绿色氢气业务正在世界各地进一步拓展

绿色氢气被誉为天然气的潜在替代品，成为全球重要的过渡性燃料  

由于世界各国政府向新产能投入数百万美元，绿色氢气的产量正在大幅增加

由于新兴大国正在努力实现它们在全球氢气市场上的地位，非洲和拉丁美洲的国家今年都先后宣布投资绿色氢气 

  据美国油价网8月18日报道，由于各国政府投入数百万美元发展绿色氢气行业，绿色氢气业务正在世界各地进一步扩大。虽然绿色氢气生产在欧洲的兴起已经得到了充分的证明，但一些欧洲国家正在加大对该行业的投资，因为其他项目正在拉丁美洲和非洲等更意想不到的地区涌现。在多个政府和主要能源公司的支持下，绿色氢气很可能成为世界范围内主要的可再生能源。 

绿色氢气被誉为一种重要的新型清洁能源，有可能取代天然气，并被用于氢燃料汽车——与电动汽车电池竞争。虽然绿色氢气生产的成本远高于可再生能源，但专家们预计，随着时间的推移，加大研发投资以及扩大氢气厂的规模，将使这项技术变得更廉价、更高效，就像太阳能和风能行业看到的那样。 

绿色氢气是用可再生的电力来驱动电解槽将水分解成氢气和氧气。然后，气体被燃烧产生电力，只排放水蒸气和暖空气，使其无碳。这与灰色氢气生产形成鲜明对比，后者由天然气提供动力。

在大规模投资这个行业以后，欧洲和中东已经显著扩大了他们在绿色氢气市场上的地位。由于全球对可再生能源需求的增加，这两个地区时下正在争夺第一的位置。在欧洲，我们看到该行业的投资比最初预期的更多，西班牙宣布在普埃托利亚诺投资5000万欧元，英国在菲利克斯托港投资1.5亿英镑。

8月，苏格兰电力公司宣布计划在英格兰南部的费利克斯托港建设一个大型绿色氢气设施，为火车、卡车和船舶提供动力。该工厂预计将生产100兆瓦的能源，从2026年开始为大约1300辆氢燃料卡车提供动力。在这个项目出台之际，英国汽油和柴油价格正在飙升，导致对替代能源的需求增加。苏格兰电力公司希望获得英国净零氢气基金的财政支持，这个项目可能耗资1.22亿到1.83亿美元。 

但现在，项目正在更多意想不到的地方涌现。由于新兴大国正在努力实现他们在全球氢气市场上的地位，非洲和拉丁美洲的国家今年都已先后宣布投资绿色氢气。到2050年前，全球氢气市场年投资预计将达到1万亿美元，人人都想从中分一杯羹。 

一个意想不到的正在发展绿色氢气能力的地方，那就是巴西。巴西国家清洁能源研究所（INEL）近日宣布将成立一个新的绿色氢气工业秘书处（SHV）。SHV的负责人Luiz Piauhylino Filho希望通过发展该国的绿色氢气业务来支持巴西的低成本清洁能源部门。  

今年早些时候，巴西化学公司Unigel在巴西东北部的巴伊亚开始建设该国第一个绿色氢气厂，耗资1.2亿美元。建成后有望成为世界上最大的绿色氢氨一体化工厂。Unigel希望在2023年开始运营，实现每年1万吨绿色氢气和6万吨绿色氨气的产量。  

另一个想要打入可再生氢气市场的南美洲大国是智利。智利已经以绿色能源生产而闻名，因此非常适合绿色氢气生产。智利政府已经宣布到2025年前电解装机能力达到5吉瓦的目标，并计划在2030年底前生产出最具成本效益的绿色氢气。由于欧洲和亚洲对绿色氢气的需求开始增加，从而鼓励几个拉丁美洲国家开始发展氢气产能，以期在该地区的竞争中领先。 

和拉丁美洲一样，整个非洲地区对绿色氢气工业的兴趣也在上升。去年，纳米比亚政府宣布了一个目标，利用疫情后经济复苏计划的投资，每年向欧洲出口300万吨绿色氢气。纳米比亚希望以每公斤1.55至2.07美元的价格生产出世界上最便宜的绿色氢气。  

然而，纳米比亚的绿色氢气产业仍处于初级阶段，该国大部分人口的电力供应有限。但是，开发纳米比亚风能和太阳能资源的巨大潜力，加上大片无人居住的国有土地，使该国对主要的可再生能源业务的发展具有极大的吸引力，其中可能包括绿色氢气。

由于绿色能源业务在拥有现有产能的地区继续扩张，我们看到更多新的发展出现在世界上意想不到的地方。随着欧洲和亚洲对这种可再生能源的需求不断扩大，一些拉丁美洲和非洲国家对发展绿色氢气工业表现出浓厚的兴趣。 

李峻 编译自 美国油价网

原文如下：

Green Hydrogen Is Gaining Traction Across The Globe

·     Green hydrogen has been hailed as a potential replacement for natural gas as the world’s bridge fuel.

·     Green hydrogen is getting a major bump as governments across the world pump millions into new production capacity.

·     Countries across both Africa and Latin America have announced investments in green hydrogen this year, as emerging powers work to achieve their position in the global hydrogen market.

Green hydrogen operations are expanding even further as governments pump millions into the development of the sector. While the rise of green hydrogen production across Europe has been well documented, some European countries are investing even more heavily in the industry, as other projects are popping up in more unexpected regions, such as Latin America and Africa. With several governments and major energy companies backing green hydrogen development, it is likely to become a major renewable energy source worldwide. 

Green hydrogen has been hailed as a major new clean energy source with the potential to replace natural gas, as well as being used in hydrogen vehicles – in competition with electric car batteries. Although the cost of green hydrogen production is much higher than alternative renewable energies, experts expect greater investment in research and development, as well as the expansion of hydrogen plants, will make the technology much cheaper and more efficient over time, much in the same way as seen in the solar and wind power sectors. 

Green hydrogen is produced using renewable electricity to power an electrolyzer and than splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The gas is then burned to produce power and emits only water vapor and warm air, making it carbon-free. This contrasts with grey hydrogen production, which is powered by natural gas. 

Europe and the Middle East have already significantly expanded their green hydrogen market positions following major investments in the industry. The two regions are battling for the top spot as global demand for the renewable energy source increases. In Europe, we’re seeing even more investment in the sector than initially expected, with Spain announcing a €50 million green hydrogen plant in Puertollano and the U.K. promoting a £150 million plant at the port of Felixstowe. 

This month, ScottishPower announced plans to construct a major green hydrogen facility in Felixstowe, in the south of England, to power trains, trucks and ships. The plant is expected to produce 100 MW of energy, to power approximately 1,300 hydrogen trucks starting in 2026. The project comes as petrol and diesel prices in the U.K. are soaring, leading to an increase in demand for alternatives. The company expects to receive financial support from the U.K.’s Net Zero Hydrogen Fund for the project, which could cost anywhere between $122 million and $183 million.

But now projects are cropping up in more unexpected places. Countries across both Africa and Latin America have announced investments in green hydrogen this year, as emerging powers work to achieve their position in the global hydrogen market. With the global hydrogen market expected to achieve $1 trillion a year by 2050, everyone wants a piece of the action.  

One unexpected place that is developing its green hydrogen capabilities is Brazil. This week, The National Institute of Clean Energies (INEL) in Brazil announced it was establishing a new green hydrogen secretariat(SHV). Head of the SHV Luiz Piauhylino Filho hopes to support Brazil’s low-cost, clean energy sector through the development of the country’s green hydrogen operations.  

Earlier this year, the Brazilian chemical company Unigel commenced construction of the country’s first green hydrogen plant in Bahia, in north-eastern Brazil, at a cost of $120 million. It is expected to be the world's largest integrated green hydrogen and ammonia plant upon completion. Unigel hopes to achieve an output of 10,000 tonnes a year of green hydrogen and 60,000 tonnes a year of green ammonia with operations starting in 2023. 

Another South American giant looking to break into the renewable hydrogen market is Chile. The country is already well-known for its green energy production, making it well-suited to green hydrogen production. The government has already announced a goal of 5 GW of installed electrolysis capacity by 2025 and aims to produce the most cost-efficient green hydrogen by the end of the decade. As demand for green hydrogen begins to increase in Europe and Asia, it is encouraging several Latin American countries to start developing their hydrogen capabilities to get ahead of the competition in the region as the industry grows. 

As well as Latin America, interest in the green hydrogen industry is also rising across the African region. Last year, the Namibian government announced an aim to export three million tonnes a year of green hydrogen to Europe with investment coming from its post-pandemic economic recovery scheme. Namibia is hoping to produce some of the world’s cheapest green hydrogen at $1.55 to $2.07 per kilogramme. 

However, Namibia’s green hydrogen industry is still in its nascent stage, with limited electricity access for much of the country’s population. But the significant potential to develop Namibia’s wind and solar resources, coupled with large areas of uninhabited, state-owned land, make the country highly attractive for the development of a major renewable energy sector, which will likely include green hydrogen. 

As green energy operations continue to expand across regions with existing production capabilities, we are seeing more new developments appear in unexpected parts of the world. Several Latin American and African countries have shown their interest in the development of their green hydrogen industries as demand for the renewable energy source continues to expand across Europe and Asia.