On the feasibility of direct hydrogen utilisation in a fossil-free Europe

Hydrogen is often suggested as a universal fuel that can replace fossil fuels. This paper an-alyses the feasibility of direct hydrogen utilisation in all energy sectors in a 100% renewable energy system for Europe in 2050 using hour-by-hour energy system analysis. Our results show that using hydrogen for heating purposes has high costs and low energy efficiency. Hydrogen for electricity production is beneficial only in limited quantities to restrict biomass consumption, but increases the system costs due to losses. The transport sector results show that hydrogen is an expensive alternative to liquid e-fuels and electrified transport due to high infrastructure costs and respectively low energy efficiency. The industry sector may benefit from hydrogen to reduce biomass at a lower cost than in the other energy sectors, but electrification and e-methane may be more feasible. Seen from a systems perspective, hydrogen will play a key role in future renewable energy systems, but primarily as e-fuel feedstock rather than direct end-fuel in the hard-to-abate sectors. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

This paper analyzes the feasibility of using hydrogen as a direct fuel in all energy sectors in a 100% renewable energy system for Europe in 2050. The results indicate that using hydrogen for heating purposes is costly and inefficient, while hydrogen for electricity production is only beneficial in limited quantities due to losses. In the transport sector, hydrogen is an expensive alternative to liquid e-fuels and electrified transport due to high infrastructure costs and low energy efficiency. In the industry sector, hydrogen may be beneficial for reducing biomass at a lower cost, but electrification and e-methane may be more feasible options.