According to a report from the Rocky Mountain Institute in the US, the replacement of NG with hydrogen to power industrial processes will be necessary to prevent global temperatures from wanning by 2℃. The report stated, "The industrial processes used in the production of things like steel, cement, glass, and chemicals all require high temperature heat...For these hard-to-abate sectors, there is essentially no way to reach net-zero emissions at the scale required without using hydrogen." The report went on to add that 96% of hydrogen production currently comes from fossil fuels, which include NG, coal, and oil, via steam methane reforming (SMR). The remaining 4% is produced from electrolysis. According to the report, electrolysis generally requires 50-55-Kilowatt hour (KWh) of electricity to generate 1 kg of hydrogen, but the carbon intensity will vary among type of electricity used. For example, in India, which uses coal-powered electricity, electrolysis will produce 0.67 kg of CCWKWh while Sweden, which produces electricity from hydroelectric and nuclear sources, will produce 0.02 kg of CO2/KWI1 if electrolysis were to be used. On the other hand, an SMR plant will emit 8-12 kg CO￠/kg of hydrogen produced while an SMR plant using coal gasification will produce 18-20 kg CO2/kg of hydrogen produced. The report stated, "Noticeably, fossil fuel-based production is a rather CO~2effective way of producing hydrogen with the current generation mix in many grids. Specifically, SMR is more effective than grid-powered electrolysis in both the United States and Europe, while coal gasification is more effective in China and India."
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