KUCHING: The recent Batang Kali tragedy in Selangor is a reminder to humans on the effects of extreme climate change.
Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni said though the effects of climate change may not be so obvious in
the short term, for the longer term, if left unchecked, will have catastrophic consequences.
“However, at least for the short term, we cannot separate the use of hydrocarbons in our daily lives, as energy is
critical to our economic prosperity and social wellbeing,” he said in a press statement here, today (Dec 19).
He noted that humanity has moved from the burning of wood and coal (solid fuels) to oil (liquid fuels) and currently to natural gas (gas fuels), all of which has dramatically transformed how we do things in the modern world.
“At present, liquid-based fuels derived from crude oil is the fuel of choice for transport compared to gas-based fuels,
such as natural gas and hydrogen, as the infrastructure is readily accessible.
“The downside of gasoline (and diesel) is
that the emissions produced is high in carbon dioxide, a Green House Gas (GHG) contributing to climate change,” he said.
He explained that hydrogen is the key to decarbonising the energy and transport industry.
It has a higher energy density by weight (MJ/kg) of three to four times that of diesel or gasoline and does not emit CO2 when combusted.
“The challenge is to install as many hydrogen refuelling stations to make it as readily accessible as gasoline.
“All countries in the world have the capacity to produce hydrogen through electrolysis, provided they have two things, water and power to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
“The key differentiator is the quality of the power used in the production of hydrogen, whether it is derived from fossil fuels such as coal and gas, which emits GHG,
nuclear fission, which has issues with nuclear waste management or green energy, such as solar, wind and hydro,” he said.
Hazland also said the power supply in Sarawak is predominantly hydroelectric, making Sarawak a desirable destination for the production of green hydrogen, the new energy of the future.
The hydrogen molecule has no carbon atoms, which means its combustion produces only water and energy (heat) making hydrogen the perfect molecule in the decarbonisation of the energy and transport sector.
“The challenge is to produce clean hydrogen and increase accessibility to
hydrogen stations to replace fossil fuels as the primary fuel for transport and energy generation.
“Sarawak’s foray into Hydrogen ART is the first step in decarbonisation of the transport sector and is predicted to reduce
traffic along the Kuching-Sri Aman-Serian road between 6 and 12 percent (conservative
estimate) when the system comes fully online,” he said
Hydrogen-powered buses is expected to reduce 15 percent of the carbon footprint from transport in the Kuching area by 2030.
Hazland said the additional advantage of hydrogen for public transport, like the ART, and commercial trucking is the ability to
utilise existing roads and infrastructure, negating the need to create new expensive logistics infrastructure, ideal for
towns and cities that are already densely populated and costly to build new railways or subways.
He said hydrogen powered ships are also a possibility for Sarawak given the importance of rivers and coastal waters to the socioeconomic welfare of the people while at the same time safeguarding the environment of the surrounding river
and forest ecosystem, the bi-product being water returned to the rivers and sea with no pollutants.
“With the ever-improving availability of electricity in the rural areas, the development and installation of
localised electrolysers — equipment that converts water to hydrogen and oxygen using electricity — rural communities
can create their own fuel source for cooking, transport and can even store the hydrogen to be used as an energy source during emergencies.
Hazland also said hydrogen economy is estimated to create 30 million new jobs worldwide by 2050, boosting the world’s economy by USD 2.5 trillion, especially in the manufacturing, operations, maintenance and inspection of electrolysers, hydrogen fuel cells (for converting hydrogen to electricity) and the different spin-off industries that come with the availability of clean energy.
“On its own, the different technologies are not enough to meet the aspiration of the state.
“There is a need to transform the way we think and do things in a more sustainable way and uplift our skills to fully take advantage of the hydrogen economy and to truly be ready to meet the challenges of the future.
