There is hydrogen gas everywhere. It’s hard to grab hold of. Hydrogen gas production can be described in very simple terms as follows. If we suppress the current in water, oxygen forms at one pole, and hydrogen at the other. If we do the opposite in a fuel cell, the hydrogen is converted into current and water vapour. In theory, it is no more complicated than that.
The challenges are that it takes a lot of electrical energy to create hydrogen gas, and it is no longer economically viable. In Jämtland County we are therefore applying ourselves to the task of finding more efficient ways of working with hydrogen gas. We need to deal with more functions where it may be appropriate to use hydrogen gas to make us smarter and more efficient.
We are currently looking at:
• Hydrogen gas for heavier modes of transport, including trains
• Hydrogen gas for the production of liquid fuels, e.g. for aircraft
• Hydrogen gas that can create fossil-free back-up power
• Hydrogen gas that can be used to store electricity when we have an electricity surplus
All of these objectives require a lot of electricity, at a reasonable price, and it has to be green. They also need a great deal of water. In Jämtland the prerequisites are good; a lot of electricity, only renewable electricity, and a county that consists of eight per cent water. We have great opportunities to achieve success, and hydrogen gas is very suitable for electricity-intensive industry, which needs to secure its electricity in times of power shortage.
Perhaps the most crucial piece of the hydrogen gas puzzle is access to electricity networks. With Jämtland’s allocated output of 500 megawatt, we could say that we have the best prerequisites of all.
