Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ green hydrogen expert highlights Chile's potential as an exporting country

The role of green hydrogen as a complementary energy carrier to support the achievement of carbon-neutral targets was the topic addressed by Dr Fahd Hashiesh, VP – Global Hydrogen and Power Quality applications INL, in an online seminar organized by CIGRE Chile (1). During the session which was titled, ‘Energy Storage Systems and Green Hydrogen’, Fahd highlighted Chile's potential in the production of green hydrogen and its potential to become an exporting country.

As part of the seminar, Fahd shared expert analysis of the latest green hydrogen technologies and upcoming projects. He highlighted that Chile is seen as a future leader in green hydrogen production and that the country could become one of the main exporters of green hydrogen. Fahd Hashiesh added, “Chile has already entered the competition and is moving very fast.”

Dr Hashiesh noted that every day there are new announcements in the headlines about new green hydrogen projects and that there is a lot of funding available to encourage countries to develop technologies related to green hydrogen. "All this effort is aimed at meeting the demand for hydrogen that will increase by more than *600% by 2050,” Fahd added.

The importance of developing the full value chain was another key point made by Fahd, "A lot of renewable energy is needed, so we need to think also about aspects such as the transportation and storage of hydrogen – and how we are going to connect all the puzzle pieces.” 

He further added, “It is not easy and a lot of hard work is required, which means that it is important that all stakeholders join hands together to build sustainable partnerships towards the goal of carbon-neutrality – for the planet and society.” 

Dr Hashiesh concluded by commenting on how electricity will be the backbone of the entire energy system – the foundation for future carbon-neutral society; and that Hitachi-ABB Power Grids brings the in-depth expertise and technologies required to help every customer to progress in their energy transition pathway.  

Extract on the role of complementary energy carriers from Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ Perspective: The Carbon-Neutral Future is Electric

Where direct electrification is not possible or cannot be achieved, a complementary energy supply is needed. The studies highlight the role of hydrogen as a technology that is gathering pace. When planning for seasonal storage needs, tapping the potential of hydrogen is likely to play an important role. However, for this to be sustainable, we are talking about green hydrogen – produced from renewable energy sources. 

Green hydrogen could also be a facilitator in lowering the carbon-intensity of sectors that cannot easily be directly electrified, for example, certain elements of the transportation sector (e.g. airplanes and large ships). This takes us back to Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ perspective, that electricity will be the backbone of our future energy system – as green hydrogen is produced using electricity.

Notes

1. CIGRE Chile - CIGRE is the International Council of Large Electrical Grids, a global organization that seeks to facilitate the exchange between countries with technical knowledge on the production and transmission of high voltage electricity. The committee in Chile was officially recognized in 2004 and its objective is to connect the World CIGRE with the country.