Zhilin Sim’s Post

Singapore just completed 2 feasibility studies on #lowcarbon #hydrogen, and carbon capture, utilisation & storage (#ccus) tech. Although findings highlight low-carbon H2 & CCUS opportunities and deployment barriers for SG, I think these data points could also be interesting to others pursuing a low-carbon future: ➡️ SG has limited renewable energy resources and it is challenging for us to produce green H2 at scale using domestic green electricity. We need to explore various supply pathways for price-competitive low-carbon H2. ➡️ Global uncertainty over cost of deploying H2 tech. More studies are needed for pathways like importing H2 via shipping, piping H2 from neighbouring countries, and the domestic production of H2 (e.g. steam methane reforming with CCUS, electrolysis of water using imported renewable electricity, biomass gasification, or methane pyrolysis). ➡️ Similar lack of global consensus on dominant carrier for transport of low-carbon H2 via shipping (i.e. Ammonia, Liquid Organic Hydride Carriers, Liquefied H2). ➡️ #Maritime - H2 and their carriers such as ammonia hold significant promise in decarbonising the industry. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) supports industry test-bedding of low carbon fuels & just set up a new maritime carbonisation centre. ➡️ #Powergeneration - H2 fuel could be blended with natural gas to fuel Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs) used to generate electricity today. ➡️ #Industry – low-carbon H2 could directly replace Jurong Island refineries' & chemical plants' brown/steam methane reforming H2 feedstock with minimal infrastructural impact to end users. H2 can also replace natural gas for embedded heat and electricity generation. Need to improve applications' cost competitiveness though ➡️ #Aviation - near-term carbon-neutral efforts use H2 to produce sustainable aviation fuels for aircraft. In the longer term, the industry would move towards hydrogen propulsion aircraft. ➡️ #Mobility - H2 tech for transport remains nascent, and findings do not foresee a global shift towards H2 fuel cell EVs in the near-term (with the exception of heavy vehicle segments). Battery EVs are projected to remain the more viable cleaner-energy option. ➡️ Some CCUS pathways are at/near tech-ready levels for deployment (mineralisation for carbonate-based building materials, using captured CO2 feedstock for kerosene and methane), but most tech are not commercially viable (yet). For example, the majority of CO2 emissions from power plants are too diluted (3-15%) & manufacturing fuel/chemicals from CO2 often need low-carbon H2 which is more energy-intensive than conventional processes. 🌏🇸🇬📄 CCUS and H2 are key to SG's aspiration to be a "Bright Green Spark" as we move towards a cleaner, more reliable & affordable energy future. Here's our open letter to the world on our resolve to partner global companies and countries to advance emerging and competitive low-carbon tech solutions! -