If the clean hydrogen production sector develops, this will not be without consequences on the demand for electricity. Because the losses are numerous. Rather than connecting a socket directly to the network to charge an electric vehicle, you have to go through a plant that transforms water into hydrogen and oxygen. The yield is only around 70%. Then, you have to compress, store and transport the gas.
As explained by Hervé Jeanmart, professor at the Ecole Polytechnique de Louvain and fuel specialist, “On lose another 10-15% more. We therefore end up with half the initial energy contained in the reservoir. And it is still necessary to count on the very losses of the vehicle during its operation. Whereas with a fully electric vehicle, the losses are minimal and we need less electricity and therefore it costs less in the end.”
Because we multiply the steps with hydrogen, a bit like the transformation of crude oil into gasoline or diesel. And if we need all electricity to be green, we will have to greatly increase the share of renewable or nuclear.
The development of this sector implies sufficient local electricity production in addition to the increase in the number of hydrogen production, storage and distribution sites. And all this, of course, at reasonable and competitive prices. It will take time, but the track is far from abandoned.
