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Hydrogen Guardrails : Guiding Hydrogen Deployment for Industrial

Hydrogen is an indispensable industrial feedstock for many crucial industries such as fertilizers (ammonia), fuel production, and clean steel production. Hydrogen consumption is expected to reach 100 Mt in 2024, yet its production remains predominantly from fossil fuels, mostly through natural gas followed by coal, which are carbon-intensive processes with significant climate impact. Hydrogen’s annual emissions amount to ~1.3 Gt of CO2eq, or ~2.5% of global emissions. Only a symbolic volume of hydrogen, less than 1%, is produced from renewable electricity or with carbon capture and storage (CCS). According to the IEA, a fourfold increase in hydrogen demand is expected by 2050 if it is used throughout the economy. As it is so energy intensive to produce, hydrogen does not lead to energy security; therefore, it should first be deployed in those sectors in which it is needed as an indispensable feedstock (fertilizers, steel, or fuels production) i.e. in industries that already consume hydrogen today, before considering novel sectors and uses

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