For systems to undergo a transformation and experience a major change, a significant amount of energy is needed. An example of such energy could be an important social event or a disaster caused either by humans or nature.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have created a similar effect in terms of the energy market.

What do we mean by this?

As we all know, the most significant cause of environmental pollution and climate change is humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels to meet its energy needs. This fact has been known for a very long time. It is also known that the world’s fossil fuel reserves are limited, with the end of oil expected in about 50 years and natural gas in roughly 200 years.

Nevertheless, the “radical” steps needed to change/diversify energy supply sources and transition to greener energy have never been fully taken. This is because all infrastructure (the vast majority of the global vehicle fleet, the production setup of industrial facilities, etc.) is designed for fossil fuels, and the “energy” needed to create the “major change” we mentioned in the energy market had not yet accumulated. Or rather, it hadn’t… The signals of this transformation began to emerge more clearly with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently stated that Europe is determined to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels. The statement was essentially the confirmation of the obvious. For this purpose, Europe will diversify its energy supply sources, implement savings measures, and accelerate the use of renewable energy sources.

It is clear that diversifying supply sources will take some time. Therefore, energy conservation became the immediate priority and was quickly implemented.

What was done?

French President Emmanuel Macron called on citizens to reduce their energy consumption by ten percent to avoid difficulties in the winter months; in Spain, it became illegal to set air conditioning below 27 degrees Celsius in public spaces during the summer, and cooled buildings were required to keep their doors closed; in Germany, public buildings could be heated to a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius in winter; in Paris, offices and shops were required to turn off their lights after working hours; and in Slovenia, lighting was removed from certain sections of highways. These are just a few examples of such measures. It also appears that these measures will not be limited to Europe. For example, Japan has also brought energy conservation onto the agenda. Tokyo announced that it would implement conservation measures to secure a three percent reserve power supply, ensuring the stable continuation of public services nationwide.

Yes, conservation was the relatively easy part. However, as stated, if dependence on fossil fuels is to be ended, conservation measures must be followed by renewable energy initiatives.

On this issue, many developments are taking place around the world, with massive investments being made in solar and wind power plants. In addition to these, the author of these lines believes two other developments are noteworthy: hydrogen and methanol, which China is trying to keep on the agenda.

Hydrogen is an emerging focus of interest. The Biden administration in the United States has defined it as a “high-priority technology.” Not long ago, the U.S. Department of Energy published a draft of the National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap. According to the draft, the goal is to produce 10 million metric tons of “clean” hydrogen by 2030. Clean production means producing hydrogen not from natural gas but from renewable energy sources and nuclear power. In August, Canada and Germany signed a new hydrogen agreement to launch a transatlantic hydrogen supply chain, demonstrating the importance they attach to the issue.

It is worth noting that one of the biggest obstacles to hydrogen fuel production is the large amount of energy required for production itself. However, scientists recently announced that they had found a simple way to produce hydrogen from water at room temperature. This new production method involves producing hydrogen gas bubbles through the reaction of water with an aluminum-gallium composite. The process reportedly releases large amounts of hydrogen and operates entirely at room temperature. Another advantage of the method is that it works with all types of water, including wastewater and seawater. Although the aluminum-gallium-water reaction has been known for a long time, scientists have optimized and improved the process in several specific ways.

In parallel with these developments, significant efforts are being made worldwide to develop hydrogen-powered vehicles as well as electric ones. The internet is full of examples. Here, we will simply mention Quandron’s hydrogen fuel cell commercial truck, which boasts a range of 1,500 kilometers.

China, meanwhile, is keeping a different alternative in the green energy conversation. While the country has become the global leader in electric vehicle use as part of its goal to become carbon neutral by 2060, it has also announced its intention to increase the appeal of methanol-powered vehicles to meet this ambitious target. In line with this goal, China has launched the world’s largest facility for converting carbon dioxide and hydrogen into methanol. Also known as wood alcohol, methanol is usually produced from coal or natural gas, but producing it from waste carbon dioxide carries added importance in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In the coming days, we will see which alternatives will take the lead in the “green energy” race.

Do you agree with these assessments? Good. Don’t agree? That’s also good. There will surely be those who don’t. Because when it comes to predicting the future, perspectives can take people to very different conclusions. If you’d like to share your thoughts on the matter, you can reach me on LinkedIn or Instagram at “ozgun_cinar_official.”

Until the next article, stay healthy…

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