Developments in the renewable energy sector are increasingly generating attention, as sustainability and decarbonization goals are becoming exponentially prevalent across a number of technologies and applications. IDTechEx‘s portfolio of Energy & Decarbonization Research Reports covers the latest trends in green hydrogen, stationary fuel cells, photovoltaics, and nuclear fusion technology.
Green hydrogen and the future of transportation
Created through the electrolysis of water, powered by renewable electricity, green hydrogen is a form of diverse renewable energy. It has the USP of generating no emissions through its creation or use and can contribute in many ways to economies by lowering carbon footprints, despite being costly to produce. IDTechEx predicts the green hydrogen market to surpass US$10bn by 2036, highlighting the scope for its success. IDTechEx’s latest report, “Materials for Green Hydrogen Production 2026-2036: Technologies, Players, Forecasts” covers current developments being made within the sector.
There is significant growth opportunity for the use of green hydrogen in steel manufacturing, alongside acting as a major feedstock in the production of chemicals such as ammonia and methanol – necessary for fertilizers and a number of other industrial products.
Additionally, the transportation sector provides further opportunities for the use of green hydrogen, particularly in heavy-duty and long-haul trucking, where the use of battery power can be insufficient for achieving long distance driving ranges. Within aviation, liquid hydrogen could one day be used to power aircrafts instead of traditional jet fuel, significantly reducing carbon emissions. Hydrogen-powered aircrafts will require innovative designs to safely accommodate the storage of hydrogen, with IDTechEx reporting this most likely being decades into the future. IDTechEx’s other report, “Green Hydrogen Production & Electrolyzer Market 2024-2034: Technologies, Players, Forecasts“, provides further information on the methods of green hydrogen production and electrolyzer technologies.
Stationary fuel cell technology with hydrogen
Hydrogen fuel cells could be deployed outside data centers and office buildings or used for telecoms to provide on-demand energy as and when is needed, using sustainably sourced hydrogen, to maintain decarbonization efforts. The relative power and convenience offered by stationary fuel cells could reshape companies’ approaches to energizing their systems. With the ability to provide either continual or back-up power, fuel cells could help to manage grid instability or bring energy supplies to areas with reduced power access in a clean and emission-free way. IDTechEx’s report, “Stationary Fuel Cell Markets 2025-2035: Technologies, Players & Forecasts“, explores how the power and efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells can be harnessed to assist with renewable energy efforts.
Solar energy and photovoltaics
The sun is an excellent source of renewable energy. Harnessing sun light to provide green electricity using solar panels is a significant and ever-growing market. Electric cars, offices, and data centers, for example, could benefit from the integration of photovoltaic technology, with long term green energy supplies helping to save costs. Perovskite photovoltaics, an emerging solar technology, is explored by IDTechEx in their report, “Perovskite Photovoltaic Market 2025-2035: Technologies, Players & Trends“. Highlighted for its low weight and flexible form factor, alongside the potential for low production costs and subsequent feasibility for deployment, the perovskite PV market is only set to grow.
As solar panels become increasingly able to conform to a number of surfaces with thin film technology, explored in IDTechEx’s report, “Thin Film Photovoltaics Market 2025-2035: Technologies, Players, and Trends“, the applications that solar energy can benefit are growing. Solar panels could be fitted to vehicles and buildings to best suit their shape and to maximize efficiency.
Fusion energy from atomic nuclei
Electric vehicles could one day be fuelled with the energy generated by atomic nuclei, with the developments of nuclear fusion technology. Modular fusion reactors or microreactors could be used to produce around 100kW of power in a sustainable and continuous manner that could also power satellites, spacecrafts, or off-grid power sources closer to earth, highlighting immense versatility.
Data centers could also benefit greatly from nuclear fusion as a result of the potential for continuous power, which solar or wind are unable to match without energy storage. Commercializing futuristic technologies such as nuclear fusion in the future could open up a window of possibility for uncovering new energy sources in line with sustainability and decarbonization goals. IDTechEx’s report, “Fusion Energy Market 2025-2045: Technologies, Players, Timelines“, covers developments being made within the sector and how the market is predicted to unfold over the next two decades.
Source: offgridenergyindependence.com