Green hydrogen’s desalination challenge

Most green hydrogen capacity planned to 2040 is in potentially water-stressed regions, adding to project costs but not necessarily slowing deployment, says Rystad Energy

The vast majority of green hydrogen projects in the global pipeline are in regions likely to be short of fresh water in the future, according to recent analysis by Oslo-based consultancy Rystad Energy. As a result, they will need desalination plants to produce water for their electrolysers. “Using water to produce clean hydrogen will be a key factor for the energy transition, but most of the world’s planned green hydrogen projects are to be located in water-stressed regions,” says Minh Khoi Le, a renewable energy analyst at Rystad. “This creates a need for growth in the desalination market, and for more renewable energy to power it, adding more costs for developers.” More than 70pc of hydro