrogen will need to play a major role in the EU’s future decarbonised energy market.

The first FSR online workshop will focus on decarbonised hydrogen produced from natural gas, or ‘blue’ hydrogen. In this special live event, we will analyse:

• the potential of producing ‘blue’ hydrogen
• the state of technology and industrial demonstration, and the current cost projections
• what needs to be done to bring the technology to maturity

This online workshop seeks to identify the bottlenecks of blue hydrogen production and discusses policy options for resolving them.

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Programme

Wednesday 15th April, 10.00-12.20

Moderated by Andris Piebalgs and Christopher Jones, Part-time Professors, EUI

Pre-event poll: Which of the technologies is the most likely to play a major role in the EU’s energy system in 2050?

10.00-10.05: Opening comments: Christopher Jones, Part-time Professor, EUI

10.05-10.35 The role of renewable and decarbonised hydrogen in the EU’s future energy mix; policy options, funding priorities, their potential, and bottlenecks that need to be

Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, Deputy Director-General, DG Energy, European Commission.

Hélène Chraye, Head of Unit, Clean Energy Transition, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission.

Stefaan Vergote, Adviser for Emission Reduction Strategies, Research & Innovation, DG Clima, European Commission

10.35-10.45 Audience questions/discussion

The case for Pyrolysis

10.45-10.55      Alex Barnes, Director, A. Barnes & Associates LTD

10.55-11.05:     Stefan Petters / Dr. Klaus-Dieter Mauthner, GOU / CARBOTOPIA

11.05-11.15:     Christopher Brandon, EH Group,

11.15-11.35:    Audience questions/discussion

The case for Steam Methane Reforming and CCS

11.35-11.45: Henrik Solgaard Andersen, Equinor

11.45-11.55: Chris Gibson, Engineering Manager – CCUS & Hydrogen Group, Environmental Technology, BP

11.55-12.05 Audience questions/discussion

12.05-12.20: Concluding remarks:

Hélène Chraye, Head of Unit, Clean Energy Transition, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission.

Tudor Constantinescu; Principal Advisor, DG Energy

Workshop 2: Renewable Hydrogen

The potential for producing ‘green’ hydrogen; the state of technology and industrial demonstration, current cost projections; what needs to be done to bring the technology to maturity.

Wednesday 22nd April, 10.00 – 12.20

Moderated by Andris Piebalgs, Part-time Professor, EUI, and Christopher Jones, Part-time Professor, EUI

Pre-event poll: Which sector is the most perspective for the uptake of the renewable hydrogen? (Refining, chemicals, transport, buildings, power)

10.00-10.05: Opening comments: Andris Piebalgs, Part-time Professor, EUI

10.05-10.25: Introductory Presentations

Patrick Child, Deputy Director General and acting Director, DG Research, European Commission

Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, Deputy Director-General, DG Energy, European Commission

10.25-10.40: Audience questions/discussion

10.40-10.50: Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, Secretary General, Hydrogen Europe

10.50-11.00: Dolf Gielen, Director, IRENA Innovation and Technology Centre

11.00-11.10: Daan Peters, Associate Director, Guidehouse

11.10-11.20: Oksana Dembitska, VP for Green Hydrogen, BP

11.20-11.45: Audience questions/discussion

Respondents

11.45- 11.55: Catrinus Jepma, Professor, University of Groningen

11.55-12.05: Ronnie Belmans, Professor, KU Leuven

12.05-12.20 Concluding remarks

Christopher Jones, Part-time Professor, EUI

Tudor Constantinescu, Principal Advisor, DG Energy, European Commission

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Background

The European Commission’s Smart Sector Integration initiative

This initiative will cover a wide range of issues, including how to ‘kick-start’ the renewable and decarbonised gas market (in order to drive down costs and catalyze sufficient capacity in time for the 2050 decarbonisation deadline), how to link the RES and nuclear electricity and gas markets with one-another and the ETS (including notably through Guarantees of Origin), and how to ensure that the principles of the Internal Gas Market are retained, to mention but a few.

An evidenced-based approach is vital if the EU is to find a cost-effective and efficient answer to these issues. Fully understanding the costs (and future cost curves) and potential of the different emerging hydrogen technologies will be essential in order to enable the Commission to design such a proposal.

For example, unless we have a clear view on inter alia the following issues, it is not possible to determine how and when to support the development of an H2 industry, or how to ensure that any public support during the first years of development is best targeted:

• the likely costs of renewable and decarbonised H2, what needs to be done to get costs down, how mature are these technologies, how robust are future price curves?
• the ETS price at which consumers of ‘grey’ hydrogen today (such as fertilizer manufacturers) and high heat energy intensive industry (cement, steel, chemicals) as well as transport would be likely to switch to renewable or decarbonised hydrogen
• the potential for the different hydrogen technologies in terms of energy production, taking into account, for example, CCS availability, or the ability of the EU to actually produce the RES electricity necessary to meet its (future increased) electricity demand and also be used to produce renewable hydrogen.
• Decarbonised H2 from natural gas can be produced from stream methane reforming combined with CCs, or pyrolysis (where the CO2 is ‘compressed’ into solid carbon and stored or used by industry).

The Florence School of Regulation proposes two Online Workshops to examine and discuss these issues in depth. The first will focus on decarbonised hydrogen produced from natural gas, or ‘blue’ hydrogen. The second will examine the potential regarding renewable hydrogen.