Hydrogen has been dubbed ‘the magic fuel’. Capable of powering cars, trucks, planes, ships and more, there’s a huge buzz around hydrogen including its future potential and for good reason.
With the world facing a major climate crisis, a solution is badly needed, and it’s hoped that hydrogen could form an integral part of the fix.
At present, there are several different types of hydrogen, each categorised by their production methods. This includes green hydrogen, blue hydrogen and grey hydrogen.
While the best method forward is yet to be determined, what is certain is that hydrogen has the potential to power various industries. Here’s a snapshot of what to expect in the coming years as your business adapts to the switch to hydrogen.
Aviation
Aviation emissions have quadrupled since 1966 and now amount to around 1.04 billion tonnes of CO2 produced every year.
Like many industries, aviation is hugely important for the economy on a local and global scale, supporting almost 90 million jobs around the world. It’s clear that ending airline travel is not in the interests of the economy or global development as a whole, especially since many of us also fly for personal reasons as well as for business.
Bloomberg commissioned a report entitled ‘Why Hydrogen-Powered Planes Might Be Inevitable’. It highlighted that while plane manufacturers have taken steps to reduce carbon emissions through smarter design, replacing the choice of fuel is high on the agenda. Boeing is already looking at hydrogen as a fuel source, with the Bloomberg report citing hydrogen powered planes could start to emerge as early as three years from now.
Logistics
Transporting goods across countries and even continents is the way of the world now. But with so many trucks on the road and even boats on the sea, a cleaner source of fuel is needed to cut emissions.
Once again, hydrogen is being considered a fuel source for the logistics industry. At present, many companies including Amazon have already switched to electric powered vehicles. Adding hydrogen into the mix, especially if it can be produced in a way that emits as little CO2 as possible would be the next logical step.
Manufacturing
The steel industry accounts for around 8% of all global CO2 emissions. It was long thought that only fossil fuels could power the chemical reactions needed to turn iron ore into steel. However, hydrogen can also get the job done in a way that only leaves behind water.
Here at Metreel, we are market leaders and innovators in industrial solutions, with many of our clients based in the manufacturing sector. In terms of manufacturing innovation, it is always worthwhile keeping up with the next big developments, and hydrogen powered equipment, machinery and processes are no exception.
Power Generation
If hydrogen is being cited as a power source for planes, trucks and manufacturing equipment, we should also expect to see it as a fuel source for our homes and businesses too.
Energy is hugely topical at the moment with the cost of living crisis, and there’s lots of attention on our gas supplies which originate from outside of the UK. If the UK was able to generate its own hydrogen, then this could potentially eliminate a repeat of such problems in the future.
Although there’s a long way to go, every consideration needs to be explored and hydrogen is a worthy contender.
Public Transport
Public transport could one day be powered by hydrogen. The world’s first hydrogen powered train has already been developed by Alstom and is called Alstom Coradia iLint.
Leading the way to greener and smarter mobility, green public transport could also potentially reduce costs for passengers, thus increasing uptake and reducing emissions from other forms of transport.
Space Exploration
It appears the sky is in fact not the limit when it comes to the potential of hydrogen.
That’s because liquid hydrogen (LH2) has played a role in space exploration harking back to the Apollo program. The use of hydrogen is now being used by US Government and commercial organisations including United Launch, Alliance and Blue Origin.
Metreel Material Handling – Future Proof Your Business Operations
For now and heading into the future, Metreel is here to support your business as a leading manufacturer of material handling equipment.
Based in Derbyshire, we operate not just across the East Midlands but on a global scale. So, if you are in search of the perfect material handling solutions for your business you’re in the right place.You can also download our free brochure to discover more about our product specifications by visiting our product brochure page.
If you’re ready to place an order or have any questions, please give us a call on 0115 647 0422 or email us at [email protected]