Under the hydrogen strategy, the EU would seek to mobilise 鈧24-42 billion of investment in electrolysers by 2030 and a further 鈧220-340 billion to scale-up and directly connect 80-120GW of wind and solar capacity to these electrolysers.
It targets 6GW of operational electrolysers by 2024 - up from about 1GW today - and 40GW by 2030. To date, 1.5-2.3GW of new renewable hydrogen production projects are under construction or announced, while 22GW of electrolyser projects have been announced.
However, while the strategy prioritises renewables-based 鈥榞reen hydrogen鈥 production, fossil-fuels could still be used to create hydrogen in Europe.
The EU Commission argued that support must also go to helping fossil-fuel-generated hydrogen producers deploy carbon capture storage technologies to remove roughly 90% of greenhouse gas emissions. Fossil-fuels - especially natural gas - can be used as a feedstock for hydrogen production, the EU explained.
The blueprint for green hydrogen was published alongside the EU鈥檚 energy system integration strategy, which targets direct electrification of energy demand through an accelerated transition to a power system based largely on wind and solar.
The EU envisages hydrogen generated from renewables meeting 14% of Europe鈥檚 energy needs by 2050.
Renewable hydrogen is needed for 鈥渄aily or seasonal storage, as a backup and to provide buffering functions, enhancing security of supply in the medium term,鈥 the EU explained.
Giles Dickson, WindEurope鈥檚 CEO, welcomed both strategies and the Commission鈥檚 recognition of 鈥渢he primary role of direct electrification鈥.聽
He added: 鈥淓lectrifying heating, transport and industry directly via renewables is the cheapest and most efficient way to decarbonise energy.
鈥淩enewables are well over a third of Europe鈥檚 electricity and rising. We now have to get renewable electricity into heating, transport and industry.鈥
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