Potential Use of Green Hydrogen in the Built Environment

Dear Colleagues,

Green hydrogen increasingly plays an important role as an efficient energy carrier for the heating and cooling of buildings, but its role extends significantly into transforming how the very materials that constitute our buildings and infrastructure are produced, making the potential uptake of green hydrogen technology quite attractive.

• Decarbonizing Material Production: Industries such as the steel and cement manufacturing are notoriously energy-intensive and significant emitters of greenhouse gases. Green hydrogen offers a pathway to revolutionizing the production of such materials through alternative processes. For example, using hydrogen as a reducing agent in steel manufacturing can eliminate the need for fossil fuels at this stage, leading to near-zero-emission steel. Similarly, researchers are exploring the use of hydrogen in cement production to reduce its substantial carbon footprint. This dual impact—cleaner operational energy and material production—makes green hydrogen a powerful tool for overall sector decarbonization.
• Enhancing Energy System Flexibility: The use of green hydrogen to store excess energy from renewable sources is crucial for electrical grid stability and maximizing the utilization of wind, solar, and hydro power. This stored hydrogen can then be used not only to heat and cool buildings but also to power industrial processes for material production, thereby creating a more integrated and resilient energy system. Therefore, where excess wind power is used during off-peak hours to produce green hydrogen, for example, the hydrogen can then power a local steel mill or heat nearby homes during peak demand or periods of low wind.
• Potential for Enhancing the Circular Economy: As the green hydrogen economy develops, it can also contribute to a more circular approach within the construction sector. For instance, by enabling the production of more sustainable and potentially recyclable construction materials, hydrogen can indirectly support efforts to reduce waste and promote material reuse.

In essence, green hydrogen is not simply another source of energy for the operation of buildings; rather, it is a potential catalyst for a fundamental transformation in the entire building and construction ecosystem. By addressing both the operational energy needs and embodied carbon in construction materials, green hydrogen offers a more holistic and effective route toward achieving carbon neutrality in this critical sector.

For this Special Issue, contributions are welcome that focus on different hydrogen-based solutions which may provide the necessary energy for heating and cooling homes, decarbonizing the production of construction materials, enhancing energy system flexibility, and enhancing the circular economy.

Contributions in the following topics will be considered for inclusion in this Special Issue:

• Using green hydrogen to decarbonize the production of construction materials, such as steel and cement;
• Enhancing the flexibility of the electrical energy system through the use of green hydrogen to store excess electricity;
• Demonstrating the potential for green hydrogen to enhance the circular economy;
• Hydrogen-based energy storage systems;
• Hydrogen in a renewable-based energy system;
• Achieving cost-effective energy system configurations using hydrogen;
• Modeling of energy systems with a high share of renewables including hydrogen;
• Hydrogen technologies that allow for the achievement of net-zero buildings;
• Integrating hydrogen with photovoltaic and battery storage systems for energy self-sufficiency in residential buildings;
• Electrolytic hydrogen production used for energy storage in homes;
• Hydrogen storage systems that may be safely used for home energy storage;
• Methods for the co-generation of energy for heating or cooling that include hydrogen;
• Efficiency and durability of hydrogen-based energy storage systems.

Dr. Michael A. Lacasse
Dr. Christer Sjöström
Guest Editors

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