With all the talk about solar energy lately, homeowners will want to be aware of a new development right around the corner. Renewable energy expert, Abe Issa, says the future will soon be trending toward renewable hydrogen systems for the home. Today, Issa gives us the inside scoop on the latest development in the world of renewable energy.
A hydrogen system is a very complex system that has many similarities to solar. According to Abe Issa, a hydrogen system uses panels just like solar, but hydrogen panels have gas tubes instead of electrical wiring. Issa explains hydrogen panels are used on a building’s rooftop, very similar to solar panels, and use solar energy to produce hydrogen gas. The resulting hydrogen can be stored locally and be used for heating, cooling, and powering a building’s electrical needs.
“Today, most homes and businesses are heated with fossil fuels,” Issa explains, “but the trend is slowly changing.” In just another decade or two, these current trends will be outdated. He says one of the new changes coming is the development of these renewable hydrogen systems, also called green hydrogen. “It’s new in that most homeowners haven’t heard about it yet,” he adds, “and even though significant efforts have been made, it’s pretty much still in the development and testing stage as we speak.”
Abe Issa’s work as an industry expert requires getting feedback from all the studies and staying on top of the R&D side of new developments. He talks about some of the most promising European studies that are years ahead of what the U.S. is doing. “Even though these studies are looking beyond 2030,” he adds, “it is a fascinating time to be at the forefront of these developments.”
When asked what the average homeowner can do today to benefit from these upcoming changes, Issa says we can do a few things right now. The first area to concentrate on, he explains, is to conserve the energy we are already using with proper building insulation. Even when green hydrogen becomes available in our area, we will still need to see good insulation techniques to maximize its effectiveness.
Next, he says homeowners will probably want to invest now in solar panels. Solar energy is a solid investment now and will continue to be so in the future, even if you don’t go the green hydrogen route when it becomes widely available later. Another good investment is low-temperature heating where possible. Issa gives an example of underfloor heating as an efficient way to heat the home with low-temperature methods.
Homeowners could also consider a hybrid heat pump, Abe Issa says. A hybrid heat pump with a gas-fired boiler is an exciting option of combining both gas-based and electricity-based heating. He says that we will see hydrogen-based heating systems together with hybrid heat pumps in the future. Even so, Issa explains that this technology can be used with a conventional boiler and a heat pump. The best part is when green hydrogen is combined with solar panels, carbon footprints are vastly reduced. Then you are ready for when green hydrogen systems are released to the public.
The Future of Green Hydrogen
Abe Issa says quite a few different applications are being worked on for this exciting new development. In the agriculture industry, hydrogen panels are combined with crops to produce renewable hydrogen energy. For industrial applications, universities are exploring ideas using green hydrogen for a wide variety of uses, such as in the production of chemicals, iron, steel, and semiconductors.
For off-grid uses, he explains, hydrogen panels provide the ability to provide clean energy to millions of people around the world who currently do not have access to power. On-site hydrogen panels could provide renewable hydrogen for various uses to raise the living standards of millions across the globe.
The green hydrogen industry will help tremendously with global greenhouse emissions as well, Abe Issa says. For example, over 2 billion people now are cooking with fuels that pollute the environment. The wood used for cooking is a primary source of deforestation and is responsible for as much as 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. When a hydrogen stove replaces wood, charcoal, and fossil fuels, Issa says, that’s when we will start to see a significant impact on the environment.
Issa says we will see some major changes in the automobile industry as well: He predicts that almost all transportation modes like automobiles, airplanes, ships, and trains will one day be fueled exclusively by batteries, hydrogen, or some other renewable energy source. “The writing is on the wall,” he adds. “I am seeing so many positive studies being published, and it won’t be long.”
When asked what else homeowners can do to prepare themselves for the future of hydrogen systems for the home, Issa says there is not a lot more that they can do besides getting started with solar energy. “There’s no need to wait around for the green hydrogen systems,” he says. “It will probably be another 10-15 years before it’s commonly available,” he adds. “But by investing in solar panels now, you will have long recuperated any costs by the time green hydrogen arrives, and you’ll be ready.”
