Converting factories that rely on fossil fuels to power their operations with hydrogen as an alternative fuel source can significantly reduce industrial emissions. When hydrogen is used as a fuel source, it produces water rather than CO2, or other greenhouse gasses. 

It is important to consider how the hydrogen is produced when assessing its ability to help reduce emissions. Most of the world’s hydrogen is derived from fossil fuels in processes so carbon intensive that they render this ‘gray’ hydrogen dirtier than coal overall. 

It is possible to produce ‘green’ hydrogen via electrolysis, which uses electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. We can use electricity generated from clean sources such as wind and solar (especially at points where there is an overabundance of green energy), we can create ‘green’ hydrogen. Because green hydrogen is currently scarce and very energy intensive to make, it is important that we use it only to decarbonize the most urgent sectors such as aviation, shipping, and industry – using hydrogen to power factory processes that are proving especially difficult to electrify, for example.

When you take this action, increase your Energy Demand by 1 and remove 1 Industry Emissions token from your player board.
You may take this action once per Regulation tag in this card's stack each round.

• This power plant offers a peek into the future (Washington Post)

• The Future of Hydrogen (International Energy Agency, IEA)

• Encourage your political representatives to introduce policies that support green hydrogen generation, and policies that encourage people to make the most of green hydrogen. (Using hydrogen for home heating, for example, is often considered to be a waste, as there are other, more viable green alternatives in this sector, such as heat pumps).

• Support policy and regulatory frameworks that bring the benefits of green hydrogen to bear on industrial factory processes that are proving especially difficult to decarbonise.

• Support policies that end subsidies for fossil fuel plants.

• Divest and encourage others to divest in energy companies that still operate fossil fuel plants.