These giants of renewable energy tower over the Danish countryside, here in Brande, a pioneering project that offers what might be a glimpse of the future. This enormous turbine is harnessing energy from the wind – and that power is being used to produce another type of clean fuel – hydrogen gas. The pilot plant isn’t connected to the grid and the green hydrogen produced here supplies local taxis. Paul Schaerbeek, a Chief Innovation Officer from Siemens said, “we can produce a maximum, like, eight kilos per hour with the equipment you see behind me here. So, it’s, of course, tiny. Nevertheless, eight kilos are actually what a car could drive, like, eight hundred kilometres on.”

The need to slash our carbon emissions has brought hydrogen increasingly into focus. The good thing about hydrogen, when you burn it, you actually do not get the CO2 emissions, so what comes out of the exhaust is water, instead of all the nasty stuff we see today.

Today, most hydrogen, about 95%, is made using fossil fuels. Green hydrogen, however, is produced from water and renewable electricity. This facility makes the technology needed to produce it. Hydrogen has been touted as a climate solution before – but it hasn’t really taken off. Proponents say it’s a different picture today. Dozens of new green hydrogen plants are now on the horizon. But much needs to be done if the hopes for this new clean fuel can live up to the hype.