[ad_1]

Why New Zealand should invest in smart rail before green hydrogen to decarbonise transport

In a new article on The Conversation, Adjunct Professor Susan Krumdieck looks at whether Aotearoa New Zealand could achieve low-carbon transport via direct electrification, rather than green hydrogen.

Green hydrogen is being touted as a renewable fuel, but there are a few freight trucks and no locomotives on the market. Shutterstock/Scharfsinn

Globally, 6% of natural gas and 2% of coal are used to produce industrial hydrogen, contributing carbon dioxide emissions equal to the United Kingdom and Indonesia combined. Green hydrogen is produced by using electricity from renewable sources to split water. But is hydrogen a realistic fuel option?

Domestic production of a low-carbon transport fuel using New Zealand’s mostly renewable electricity sounds like a great idea.

But let’s not ignore the obvious opportunity of providing a truly sustainable transport system by building up a homegrown, high-tech integrated smart rail and urban tram network that uses renewable electricity directly via overhead lines.

Let’s first establish the parameters. In evaluating the prospects for green hydrogen we must have a clear objective: achieve non-fossil fuel sustainable transport.

[ad_2]

More at the source