What is Green Hydrogen and how does it work?

Unlike grey or blue hydrogen, green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, or hydropower. These sources generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases. In the water electrolysis process, electricity generated from renewable sources is used to split water (H₂O) into its constituent elements: hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂). This process takes place in an electrolyzer. The hydrogen gas produced at the cathode is collected and can be compressed to higher pressures (e.g., 30 bar(g)) to meet the needs of various applications. As industrial feedstock, hydrogen can be used across all industries. For refining crude oil, the production of iron and steel, fertilizer production and other chemical products, as well as an energy carrier, for trucks and cars, or as a power and heat supply for homes. In order to transport hydrogen over long distances, it is usually first transformed into green ammonia. The ammonia is subsequently “cracked” to transform it back into hydrogen.  

Currently green hydrogen makes up only a fraction of the global hydrogen production, because it is still significantly more expensive to produce green hydrogen compared to grey hydrogen. However, this is changing. Willys Electric’s solutions can already produce green hydrogen at the cost of grey hydrogen.