Sadly , the encouraging commitments then received short shrift from the bulk of the COP members in the following years due to the realities of their economic development aspirations , further influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic .

Sadly , the hoped-for pace of action fell far short of the rate needed globally to meet the desired targets . COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 , seen as the “ last best chance ” to reset the global mitigation agenda to get back on track to meet the PA aspirations , recognised the dire threat of a climate armageddon . COP26 achieved favourable international agreements for rapid decarbonisation to meet the PA aspirations .

One of the most promoted proposals to achieve global decarbonisation has been to exploit the potential of “ green hydrogen ”, which is often termed as a “ zero carbon emission fuel ”, to do so . It became the “ flavour of the month ” and a “ silver bullet ” to help accelerate the decarbonisation of global energy needs .

Hydrogen is a very versatile commodity for its diverse industrial applications . It includes producing hydrochloric acid and methanol , hydrogenation of fats and oils , reduction of metallic ores , production of fertilisers and in liquid form for cryogenics and study of superconductors , etc . Hydrogen thus has more uses for its industrial applications rather than for power generation for various reasons , not least its production cost .

Hydrogen is not a readily available commodity as it is a derived product obtained from various alternative processes . It is also described in a “ rainbow of colours ” depending on how it is produced , as shown in the chart below .

SILVER BULLET

Numerous local and international webinars have extolled the decarbonisation

benefits that exploiting the “ silver bullet ” perception of green hydrogen can provide . Unfortunately , most of these promoters appear to downplay the economic aspects as green hydrogen is far too costly , as shown in the chart below , and thus not available at an adequate scale for the current needs of this widely desired commodity .

However , green hydrogen production cost is expected to become economically competitive around 2030 .

So what is Malaysia ’ s status in the production and use of hydrogen , and what are the possible options for benefitting from the tremendous economic opportunities afforded by being a pioneer in developing a green hydrogen industry value chain ?

Malaysia has been active in longterm R & D ( Research & Development ), especially for fuel cell production technologies by academics in local universities since the mid-1990s . A particular success story is the establishment of the Fuel Cell Institute in UKM ( Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia )

Some of its successes are the production of prototype fuel cell powered devices , as shown in the appended charts , besides the educational development of numerous research specialists in the related technologies .

A more recent development has been the well-publicised promotion ( from 2019 ) by the Sarawak Government to promote its KUTS ( Kuching Urban Transport System ) and the development of its ART ( Automated Rapid Transit ) system under its Hydrogen Economy Roadmap as preliminary steps to becoming a major regional Hydrogen Hub . It is an ambitious aspiration to prepare to benefit from the attractive value chain of a “ highly promoted future emission-free energy source ”.

Sarawak ’ s ambitious plans to become a Green Hydrogen Hub are based on the use of electricity generated for the electrolysis of water from its mega hydropower plants like Bakun , Murum , Baleh ( under construction ) etc ., not on “ emissionfree ” power generation sources such as solar ( mainly photovoltaic or PV ) or wind , which is not viable in the equatorial zone .

HYDROPOWER PLANTS

Large hydropower plants generate renewable electricity but inundate vast biomass-covered land expanses . The inundated biomass continues to decompose over many years ( decades ) and thus emits methane , a potent global warming gas .

So , does hydrogen produced by electrolysis using hydropowergenerated electricity qualify as green hydrogen ?

Moreover , some MENA ( Middle East and North African ) countries also aspire to become green hydrogen production hubs . They have the advantage of vast derelict ( desert ) land to accommodate solar-powered ( both PV and CSP or Concentrated Solar Power ) and wind-powered electricity generating plants .

They also have the advantage of generating higher output from solar power plants than is possible for Malaysia . For example , while solar PV systems can generate about 1,500 kWh / kWp of solar PV capacity per annum , MENA countries can develop up to 2,000 kWh / kWp per annum . Moreover , Malaysia , again , doesn ’ t have the luxury of derelict or unusable land that the MENA countries have .

So , it will be a tough commercial battle for Malaysia to be a significant green hydrogen production hub , even

BY G . LALCHAND

for the regional Asia-Pacific countries , where countries like Japan , South Korea and Taiwan are ready markets for green hydrogen .

More recently , Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli , stated that Malaysia should focus on producing alternative energy sources .

Green hydrogen , if produced through water electrolysis , implies the use of so-called “ surplus / excess ( emission-free ) electricity generated using renewable energy ”. Neither Malaysia nor most global economies have the luxury of generating such surplus RE . Denmark and the United Kingdom have produced such abundance RE on low-demand days such as weekends or public holidays due to their high share of on-shore and offshore wind power generation farms and constant high wind resources .

Malaysia has “ abundant plantation biomass waste ”, especially from oil palm plantations and timber-based industries . Let us keep this topic for a later edition of Lal ’ s Chat . – @ Green