Green hydrogen
It is hoped that green hydrogen will reduce emissions in sectors such as industry, aviation, and transport. It could cut the emissions of Finland’s most polluting plant.
Hydrogen is now the hottest word in the energy industry. It is hoped that green hydrogen will be a major solution for a low-emission future. Hydrogen is also predicted to become an export product for Finland – even a new pillar of the economy.
Matti Kahra, Climate Expert at the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), says that a lot is happening around hydrogen and you can even talk about “hype”.
Outi Ervasti, chairman of the steering group of Hydrogen Cluster Finland, says that, for example, the European Union’s corona recovery money is expected to support and boost the hydrogen economy.
Hydrogen is not a new invention, but is already widely used in, for example, the chemical industry, oil refining and the steel industry. Now the focus is on green hydrogen, which is produced with renewable energy.
– We anticipate that the cost of renewable hydrogen production factors will fall so that commercial hydrogen production could be profitable at the end of this decade. The hydrogen economy could start operating at a rapid pace in the 2030s, Ervasti says.
The EU published its hydrogen strategy in summer 2020 and supports the development of low-emission hydrogen. Hydrogen has also become a remarkable objective of funding in the EU’s recovery programme.
The development of the hydrogen market is also on the move in Finland.
Finland’s sustainable growth programme, published in March, sets as an objective for Finland to be at the forefront of the hydrogen and circular economy. In spring, Hydrogen Cluster Finland was established, with 43 companies and Finland’s largest industrial associations.
The cluster is aware of 17 projects, the planned total amount of plans is more than one billion euros. Many projects aim to create pilot or demonstration facilities.
According to Ervasti, low-carbon products made from green hydrogen could become a significant export product for Finland.
-Finland has a competitive cost level for renewable electricity on a European scale, and therefore it is seen that there is potential. Hydrogen made from Nordic wind enables the development of ecologically sustainable products, which can become a new pillar of our economy, Ervasti says.
The original article was published in Iltalehti Plus-magazine on 28th of July 2021. Original text from Elli Harju. The full article can be found here.
Photo: Outi Ervasti, President of Hydrogen Cluster Finland. Picture: Neste Oyj.
