Electrification versus hydrogen: A data-driven comparison framework for energy-intensive industries
Philipp Diesing, Philipp Blechinger, Christian Breyer
Abstract
Energy-intensive industries account for approximately 20% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Electrification, both direct and indirect via electricity-based hydrogen, is increasingly proposed by scientists as a promising pathway for reducing emissions in primary industrial production. However, hydrogen is often perceived by policy makers as a silver bullet for emission reduction, often neglecting the advantages of direct electrification. This study conducts a comparative analysis of these pathways for two non-metallic minerals and two basic chemicals, which collectively represent about 9% of total emissions and 50% of emissions from energy-intensive industries, evaluating highly promising but frequently overlooked direct electrification technologies. A multi-criteria decision analysis framework, supplemented by an expert survey, was developed to provide an industry-specific assessment, applying a framework suitable for all industries. The findings reveal that direct electrification offers significant advantages in terms of lower land impact, decreased nitrogen oxide emissions, and lower energy costs. These results challenge the prevailing notion that a wide application of hydrogen in hard-to-abate sectors is the optimal solution for industrial defossilisation, which is the key novelty of this study. It can be concluded that direct electrification technologies should receive more attention and support from policymakers to enable a rapid upscaling of highly efficient, emission-free technologies.