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Are you interested in utilising hydrogen in our urban lives?

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Our summary today works with the article titled Development of a sustainable hydrogen city concept and initial hydrogen city projects from 2022 by Münevver Özge Balta and Mustafa Tolga Balta, published in the Energy Policy journal.

This is a great preparation to our next interview with Craig Ehrke in episode 240 talking about using hydrogen for energy storage, among others.

Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how we can utilise hydrogen for better urban futures. This article presents a conceptual hydrogen city planning model for minimizing the carbon footprint of cities.

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Welcome to today’s What is The Future For Cities podcast and its Research episode; my name is Fanni, and today I will introduce a research paper by summarising it. The episode really is just a short summary of the original paper, and, in case it is interesting enough, I would encourage everyone to check out the whole paper. Stay tuned until because I will give you the 3 most important things and some questions which would be interesting to discuss.

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More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, a number that’s growing fast due to urbanization, industrialization, and population growth. This rapid increase has caused many environmental problems, mainly because cities rely heavily on fossil fuels for energy. This heavy dependence on fossil fuels leads to pollution and climate change. To combat these issues, cities need to adopt energy systems that are sustainable, efficient, and environmentally friendly. Hydrogen is used for various applications, including fuelling vehicles, generating electricity, and providing energy for residential heating systems. Using renewable energy sources like hydrogen can help create greener, healthier cities.

The conceptual hydrogen city planning model focuses on creating a sustainable and efficient urban energy system by using hydrogen as a primary energy carrier. The process begins with the production of hydrogen through renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. This hydrogen is then stored in large tanks and distributed via pipelines to different parts of the city. The model includes several key steps: assessing the national and local energy potential, transitioning to a low-carbon economy, designing renewable hydrogen production and supply systems, and integrating these systems into urban planning. By utilizing hydrogen, cities can reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, lower carbon emissions, and enhance energy security. This model also emphasizes the importance of improving existing infrastructure, adopting new technologies, and creating policies that support sustainable urban development.

The Danish Dream City project aims to create a fully sustainable lifestyle by producing hydrogen through water dissociation using solar and wind power. Scheduled for completion by 2050, it is a forward-thinking model of what a hydrogen-powered city could look like. Glasgow, Scotland aims to be the first net-zero city by 2045. It plans to use renewable electricity from wind and solar energy to run a 10 MW electrolyser, producing green hydrogen. This hydrogen will then be used to power various aspects of the city, helping it transition to a carbon-free economy.

Energy-based urban planning strategies need to be widely implemented to create sustainable cities. Policymakers should consider integrating the exergy concept into urban planning to make cities more resilient and achieve net-zero carbon targets. Replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen is a promising solution for many of the environmental, social, and economic problems facing cities today.

This study proposes a sustainable hydrogen city concept and evaluates initial hydrogen city projects around the world. The findings suggest that cities can become more sustainable by introducing effective hydrogen economies into urban energy planning. Policymakers can drive innovation in renewable energy technologies and reduce the negative impacts of intensive energy use by shifting to a low-carbon, hydrogen-based economy. This requires developing integrated renewable-based hydrogen energy systems that prioritize accessibility, resilience, self-sufficiency, efficiency, eco-friendliness, and sustainability.

Renewable energy is crucial for creating sustainable urban environments. This study highlights the importance of planning hydrogen-based energy systems to meet city energy needs in an environmentally friendly way. Transitioning to hydrogen can help reduce CO2 emissions and combat global warming. New infrastructure and transportation plans are needed to support this transition, and local governments must work closely with central authorities to achieve these goals. By adopting these strategies, cities can play a key role in developing future green energy systems and ensuring a sustainable urban environment.

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What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Do you have any follow up question? Let me know on Twitter at WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the transcripts and show notes are available! Additionally, I will highly appreciate if you consider subscribing to the podcast or on the website. I hope this was an interesting paper for you as well, and thanks for tuning in!

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Finally, as the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects:

1. Cities need to transition from fossil fuels to sustainable, efficient, and environmentally friendly energy systems like hydrogen to combat pollution and climate change.
2. The conceptual hydrogen city planning model outlines a process for creating sustainable urban energy systems by producing hydrogen through renewable sources, storing it, and distributing it throughout the city.
3. Policymakers play a crucial role in driving the transition to renewable energy sources like hydrogen by implementing energy-based urban planning strategies, improving infrastructure, adopting new technologies, and creating supportive policies.

Additionally, it would be great to talk about the following questions:

1. How can cities overcome the challenges associated with transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources?
2. In what ways can the integration of hydrogen energy systems into urban planning help to create more resilient and self-sufficient cities?
3. What role can individuals and communities play in supporting the development of sustainable hydrogen city projects?

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