The first step on a decarbonisation journey is to understand what your emissions are and in which sites and systems they are highest
intensity of the blue hydrogen. Well-engineered solutions using the latest technology can produce hydrogen with emissions of the order of 10-20g CO 2 /MJ. The UK’s independent Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has itself recommended that significant volumes of blue hydrogen can help industry cut emissions faster than would be possible if we wait for green hydrogen to become widely available. Bridging the hydrogen gap While fuel switching to hydrogen is the long- term solution for many hard-to-abate processes, there are other proven existing technologies that we can use to reduce energy consumption and, therefore, carbon emissions today. These are ‘no-regrets/low-regrets’ strategies that use well-understood technologies, which can help businesses take the first steps towards reducing carbon emissions.
for most of the hydrogen produced today. This process, which results in grey hydrogen, emits CO 2 . When the CO 2 is captured, the hydrogen is designated as blue. The low carbon credentials of blue hydrogen are being challenged from many sides. Simply put, the effectiveness of the carbon capture process is critical to achieving a truly low carbon supply of hydrogen. It is fair to say that carbon capture efficiency varies considerably, but the latest technologies are much more effective in capturing carbon than before. Blue hydrogen production plants planned for the UK will use autothermal reforming (ATR), which captures CO 2 as part of the production process rather than as a separate step. ATR is proven and its 97% effectiveness in capturing CO 2 is backed up with production data. Just like green hydrogen production using electrolysis, the carbon intensity of the electricity supply used by the ATR system ultimately determines the carbon
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