Nuclear and hydrogen energy, which are among the most important energy sources of today and the future, have undergone major transformations from the past to the present and today, while ensuring the determination of the strategies of world countries on the path to “green transformation”, they continue their struggle with an effective topic such as the climate crisis and play an important role in supporting sustainable development.
First of all, it is a type of energy contained in hydrogen, the most abundant element in nature. I would like to talk about hydrogen energy and its applications in world countries.
Hydrogen energy, which was accepted as an alternative to fossil-based fuels with the Industrial Revolution, sheds light on all studies aimed at decarbonization today and also has a solid importance in the “future of energy policies” of countries.
The major states of the world are discussing, preparing and trying to agree on special hydrogen strategies for this type of energy, which has a wide place in many areas from transportation to industry, from space rockets to oil production. In particular, 16 countries (England, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, China, Ukraine, Germany, Switzerland, Morocco, California, Russia and Norway) and the European Union have started work on this issue by taking into account national achievements, examples and infrastructures on hydrogen energy in relevant sectors..
Hydrogen is used for many purposes and its contribution is especially significant in renewable resources. Hydrogen, which is the best option for storing renewable energy, can store electricity for days, weeks, and even months at the lowest cost. In addition, hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels can transport energy obtained from renewable sources from regions such as Australia and Latin America, which have abundant solar and wind resources, to cities that are thousands of kilometers away in need of energy.
Although some wrong policies have been produced for hydrogen in the past, it is obvious that it will be used much more widely on a global scale when the recent successes of solar PV, wind, batteries and electric vehicles are taken into account.
National strategies indicate that the expected hydrogen demand for 2050 will reach a potential of up to 9000 TWh globally, or approximately 270 million tons of hydrogen per year; this is as large an amount as the annual primary energy currently provided by renewable resources globally. Target sectors include transportation and industry in particular.
At this point, when we look at the countries of the world for hydrogen energy;
1- Germany’s ultimate goal is to reach carbon neutrality, where hydrogen is an important element of the future energy system. As is known, Germany currently has a large hydrogen market, the main consumers are the chemical industry (ammonia and methanol production) and refineries, and most of the hydrogen production is based on fossil fuels. Germany currently has 34 Power-to-Gas plants with a total installed capacity of 29 MW. At this point, Germany emphasizes reaching greenhouse gas neutrality in Europe by 2050.
2- The European Union is particularly working on the European Commission’s “Hydrogen Strategy for a Climate-Neutral Europe”. With this strategy plan published in July 2020 and the “EU Energy System Integration Strategy” published along with it, they will integrate hydrogen and hydrogen-based synthetic fuels into their energy systems to reach greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050.
3- Russia, on the other hand, has been interested in “hydrogen energy” since the end of 2019 and has presented an Energy Strategy for the period until 2035. With this strategy, Russia’s primary goals for now include focusing on hydrogen energy and becoming one of the world leaders in hydrogen production and consumption as well as hydrogen production and export.
4- China is the world’s largest hydrogen producer and user. China has been developing fuel cells and hydrogen for use in road vehicles for about 20 years, and currently operates 1,000 Fuel Cell Electric Buses and 2,200 commercial trucks with Ballard fuel cells in China. China plans to have a dedicated 3,000 km H2 pipeline infrastructure by 2030, which will be well established by 2050.
5- Turkey, considering the current potential of the Black Sea; Turkey is a country that meticulously carries out its work to become one of the world’s largest hydrogen exporters in the next 50 years. Feasibility studies are still ongoing in the provinces of Zonguldak, Samsun, Sinop and Giresun, and hydrogen energy facilities are planned to be established in coastal areas. At this point, it shared its study titled “Turkey Hydrogen Technologies Strategy and Roadmap” with the public in January 2023, and according to this strategy report, Turkey has declared hydrogen as one of the priority areas due to its contribution to the future of sustainable energy.
If we need to evaluate “nuclear energy”, which is among the other important energy sources, it is accepted as one of the most important energy sources of today and the future. The fact that oil and natural gas are found in large reserves in some countries and that these resources are non-renewable has led many countries to nuclear research and to benefit from nuclear energy. Today, there are more than 400 nuclear power plants in the world, and they operate at a capacity to provide 15% of the world’s total electricity needs. For example, France provides 77% of its electricity needs from its nuclear reactors.
Nuclear power plants are currently operating in 30 countries.
1- France is the country that produces the most electricity from nuclear energy. France obtains about 75% of its electricity from nuclear energy due to an existing policy based on energy security.
2- China has the fastest growing nuclear energy program with 11 new reactors under construction.
3- Significant numbers of new reactors are also being built in India, Russia and South Korea.
4- Pakistan plans to build three or four nuclear power plants by 2030.
5- Slovenia leads the world in using nuclear energy to reverse climate change. They will be carbon neutral by 2050 and will decide whether to build a new nuclear power plant by 2027.
6- Kazakhstan plans to reactivate nuclear energy in the future.
7- Belarus has its first nuclear power plant under construction and is expected to be operational by the end of this year.
8- Other countries such as Belgium, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and Taiwan are also considering phasing out.
9- Austria and the Philippines have not yet started using their nuclear power plants that have been completely constructed.
10- Cuba, Libya, North Korea, and Poland have not yet completed the nuclear power plants they have started to build due to financial, political, and technical reasons.
11- Australia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ghana, Ireland, Kuwait, Oman, Peru, Singapore, and Venezuela have not yet implemented any plans.
12- The capacity of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, which has been started to be built in Turkey, will be 4800 MW. On the other hand, the total installed capacity of the 3 power plants, including the Sinop and İğneada NPPs planned to be put into operation after Akkuyu, is 13,680 MW.
As can be seen, the studies of the world countries on both nuclear energy and hydrogen energy are continuing rapidly, and although there are still some limitations in terms of national legislation, it is seen that states and the business world are cooperating.
It is obvious that the development of common international standards for the safe transportation and storage of hydrogen and the studies on monitoring the environmental impact of various hydrogen sources will contribute to trade.
At this point, although the high costs of these types of energy cause some disruptions in the progress of the studies, it is seen that more qualified and collaborative studies will be carried out in this field compared to the past.
Sources
The Future of Hydrogen – Analysis – IEA
Semih, ÇALAPKULU; https://www.sektorumdergisi.com/dunyada-ve-turkiyede-hidrojen-enerjisine-kapsamli-bir-bakis/
https://www.enerjiatlasi.com/ulkelere-gore-nukleer-enerji.html
https://dunyaenerji.org.tr/uluslararasi-hidrojen-stratejileri-raporu/