Energies (Jul 2022)
A Perspective on Decarbonizing Mobility: An All-Electrification vs. an All-Hydrogenization Venue
Abstract
The growing demand for low-carbon fuel is predicted by ultimate goals to fit the carbon neutrality by 2050 in many countries and regions including the European Union. According to the International Energy Agency, the CO2 emissions related to transportation stand for around 30% of total annual emissions, and so, the decarbonization of the mobility sector has the highest priority. In this work, we attempt to evaluate the expected demand for low-carbon fuels, including blue and green hydrogen, and low-carbon electricity in order to compare the available and required capacities of low-carbon fuels and electricity. According to our calculations based on the figures from 2020, the transition toward H2 mobility would require an amount of hydrogen equal to 366 million tons/annum, and by 2035, this requirement will increase up to 422 million tons/annum, which is several times larger than the existing H2 production capacities. We have estimated the volume of the carbon capture and storage facilities required for full decarbonization of the mobility sector globally, and in the case of hydrogen mobility driven by blue hydrogen, it exceeds 4.0 billions tons of CO2 per annum, while the decarbonization of coal-fired plants will require more than 10.0 billions tons of CO2 per annum. In addition to the calculation of required resources, we have estimated the cost of the fuel and required capital investments and have compared different possible solutions from different points of view: economic viability, technical readiness, and social perception. Finally, it can be concluded that the decarbonization of the mobility sector would require a complex solution involving both low-carbon hydrogen and electrification, and the capacities of low-carbon fuel must be significantly increased in the following decade to fulfill the climate goals.
Keywords
