Report: Hydrogen’s role in Scotland’s climate journey

A new report exposing the inefficiencies, soaring costs and the threat posed to renewable energy supplies by hydrogen technology.

The report, ‘Hydrogen’s role in Scotland’s climate journey’, commissioned by Friends of the Earth Scotland found that 98% of the global hydrogen market is fossil fuel-based.

Fossil fuel-derived ‘blue’ hydrogen is produced using carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology which was revealed to only be 60% effective, meaning huge amounts of climate changing pollution is released, critically undermining the key argument made by its proponents. Blue hydrogen is dependent on CCS technology that is in its infancy in Europe and has repeatedly failed to get off the ground in the UK.

The report also show how ‘green’ hydrogen, whilst lower carbon than fossil fuel-derived hydrogen, has serious drawbacks such as the enormous levels of renewable energy required to produce it.