The role of hydrogen in global transition to 100% renewable energy

This chapter discusses how hydrogen can replace the traditional energy sources and it can make global transition possible to 100% renewable energy. It focuses on three different aspects namely; renewable energy sources, hydrogen production system using renewable energy sources in terms of electricity and thermal energy and the services and applications where hydrogen can be employed. A classification is made showing the types of the renewable energy sources and their applications for production of heat, electricity or fuel extracted from the described sources, hydrogen production methods from these commodities and usage of hydrogen in different industries. In the renewable hydrogen production methods section, a system for each renewable source is presented which can be integrated with the renewable energy source for hydrogen production. A case study is presented which uses the wind energy source for electricity production. A part of electricity is supplied to the community while remaining is employed to the proton exchange membrane electrolyser to produce hydrogen. The produced hydrogen is stored by passing through multistage compression system and stored in the storage tank. During the intervals of low wind speed, the stored hydrogen is fed to the proton exchange membrane fuel cell which produces electrical power and heat for the community. Numerous parametric studies are conducted to explore how designed case study operates under different conditions. This chapter covers all the renewable energy sources and presents the potential of implementing hydrogen as a source for the global transition to 100% renewable energy.