To achieve an accessible and sustainable energy transition, it's essential we explore all the options available – including the use of hydrogen, an option that Sibelga is looking at closely. Does it deserve a role in the future energy mix?
Although it was heralded as the new "green gold", hydrogen is taking a while to live up to expectations. For now, its low availability and high production costs are still the main barriers to the development of this fuel.
All the same, should we really give up on this promising molecule? According to recent studies that Sibelga has taken part in, it still has a role to play in our energy future.
Why hydrogen?
Hydrogen has been attracting a lot of attention, and that's because it's the ultimate decarbonised gas: its combustion generates nothing but water, meaning there's no pollutants at all.
Yet, to be truly carbon neutral, it still needs to be produced using renewable energy, which is known as green hydrogen. If the electricity used to produce it is not from renewable sources, the hydrogen is not renewable either. And its manufacture therefore indirectly releases CO2.
Unlike grey hydrogen, whose manufacturing process generates CO2 emissions, green hydrogen is manufactured using renewable energy.
An ambitious strategy
The development of hydrogen is one of the European Union's priorities. Its aim is to both produce and import 10 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030.
Since 2021, Belgium has published its hydrogen strategy with the ambition of becoming the hub for hydrogen in Europe. As part of this ambition, the country is striving to build a transport network covering approximately 150 km by 2026, and to import 20 TWh of renewable molecules by 2030.
Green hydrogen is produced with an electrolyser that separates water into hydrogen and oxygen, using energy from renewable sources.
A multi-faceted molecule
Hydrogen already plays an important role in our economy. For example, it is used intensively in heavy industry, to:
- Manufacture steel using iron ore in steel mills.
- Prepare ammonia, which is used to make nitrogen fertilisers for agriculture.
- Manufacture synthetic fuels (e-fuel).
However, sustainably produced hydrogen could also be put to good use in the energy transition. There are several possible uses:
- Renewable energy storage.
- A decarbonised fuel for transport.
- A clean fuel for heating.
Sibelga investigates its potential
Sibelga is participating in several projects aiming to answer the ongoing technical and operational questions.
In 2020, an ambitious project named "Hydrogen to Grid National Living Lab" (H2GridLab) was launched to study the feasibility of rolling out hydrogen in Brussels.
The MØDÜLL, the first living lab building (now decommissioned), was being used as a testing ground for residential applications running on alternative gases.
Secondly, a study run by SWECO and Deloitte on Sibelga's behalf in 2022 explored the role that hydrogen could potentially play in Brussels.
In 2023, Sibelga also received funding from the Energy Transition Fund (ETF) to support its innovative initiatives investigating hydrogen in the Belgian capital.
We are also part of the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance which aims to support the large-scale deployment of clean hydrogen technologies by 2030.
Additionally, Sibelga is part of the Energy Task Force, along with Brugel and Brussels Environment, to determine the future of heating by 2050, and in particular, the role that hydrogen could play.
What future does hydrogen have in Brussels?
Heating buildings
Initial tests are showing that it is possible to combine natural gas with hydrogen, up to 10%, using existing infrastructure, with some adaptations. However, the contribution to decarbonisation efforts would be limited with this technique, due to hydrogen's low energy density. Ultimately, it would only account for 3.2% of the total energy.
A 100%-hydrogen network would mean a much bigger reduction in greenhouse gases, but this would require significant investment:
- For the network: replacing the majority of the gas pipes and all other components in the network (valves, meters, etc.).
- For users: replacing all heating appliances with compatible appliances.
Whichever option is considered, it seems that using hydrogen to heat buildings won't be possible before 2040 at the earliest. The main drawback of using hydrogen for heating is currently its low availability, which is mainly due to the limited yields produced by the production and conversion processes.
As a result, there won't be enough hydrogen available in Brussels early enough for it to represent a credible alternative for achieving the 2050 climate objectives. It is likely that any quantities that may become available will be allocated as a priority to other sectors.
50% low-emission hydrogen by 2030
According to the latest report from IEA (International Energy Agency), global hydrogen production reached 97 million tonnes (Mtpa) in 2023, of which less than 1% was low-emission hydrogen (mainly blue hydrogen). Based on current projects, though, this could rise to over 50% by 2030.
Industry and heavy transport
Hydrogen will most likely have a role to play in the processes and applications that can't be electrified straight away.
In the medium term, green hydrogen could be one of the pillars of decarbonisation in heavy industry and road, rail, maritime and air transport.
Initially, the focus will be on the industries that account for over 35% of total CO2 emissions in Belgium. There are two types of industry under consideration:
- Those that require high temperatures for their processes.
- Those that currently use methane as an easily replaceable raw material.
Industries in which emissions are difficult to reduce, such as lime and steel plants, will have to adopt carbon capture (CCUS) as well as hydrogen as a raw material, as 70% of their CO2 emissions are intrinsic to their processes.
Industry and heavy transport could be the first to use green hydrogen.
Limited impact in Brussels
Although hydrogen has a role to play in industry, the potential impact it could have in Brussels remains limited. In 2023, gas consumption in the industrial sector only accounted for just over 3% of the Region's total. If we only consider the industries in which electrification is the most challenging, this represents less than 0,5%.
Renewable energy storage
Hydrogen could also play a role in renewable energy storage. Batteries are becoming increasingly efficient, but they are more suited to short-term storage.
We get 3/4 of our solar energy between May and September, and just 1/4 the rest of the year when our energy requirements are higher. But a battery can't efficiently store energy for long enough.
A question of efficiency
Hydrogen's energy efficiency, however, is much lower than that of a battery. Electricity produced from hydrogen is known as "secondary" energy as it is produced by transforming "primary" energy, i.e. the hydrogen itself. Between primary and secondary energy, hydrogen has an efficiency of 30% to 35%, compared to 85% to 90% for batteries.
An evolving ecosystem
Hydrogen could be integrated into the energy mix in the future, if it is available and affordable. One of the barriers to developing green hydrogen on a larger scale is its production costs.
As long as there is lingering uncertainty about electricity prices in the medium term, it will be difficult to implement any major hydrogen projects. That's why putting public policies in place that encourage low-carbon hydrogen production is essential.
As hydrogen production technology and infrastructure evolves, it will start to benefit from economies of scale that will reduce the cost per energy unit of hydrogen produced. Well-developed storage and distribution infrastructure will also help to reduce logistical costs and improve the overall efficiency of the supply chain.
Alongside Fluxys and other Belgian distribution network operators, we are actively working on integrating hydrogen into the energy mix. While some industrial projects are currently being delayed, others are being carried out. One such project is being run by Fluxys, who is working on developing the first hydrogen transport network between Zeebrugge and Brussels, the first section of which went into operation in 2024.