Green hydrogen could be the gasoline of the future

Where is hydrogen found?

Hydrogen (H) is the lightest element we know. Even though it is the most common element in the universe, it is rarely found in its pure form on Earth. This is because hydrogen is highly reactive and readily bonds with other elements. It is most commonly found in compounds such as water (H₂O) and methane (CH₄).

What is hydrogen gas?

Hydrogen gas (H₂) is formed when two hydrogen atoms combine. Hydrogen becomes a gas at very low temperatures. To store hydrogen as a liquid, it must be cooled to –253°C. It can also be stored in pressurised tanks at 200–700 bar.

How can hydrogen affect the climate?

Energy is required to produce hydrogen, but hydrogen can also be used to generate energy.

There are different production methods, and depending on how hydrogen is produced, it is categorised by colour. Green hydrogen is produced using renewable electricity and water through a process called electrolysis (explained below).

Currently, the most common method is steam reforming of natural gas or biogas containing methane. When water vapour reacts with methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen are produced. This process creates so-called grey or blue hydrogen, but it generates carbon emissions.

This is why green hydrogen is seen as a crucial part of the global transition and in reducing humanity’s climate impact. It is expected to bring both social benefits and business opportunities, as it functions both as an energy carrier (storing and transporting energy rather than generating it) and a tradeable commodity used in industries such as transport, agriculture, property, and energy.

What is electrolysis?

An electrolyser splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. This industrial process has been in use for over a hundred years. An electrolyser can produce hydrogen when electricity is abundant and scale down production when electricity is scarce—helping to balance the power grid.

Electrolysis also generates oxygen (O₂), which can be used in industries or healthcare. The production of renewable hydrogen is ultimately limited by the amount of renewable electricity available.

Northern Sweden has abundant renewable energy resources, which is one reason H2 Green Steel chose to make its SEK 50 billion investment in Boden.

The drawback is relatively low efficiency: about 20–30 percent of the energy is lost when converting electricity into hydrogen. However, research is ongoing, and by 2030 the losses could be reduced to around 14–18 percent.

How can hydrogen be used in industry?

Today, hydrogen is mainly used as a raw material in the chemical industry. But with the push to phase out fossil fuels, hydrogen could become central in several new industrial applications.

For example, major investments are being made in the steel industry to replace coal and coke with hydrogen in the process of removing oxygen from iron ore. The advantage is that the by-product of this process is simply water (H₂O).

In the chemical and refinery industries, hydrogen is also essential for reducing CO₂ emissions, and several projects are currently underway.

How can hydrogen be used in transport?

By 2030, Sweden aims for its transport sector to be independent of fossil fuels. To reach that goal, electrification is seen as key—and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are one solution.

A fuel cell vehicle has an electric motor, a fuel cell, and a hydrogen tank. Hydrogen is filled in a similar way to traditional refuelling. It then reacts with air in the fuel cell to generate electricity, which powers the motor. The only emission is water vapour.

Hydrogen can be used for cars, trucks, buses, trains, ships, and even aircraft.

So far, hydrogen use in transport has been limited, but as renewable energy and technology costs decline, infrastructure is gradually being built.

The energy sector is also moving towards fossil freedom through electrification. With more renewable energy production, flexible solutions are needed to balance the grid depending on wind and solar availability. Hydrogen offers such flexibility: it can be stored and later converted back into electricity when needed.

Excess heat from hydrogen production can also be used for heating buildings or urban areas.

How can hydrogen be used in agriculture?

The agriculture sector aims to be 100 percent fossil-free for fuels, drying, and heating by 2030, while also phasing out fertilisers produced with fossil energy.

Today, ammonia—produced mainly with fossil-based hydrogen from natural gas, coal, and oil—is widely used for fertiliser. Sweden imports much of this. The shift now is towards using locally produced green hydrogen from renewable energy sources.

Fertiberia is one company planning such projects in Boden and Luleå.

How can hydrogen be used in buildings?

The building and real estate sector’s climate goals are a 50 percent emissions reduction by 2030 and fossil freedom by 2045.

In hydrogen production via electrolysis, heat is generated. This heat can be captured to warm buildings, districts, or feed into district heating networks. Hydrogen can also be used to store renewable energy—for instance, from rooftop solar panels—for use during the darker winter months.

Several pilot projects already demonstrate self-sufficient buildings using hydrogen storage.

How safe is hydrogen?

Hydrogen is highly flammable, but as the lightest element in the universe, it disperses quickly into the atmosphere. The time during which hydrogen can ignite is therefore very short.

As a pressurised gas, hydrogen must be handled with clear safety protocols and trained personnel. The greatest risks are linked to storage.

However, the probability of a serious accident is low. H2 Green Steel has previously estimated the risk of an explosion at 1 in 283,000. The distance between its hydrogen facility and other buildings is also within the required safety margins.

For more insights, see the previous interview with Kajsa Ryttberg-Wallgren, Head of Hydrogen Business at H2 Green Steel, and Håkan Nordin, Business Developer at Boden Business Agency.