Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. In order to drastically reduce global CO₂ emissions and achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, far-reaching changes are needed in the energy, industrial and mobility landscape. Hydrogen plays a central role in this – as a versatile, clean energy carrier and key technology for a sustainable future.
Climate neutrality requires new solutions
Around three quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the use of fossil fuels – in electricity generation, industry, transportation and heat supply. Many of these sectors cannot be fully electrified. This is precisely where hydrogen comes in:
- As an emission-free energy source
- As a storage medium for renewable energies
- As a bridge between electricity, heat, industry and mobility
Green hydrogen: CO₂-free right from the start
The production of green hydrogen – through electrolysis with electricity from renewable energies such as wind, solar or hydropower – is crucial for climate protection. This process does not produce any CO₂. If this hydrogen is used instead of fossil fuels, even areas that are difficult to decarbonize can become climate-neutral.
Examples:
- Steel production without coke
- Truck traffic without diesel
- Heat supply without natural gas
CO₂ savings through hydrogen applications
Depending on the application, the use of hydrogen can save significant amounts of greenhouse gases. Studies show that hydrogen could avoid up to 70 million tons of CO₂ per year in Germany alone – this corresponds to around a third of current industrial emissions.
Hydrogen as a link in sector coupling
A successful energy transition requires the linking of the electricity, heating, mobility and industrial sectors – so-called sector coupling. This is exactly what hydrogen makes possible: it can be generated from electricity, stored, transported and reused in a variety of ways – as a fuel, process gas or base material for synthetic fuels.
Conclusion
Hydrogen is a key building block for climate protection. It makes renewable energy storable, replaces fossil fuels in industry and transportation and brings the sectors together. With green hydrogen, we can drastically reduce CO₂ emissions – and actively shape the path to a climate-neutral future.
