Development of Green Hydrogen, Solution to Decarbonization Problems in Indonesia
By Adi Permana
Editor Adi Permana
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id — As a means of achieving the Net-Zero emissions target, some countries have started to take a step in decarbonization. The decarbonization process includes shifting to renewable energy sources for electric generation. However, decarbonization in the "harder-to-abate" sector, such as heavy industry and transportation, cannot be achieved with only renewable electricity. One solution that has been preferred by some countries to resolve this decarbonization problem is to develop Green Hydrogen.
Manager of Energy and Environment Project CBS Engineering and Consulting, PT Cagar Bentara Sakti, Aji Setyawan, S.T., who is also an alumnus of Engineering Physics Institut Teknologi Bandung, introduced us to this Green Hydrogen. Green Hydrogen is hydrogen that is produced entirely by renewable energy or from the low-carbon emissions process. Green hydrogen has much lower carbon emissions compared to gray hydrogen, which is produced by the reformation process of natural gas, which currently accounts for most of the commercial hydrogen.
Aji said, even if one by one of the solutions have been found and are being realized, there are still some challenges in achieving the Net-Zero Emissions target. Therefore, globally, all countries need to go through an ambitious climate change mitigation effort to keep the temperature rise under 1.5°C, or the Net-Zero Emissions.
This Net-Zero Emissions route is faced with a challenge in which renewable energy-based electricity alone is not enough to reduce emissions. Therefore, some institutions stated that green hydrogen can be another pivotal breakthrough to achieve this Net-Zero Emissions target.
Aji then explained that hydrogen fuel has a very high energy-to-weight ratio, low weight-to-volume ratio, and high buoyancy force. Hydrogen can also be used as an excellent cathode element for industrial processes due to its being the most abundant material in the universe. "The demand for hydrogen is dominated by the industrial sector, reaching for almost 90%," explained Adi during the "Knowledge Sharing BK Teknik Fisika, Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia", on Tuesday (25/1/2022).
According to the Net-Zero Emissions route, hydrogen and its derivation contribute to 12% of the world's final energy usage, of which one-third of its demand is projected to be supplied by Green Hydrogen. "Moreover, 30% of the world's electric consumption will be dedicated to the production of Green Hydrogen and its derivation," explained Aji.
The basis of production of this Green Hydrogen is that it is a renewable energy that is generated through an electrolysis process. Green Hydrogen can be used in almost every industry, such as the chemical industry, steel industry, or even to power various modes of transportation.
Reporter: Yoel Enrico Meiliano (Postharvest Engineering, 2020)
Translator: Favian Aldilla R (Civil Engineering, 2019)
