Hydrogen

Our ambition in hydrogen

Hydrogen is considered an excellent option for decarbonising sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as industrial manufacturing, heavy transport and shipping. Massive investment in renewable energies is needed to enable carbon-neutral hydrogen production.

RWE's objective is clear: to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. Green hydrogen is therefore part of the solution. RWE is involved in more than 30 hydrogen projects in Europe, with the ambition of owning 2 GW of electrolyser capacity by 2030.

How does hydrogen work?

Hydrogen is a naturally occurring chemical element found in virtually unlimited quantities on Earth. It is one of the building blocks of our universe. 14 times lighter than air, hydrogen can be burnt without producing CO₂ emissions and is neither self-flammable, corrosive nor radioactive.

The separation process to obtain pure hydrogen requires the use of chemical, electrical, thermal or solar energy.

Water electrolysis involves using electricity to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. A system of colours indicates both the method of hydrogen production and its carbon footprint:

Green hydrogen: derived from the electrolysis of water using renewable energies such as wind and solar power.
Grey hydrogen: produced conventionally using natural gas.
Blue hydrogen: produced conventionally by capturing and then storing the carbon emissions produced during the process.
Turquoise hydrogen: the least common, it is produced by thermal separation of methane, which creates solid carbon rather than carbon dioxide.
White hydrogen: also known as native hydrogen, it occurs naturally, particularly underground.

Advancing the hydrogen economy together

A sustainable, carbon-neutral future can only be achieved by working together. RWE is a member of national and European initiatives to produce and develop hydrogen and its derivatives.