A szén szerepe a hidrogén gazdaságban

The role of coal in the hydrogen economy

Abstract

Coal is an abundant domestic resource with a long history as a reliable source of low-cost electricity generation. Hungary's young, Pannonian lignite resources are significant internationally. The registered geological resource exceeds 5.7 billion tons, the productive resource exceeds 4.3 billion tons. [1] The country's coal production fell from PJ 121 in 2000 to PJ 32.3 in 21 years. [2] This ratio continued to decline in 2022 and is expected to decrease further as the trend towards limiting carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions continues. The share of natural gas used to generate electricity almost doubled over the same period, rising by around 43%. [3] As the demand for clean energy continues to grow, alternative energy sources such as hydrogen are being further explored, technologies and applications are constantly being developed and improved, to support various industries. Hydrogen can be produced from almost all energy sources, although the use of hydrogen in chemical industry is now mostly produced from fossil fuels. Hydrogen produced from fossil fuels applied carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) can help to satisfy demand, decrease emissions, and increasing energy security through domestic production. Independence from energy imports and efforts to achieve the European Union's carbon-neutral goals make it essential to reassess domestic coal reserves. Our focus is on hydrogen produced using coal/lignite, taking a closer look at the current state of hydrogen demand, production and costs, the amount of CO₂ during its production. The publication also presents a working coal to hydrogen power plant.