green hydrogen - Sierterm UEM | Terminología trilingüe

CG: n

CT: Green hydrogen, produced using clean energy sources like renewable power, can contribute to the transition to a low-carbon economy and decarbonise various end-use sectors. According to various scenarios, at least two-thirds of the global hydrogen production is projected to originate from renewable power (“green hydrogen”) by 2050, supporting the transition to a net-zero emissions global energy system.

S: OECD – https://www.oecd.org/cefim/green-hydrogen/ (last access: 20 January 2024)

N: 1. – green (adj): Old English grene, Northumbrian groene“green, of the color of living plants,” in reference to plants, “growing, living, vigorous,” also figurative, of a plant, “freshly cut,” of wood, “unseasoned” earlier groeni, from Proto-Germanic *grōni-(source also of Old Saxon grani, Old Frisian grene, Old Norse grænn, Danish grøn, Dutch groen, Old High German gruoni, German grün), from PIE root *ghre-“grow”, through sense of “color of growing plants.”

– hydrogen (n): 1791, from French hydrogène, coined 1787 by G. de Morveau, Lavoisier, Berthollet, and Fourcroy from Greek hydr-, stem of hydor “water” + French -gène “producing”. So called because it forms water when exposed to oxygen. Nativized in Russian as vodorod; in German, it is wasserstoff, “water-stuff.” An earlier name for it in English was Cavendish’s inflammable air (1767). Hydrogen bomb first recorded 1947; shortened form H-bomb is from 1950.

2. Hydrogen produced via the electrolysis of water in which the electricity used in the process is derived from renewable sources and emits zero or de minimis greenhouse gas emissions on a lifecycle basis.

3. Green hydrogen can be generated from from different processes, such as solar or wind power by electrolysis, biodigestion, and biomethane steam reforming (BSR), or from biomass through thermal conversion.

4. Depending on the type of production used, different colour names are assigned to the hydrogen. But there is no universal naming convention and these colour definitions may change over time, and even between countries. Note that, despite their colourful descriptions, there is no visible difference between the different types of hydrogen:

Green hydrogen is made by using clean electricity from surplus renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, to electrolyse water. Electrolysers use an electrochemical reaction to split water into its components of hydrogen and oxygen, emitting zero-carbon dioxide in the process.
Blue hydrogen is produced mainly from natural gas, using a process called steam reforming, which brings together natural gas and heated water in the form of steam. The output is hydrogen, but carbon dioxide is also produced as a by-product. So, the definition of blue hydrogen includes the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) to trap and store this carbon. Blue hydrogen is sometimes described as ‘low-carbon hydrogen’, as the steam reforming process doesn’t actually avoid the creation of greenhouse gases.
Grey hydrogen is the most common form of hydrogen production. It is created from natural gas, or methane, using steam methane reformation but without capturing the greenhouse gases made in the process. Grey hydrogen is essentially the same as blue hydrogen, but without the use of carbon capture and storage.
Black and brown hydrogen are the absolute opposite of green hydrogen in the hydrogen spectrum and the most environmentally damaging, as it is used black coal or lignite (brown coal) in the hydrogen-making process. Just to confuse things, any hydrogen made from fossil fuels through the process of ‘gasification’ is sometimes called black or brown hydrogen interchangeably.
Pink hydrogen is generated through electrolysis powered by nuclear energy. Nuclear-produced hydrogen can also be referred to as purple hydrogen or red hydrogen. In addition, the very high temperatures from nuclear reactors could be used in other hydrogen productions by producing steam for more efficient electrolysis or fossil gas-based steam methane reforming.
Turquoise hydrogen is made using a process called methane pyrolysis to produce hydrogen and solid carbon. In the future, turquoise hydrogen may be valued as a low-emission hydrogen, dependent on the thermal process being powered with renewable energy and the carbon being permanently stored or used.
Yellow hydrogen is a relatively new phrase for hydrogen made through electrolysis using solar power.
White hydrogen is a naturally occurring, geological hydrogen found in underground deposits and created through fracking. There are no strategies to exploit this hydrogen at present.

5. Cultural interrelation: We can mention the book Green Hydrogen Revolution: A Path to Sustainable Energy(2023) by Mike L.

SYN: 1. clean hydrogen. 2. renewable hydrogen. (depending on context)

S: 1. EP – https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20210512STO04004/renewable-hydrogen-what-are-the-benefits-for-the-eu (last access: 20 January 2024). 2. GDT – https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/26561148/hydrogene-vert (last access: 22 january 2024).

CR: alternative energy sources, biomass energy, blue hydrogen, electricity, electrolyser, electrolysis, emission reduction, energy transition, green power, grey hydrogen, hybrid car, hydrocarbon, hydrogen, hydrogen refuelling station, just transition.