Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the world, accounting for 75% presence in the matter and holds tremendous potential in producing carbon free energy. In the push for renewable energy resources, solar power, wind power, hydropower and biomass are often top listed while the aptitude of hydrogen energy is under negotiation. Hydrogen energy, which is in its nascent stages, presents a clean sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, suggesting that green hydrogen may be the next big thing in the roadmap to clean energy transition.

The Rise of Green Hydrogen

Though challenges persist on its journey towards environmental transformation, the market size for hydrogen energy is experiencing a significant boost. As of 2024, green hydrogen market size exceeded 5.13 Billion and set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 13% from 2024 to 2032, reflecting a rapid development in the adoption of hydrogen energy to generate clean power.

A Game-Changer in the Renewable Energy

Hydrogen energy has seen a significant growth in the last few years, coming forth as a clean and sustainable energy resource and a key to future energy supplies. This green energy source has the potential to transform the way we power our homes, businesses or transportation systems, and emerging as a captivating energy source for nations seeking to minimise their carbon footprint.
There are a number of factors driving the momentous growth and proliferation of the hydrogen market, a few which are extracted below

- The production of hydrogen can seamlessly be incorporated and configured into the existing infrastructure like gas pipelines and storage facilities, making it more cost-effective and competent.

- Hydrogen is a clean source of energy generation, releasing no greenhouse gas into air nor any harmful pollutants, coming forth as a catalyst to achieve net-zero goals by 2050.

- The lightweight and gaseous nature of hydrogen enables the seamless transportation through gas pipelines and storage in tanks with least efforts, highlighting the tremendous aspect of hydrogen energy.

- Out of the blue, hydrogen can be utilised to produce other gases and liquid fuels, acquiring greater use widely.

Breakdown of Hydrogen Variants

Even though hydrogen is an invisible gas, mostly produced from natural gas and renewable energy resources, it is classified into diverse categories guided by color convention. Green, blue and grey hydrogen are the most common types, and these are categorised based on the production process implemented to create them. Other types include yello, white, turquoise, pink, black brown, and these color codes are used in the industry to differentiate the types.

Shaping the Workforce

Like any large-scale project, the preliminary stages in building the green hydrogen infrastructure would include design, installation and production of hydrogen facilities, paving the way towards a brighter future. Additionally, the skills and capabilities required to boost the hydrogen economy would incorporate high skills from data science, innovative technology, mathematics, digital literacy, and engineering expertise, to strengthen development strategies.

Nations Swiftly Adopting Hydrogen Economy

Nations around the globe are taking substantial steps to be at the forefront of energy transition, and international competition in adopting the green hydrogen economy has begun, commending that this trend is going to hit the renewable energy market. Although hydrogen energy is still in its infancy, however countries like Australia, Canada, UK, China, France, U.S. Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Norway are in the race to be the world-leading market in this trend.

Upcoming Challenges

Undoubtedly, green hydrogen has the potential to transform the energy transition and global economy, however every new project comes with informidable challenges which need to be tackled to enable seamless adoption. The significant barriers that are hindering the potential growth of green hydrogen include the high cost, limited scalability, infrastructure investment, and most importantly policy gaps.