Hydrogen and its competitors, 2004

16Risø Energy Report 3Hydrogen in European and global energy systems3mental consequences of sequestering carbon dioxide inthis way are uncertain, and a cause for some concern.The “safe nuclear” scenario requires the development ofnuclear power plants that do not rely on control systemsto remain stable in the event of a malfunction. Engineerscall this “inherent safety”. It is not certain that it ispossible to develop practical inherently-safe nuclearplants. In the renewable energy scenario, hydrogenstorage would be used to compensate for variability inthe supply of energy from renewable sources, especiallysolar, wind and wave power. 6Subject to the provisos mentioned above, all threescenarios are considered to be technically feasible. Thegeneral conclusion is that enough hydrogen is availablein the very long term for hydrogen to become a significantpart of the world's energy system.The decision on whether to place hydrogen alongsideelectricity in the backbone of our energy supply needs tobe taken within the next ten years. At present it is difficultto see any practical alternatives. Hydrogen presentsbig challenges to both technology and policy, but it alsooffers huge opportunities for the European and globalenergy economies.6. There are actually four scenarios, since the renewable scenario exists in two versions, centralised and decentralised, which are rather different,especially as regards hydrogen production and infrastructure.