Sir, – Prof Hannah Daly of UCC concludes that we should not be pursuing green hydrogen in this decade (“Is green hydrogen a cause for hope or hype?”, Science, August 3rd).
Although we would agree with many of the points she makes in her article, we disagree with that conclusion. Zero-carbon electricity means relying largely on wind and solar generation. The variability of such generation requires energy storage of different durations from minutes out to weeks or, perhaps, even months. We can have two to three weeks with high pressure over Ireland and significantly reduced wind generation. Weeks of energy storage is not feasible using batteries or other storage technologies such as pumped hydro or liquid air. The only solution is to store green hydrogen which can then be used to produce electricity again using gas turbines designed specifically for it. Without the use of fossil fuels, green hydrogen is the only means to manage future energy security and continuity of energy supplies. Prof Daly rightly points out the complexities of the green hydrogen industry. It will take time to develop, so it is all the more important to start now. – Yours, etc,
FRANK BURKE,
(Technical Adviser,
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Irish Energy Storage Association),
Cabinteely,
Dublin 18.
