Hydrogen is a clean alternative to methane, also known as natural gas and it’s gaining focus in different forms are standing out. Let’s find out what is yellow hydrogen.
Hydrogen rainbow: the colors of decarbonization
The innovation in hydrogen production has brought us Yellow hydrogen and it is essentially a form of green H2. Green hydrogen is the holy grail for policymakers, climate activists and the energy sector. It is powered by renewable energy – include wind and solar, for instance – in order to avoid greenhouse gas emissions.
Yellow hydrogen typically refers to hydrogen made using electrolysis powered by solar energy – a more specific way to clarify precisely what form of renewable electricity is used to power the process. More and more countries are seeking for H2 with zero carbon emissions increasing the use of Green and Yellow Hydrogen.
Yellow Hydrogen uses Solar Panels to collect energy from the sun and convert it into electricity. That electricity is then used to power the electrolyzers that split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The renewable power allows this process to occur without greenhouse gas emissions.
But isn’t hydrogen a colorless gas?
Yes, hydrogen is an invisible gas. So, somewhat confusingly and despite their colorful descriptions, there is no visible difference between the different types of hydrogen.
Green hydrogen, blue, brown and even yellow, turquoise and pink hydrogen. They’re essentially color codes, or nicknames, used within the energy industry to differentiate between the different types of hydrogen production. But there is no universal naming convention and these color definitions may change over time, and even between countries.
The H2 color rainbow
In the future, some hydrogen colors may fade in importance and others burn brighter. What’s certain is that the hydrogen rainbow will play a significant role in reaching net zero, as we reduce our historical reliance on fossil fuels and look to green alternatives to power our homes, businesses and transport.
Hydrogen is one of the leading options for storing energy from renewables and looks promising to be a lowest-cost option for storing electricity over days, weeks or even months.
Our work with hydrogen
Universal Kraft works with hydrogen as a green option to fossil fuels, providing the same functionality on a large scale. Complementary to direct electrification, hydrogen gives the green industry a chance to contribute beyond the grid, via the generation of green hydrogen as energy storage, greening of gas through methanation of hydrogen and feedstock for high-temperature local industrial processes that are difficult to electrify.
These green power alternatives are fundamental for a sustainable and complete clean energy transition. Universal Kraft has been working on alternative and innovative energy storage solutions for a number of years. To optimize the decarbonization potential of renewables for the generation of green hydrogen and ammonia we created the companies UH2 and BH2.
Discover all our solutions here.