Abstract Summary
Green hydrogen is one of the modern sustainable solutions to pollution, climate change, and resource depletion. The rising technology relies on renewable energy sources but comes with the disadvantage of requiring immense flowrates of desalinated and demineralized water. Regions with an abundance of renewables are often considered as water scarce regions according to the identification of the World Resource Institute’s Aqueduct 3.0 Country Rankings. This paper presents an analysis of water sustainability challenges in regions where renewable energy supply is not complemented by economic/sustainable water availability. It also covers policy restrictions from local and international legislative frameworks limiting the national selling and export potentials to create local value and achieve global sustainability development goals. RFNBOs (Renewable Fuels of Non- Biological Origins) is a new trend to decarbonize industries and mitigate climate change. The necessity for a consistent and clean H2 supply is being brought to light by the rising demand for H2 in many industries. Green H2, produced through water electrolysis using renewable energy sources, is a promising solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning towards a more sustainable energy system. [1] Hydrogen production via water electrolysis process using wind (and Solar) energy is currently adjudged as one of the hydrogen pathways with lowest life cycle greenhouse gas emissions with competitive cost of hydrogen production [2]. Green Hydrogen (and the subsequent production of Green Ammonia) is now a renewable industry investment with particular interest in Egypt and Arab countries. Such RFNOs are highly demanded by European States to power numerous industries and heating demands with decarbonized fuels compared to natural gas. Egypt, being one of the regions with abundant wind and solar energy resources, has taken the opportunity to produce RFNBOs to promote local value creation and achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In recent years, discussions of the implications of hydrogen production by water electrolysis in relation to water availability and reserves took place. A large quantity of water is required for green hydrogen production by electrolysis - powered by renewable sources. For every 1 kg of hydrogen produced by electrolysis, about 9 kg of pure, desalinated and demineralized, water is required which consumes about 50–55 kWh of electricity (depending on the electrolysis technology). According to World Resource Institute’s Aqueduct 3.0 Country Rankings, Egypt is ranked as a “High (40-80%)” baseline water stressed region.
