WindEurope's Wind-to-X position paper has been published. Elettricità Futura contributed to it through WindEurope's Electrification Working Group. Among the main points addressed in the document:
The document summarises WindEurope's position on how to achieve zero net emissions by 2050, focusing on electrification based on renewable sources;
Direct electrificationis underlined as a fundamental starting point and to be used whenever possible.Indirect electrification, through the production of gas using renewable energy sources (Renewable power-to-gas and power to-hydrogen), should be used in those activities in which direct electrification is not possible or convenient and that could not reduce carbon emissions otherwise;
Implementation and modernisation of policies for the integration of renewable electricity, including the definition of tariff structures that do not penalise the electrification of consumption;
Today, over 95% of hydrogen production is based on fossil fuels. Only about 4% of global hydrogen supply is produced by electrolysis, a process that divides water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity, which could be generated from zero-carbon sources, such as wind or photovoltaics. However, producing hydrogen with this technology costs about twice as much as fossil fuels at the moment. It is therefore key to promote a rapid industrialisation phase.
At the moment there is no single definition of hydrogen taxonomy in Europe. WindEurope calls for a clear, simple and transparent classification for hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives in which electrolysed hydrogen fuelled with 100% renewable carbon with zero carbon emissions is the reference basis.
