Green hydrogen - for a sustainable and climate-neutral future
At Iqony, we develop optimum concepts for the generation, storage, utilization and transport of green hydrogen. Industry as well as investors appreciate our consulting expertise in these areas.
Decarbonization and the energy transition are one of the biggest current challenges. We are convinced that hydrogen technology can make a decisive contribution to mastering this cross-generational task. To make this a success, we offer a broad portfolio of services, driven by the ambition to find the best solution for our partners and customers. In our projects, we always rely on green hydrogen produced from CO2-free or renewable sources.
Many years of experience in planning, operation, maintenance and optimization of power generation plants
Conceptual design and support of research and development projects for CO2 capture, storage/ batteries, hydrogen electrolysis from application to integration in existing plants
Project development of PtX applications and industrial application possibilities
Technical and economic assessment of different PtX technologies along the entire value chain.
Use of hydrogen as electricity storage (generation, storage and reconversion)
The production of green hydrogen is already state of the art
There are hydrogen strategies at both federal and state level to consolidate Germany's position as a location for this technology. Politicians have recognized that the hydrogen economy must establish itself as a pillar of the energy supply and are promoting corresponding projects.
"Hydrogen is the rock star of clean energy," says European Union (EU) Commission Vice President Frans Timmermanns. But producing hydrogen as a climate-friendly energy carrier is not an ecological end in itself. A market must and will develop in which customers are willing to order green hydrogen in large quantities. This is the only way to drive decarbonization forward and at the same time keep production processes running at a consistently high level of quality.
The German government has made this so-called market ramp-up an important component of its national hydrogen strategy (NWS). By 2030, production plants for green hydrogen with a total capacity of up to five gigawatts (GW) are to be built and subsidized by the state. By comparison, hydrogen production in the EU as a whole is expected to reach up to six GW by 2024. According to the NWS, another five GW should follow in Germany by 2035 or 2040 at the latest; in the EU, this figure should be at least 40 GW by 2030. Specifically, the NWS states, "Supply, supply and demand are always considered interrelated."
What is meant by Power-to-X?
Power-to-X technologies are understood to be the transformation of green electricity (i.e. electricity from renewable energies) into a storable substance (X). In this specific case, this is hydrogen, which, as a storage medium, is considered an important hinge for successful sector coupling due to its material convertibility. In the form of the downstream products that can be produced from it, it is to become the decisive lever for making energy-intensive industries in particular CO2-free.
The declared aim of the government is to make Germany an international pioneer in hydrogen production. The economic stimulus package adopted by the German government in summer 2020 to combat the economic consequences of the Corona crisis already provided seven billion euros in funding for this. A further two billion euros is to flow into international cooperation projects. The basic building block for a balance sheet-free future is the development of a generation infrastructure. This step is necessary to establish hydrogen as an effective tool and to establish long-term climate protection targets.
Our experience in the conversion of green electricity into (green) hydrogen is reflected in the design of various projects, such as the "Hydrohub" Fenne.
Iqony supports industrial customers competently and comprehensively in the following areas::
- Development of technical and economic concepts
- Preparation of feasibility studies Identification, selection and application within the framework of suitable funding instruments
- Preparation of preliminary planning
- Support with approval planning Integration of different energy sources
- Preparation of technical specifications
- Preparation of general contractor and lot tenders and bid evaluation
- Conducting negotiations with suppliers
- Processing of interfaces and site integration
- Quality management and process optimization
- Comprehensive owner's engineering services
The color theory of hydrogen
In the current discussion, hydrogen is often assigned certain color properties; there is talk of "green", "turquoise", "blue" or "gray" hydrogen.
The different colors categorize the type of production and the emission load of the hydrogen
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Green hydrogen
Green hydrogen is produced by electrolysis. The electricity used comes from renewable sources, such as wind or solar energy, and is balance-sheet free of CO2-Emissions.
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Turquoise hydrogen
Turquoise hydrogen is produced from natural gas by methane pyrolysis (methane splitting). In this process, the natural gas is thermally split into its components hydrogen and carbon in a high-temperature reactor. This process is considered climate-neutral, provided that the electrical energy consumed in the process comes from renewable sources.
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Blue hydrogen
Blue hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels such as natural gas or coal. The steam reforming method used has been known for around 100 years and is currently considered the most economical method for synthetic hydrogen production on an industrial scale. A good 95 percent of the hydrogen produced worldwide is produced in this way.
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Gray hydrogen
Gray hydrogen is produced in the same way as blue hydrogen - with the crucial difference that the CO2 released in the process is not captured and stored, but emitted. In balance terms, this form of hydrogen is the least suitable for achieving climate protection targets.
Hydrogen production by electrolysis
In the so-called electrolysis process, water is broken down into its basic components hydrogen and oxygen. The two components can then be used in many ways to generate energy. The hydrogen produced in this way can now be fed into gas networks or supply public hydrogen filling stations for fuel cell vehicles. The heat generated during electrolysis can be fed into district heating networks, for example. Of course, hydrogen can also be used to generate electricity.
Hydrogen for industry
Politically, it has long been decided that hydrogen will play a decisive role in industry in the future. Germany is to play a pioneering role internationally in this area. Learn more about the use of green hydrogen in industry here.
Hydrogen for investors
For private investors, green hydrogen is a future-proof investment. Iqony provides support here with its expertise in attracting public funding or as an advisor to financing institutions. Learn more about the future of this growth market.
