CIAS INN: Exploring the right strategies and policies to overcome doubts over the use of green hydrogen – Interview with Dr Anthony Halog
The research project of Dr Anthony Halog at CIAS aims to explore the socio-economic and ethical aspects of upscaling the green hydrogen production.
This is a big topic nowadays globally, particularly here in Europe, and even in Hungary and in Central Europe
,says the professor who has spent four weeks in Budapest as a non-resident research fellow in the Corvinus University’s CIAS. This was his first visit to Hungary, and he hopes it will not be his last.
The Philippine-born scientist, who has been living in Australia for more than a decade, is an internationally recognised expert in AI-driven circular economy, life cycle assessment and sustainable systems engineering. As a senior academic at the University of Queensland, he is doing a lot of interdisciplinary research. His research projects integrate artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and industrial environmental management to optimise a transition to sustainability.
Dr Anthony Halog has applied for the fellowship at CIAS because he wanted to collaborate with the University’s and CIAS scholars to explore innovative solutions for achieving net zero emission. The use of green hydrogen could contribute to decarbonisation of certain sectors of industry and to the objective of climate neutrality. The European Union has decided to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and at least 55% net emission reductions by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. Hydrogen stands as a key component in the EU’s strategy to the energy transition, net-zero, and sustainable development.
I’ve decided to come here because at Corvinus University, and at CIAS in particular, they have done really interesting and groundbreaking research on green hydrogen
,says Dr Halog, who definitely wants to continue collaborating with CIAS’ researchers, academics and even graduate students after his fellowship ends.
We are discussing what collaborative projects we can pursue and conduct, considering my and their expertise, and how can we work jointly, and submit maybe a manuscript or grant proposals actually
,he adds.
Green hydrogen is produced from water using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. It could play an important role in helping the world to move away from fossil fuels and diversify its energy sources. “The problem is that when you upscale green hydrogen in large quantities, that translates to more solar panels, more wind turbines, more electrolysers. And that affects the environment, the natural resources, and there are also implications in terms of whether it would be a benefit to the poor people”, summarises Dr Halog on his research project at CIAS.
He is convinced that the world is in a pivotal moment for energy transition. It needs to balance energy security, economic competitiveness, and environmental sustainability.
Green hydrogen represents an opportunity to decarbonise the economy, but there are socio-economic factors that need to be considered. “We need to adapt our workforce. We need to develop our infrastructure. We need to formulate effective regulatory frameworks,” says the professor, adding that decision-makers have to develop policies that encourage the adoption of hydrogen while ensuring economic resilience, and social inclusivity, and also address social justice in a way that everyone could benefit of this upscaling rather than just only a few.
Many people have doubts about the use of green hydrogen, claiming firstly that it is expensive to produce and not environmentally friendly.
I’m doing this research because I really want to hear also the inputs from the public. I think that in Hungary, which rely on existing gas infrastructure, adopting hydrogen will require policy support also from the government. I want to explore what would be the right strategies and policies to overcome the doubts about the use of hydrogen from ordinary citizens, and how can we focus on reducing the production costs, how can we effectively engage the stakeholders. If we are convinced that green hydrogen will really help in the energy transition, we also need public support, besides the government’s as well as the business sector support
,Dr Halog points out.
He doesn’t exclude that his research project at CIAS could result in a policy brief that would guide business as well as government leaders on how they can best deal and manage the upscaling of green hydrogen.