Understanding technology trends, predicting their commercial potential is essential for corporate planning. Netlab offers “Tech Watch” studies on subjects of interest to our clients, the budget for such studies is between 8000 to 12,000 €.
Hydrogen, the new energy vector
Netlab carried out a technology survey interviewing 7 TSO (gas transport operators) and 7 DSO (gas distribution operators) in Europe, Canada and Australia on replacing natural gas by hydrogen. The 14 companies are testing refurbished piplines, building new lines when necessary and distribution pipelines for hydrogen delivery to customers-
The EU launched the „Hydrogen Backbone“ initiative coordinating and supporting the construction of an EU-wide transport grid. Network lengths up to 1000 km will be put in operation by 2030 delivering hydrogen to industrial clients and blends (methane-hydrogen) for home heating. The main bottleneck remains the procurement of green or blue hydrogen at acceptable costs in large quantities.
Furthermore, a CO2 pipeline network is planned for tranport industrial CO2 e.g. from cement factories to CUS (CO2 underground storage). Likely we will see three „Backbones“, one for hydrogen, then for CO2 and a reduced methane transport grid.
Hydrogen backbone 2030 map from European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB) initiative, an interactive map is found under www.ehb.eu
EU CO2 pipeline network as planned for 2030 connecting industrial CO2 sources with seaport terminals for shipment to underground storage (US) in depleted oil and gas deposites. CCUS is a indispensible technology to reduce industrial CO2 complementing the replacement of methane by hydrogen. By 2030 about 30 Mton of CO2 will be transported annually to US and by 2050 the amount may increase to 450 Mton per year. Source JRC February 2024