Hydrogen production and reduction of carbon emissions in Azerbaijan’s energy transition: challenges and prospects

Abstract

The article discusses a number of advantages and disadvantages of reducing carbon emissions and using hydrogen energy in the energy transition in our country. Depending on the legislation, technical readiness, financial resources and other factors, the presence of the following key points for the use of hydrogen has been highlighted: - Hydrogen production through low-carbon technologies plays an important role in the energy transition process; - The production of blue hydrogen is associated with the use of natural gas, which may affect our country’s natural gas exports. At the same time, the provision of additional support by our country in meeting the growing demand for gas along with contractual obligations to supply natural gas to European markets through existing pipelines was emphasized. This means an increase in the existing export capacities of natural gas supplied via TANAP and TAP by about 2 times; - Technological limitations for long-term transportation of green hydrogen along the Southern Gas Corridor; - Additional research is required to explore the possibilities of using green hydrogen in the oil refining, ammonia, methanol and other petrochemical industries; - Despite the adoption of strategic goals and documents in the relevant field, there is a lack of technical regulatory documents on the use of hydrogen energy and its application in various fields; - Due to the high offshore wind energy potential, green hydrogen production may be economically viable (further research required).; - The lack of water resources in our country can seriously affect the production of green hydrogen.