In the latest two articles we talked about hydrogen, which is catching the interest of many energy players. In particular, hydrogen is an integral part of Europe’s clean energy policies. Their main goal is to tackle the energy consumption of commercial vehicles and home heating systems.
Energy networks: is hydrogen the answer?
Hydrogen finds an advantageous field of application in energy networks. Indeed, hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas and introduced into existing gas transmission networks to take advantage of their coverage. The percentage of hydrogen in this mixture (H2NG) is currently no higher than 10-15% of the total volume of natural gas transmitted in the network. However, the mixture is being experimented with to ensure that growing percentages of hydrogen in the mixture are compatible with existing infrastructure.
The Cavagna Group’s commitment in hydrogen
We’ve acquired extensive know-how over the years in various fields of application for valves using compressed and liquid hydrogen. Today, we’re verifying the compatibility of our devices when used for either pure hydrogen or hydrogen and natural gas mixtures. We’ve long been doing our part to accelerate the adoption of H2 as an environmentally sustainable energy carrier. For example, we take part in joint working groups to verify the compatibility of various materials with hydrogen. Moreover, we are testing the functional capabilities of devices when used with hydrogen.
Hydrogen as part of Europe’s energy policy
In Hydrogen fuel cell: Cavagna is on it! we focused on the role of hydrogen in the fuel sectors in which electrification is more difficult. Between 2020 and 2024, the European Commission will support the installation of at least 6 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolysers. That number will be pushed to 40 GW between 2025 and 2030. All of this is part of the EU’s Hydrogen Strategy, one of the cornerstones of the European Green Deal. The hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe aims to extend the use of hydrogen as a replacement of fossil fuels and to decarbonize its production. Likewise, Europe’s plans have been reflected in the Italian government’s Hydrogen Plan too. This one aims to achieve ambitious goals by 2030 as well:
- have hydrogen meet 2% of final energy demand
- cut CO2 emissions by 8 million tons
- increase GDP by 27 billion euros
- create 200,000 temporary jobs and 10,000 permanent jobs.
