SINGAPORE – Multinational energy giant Royal Dutch Shell has been piloting the use of hydrogen as alternative fuel for heavy road transport, primarily for trucks that have been moving goods and services to various destinations.

In an interview, Istvan Kapitany, global executive vice president for Shell Mobility indicated that the pilot-testing of hydrogen fuel for heavy transport had been carried out in the United States, as well as across European markets and China in the Asian region.

“We piloted hydrogen and we tested it in the United States and Europe; and in China, we piloted it for heavy road transport; but it’s still very early days,” he emphasized.

Apart from trucks, others in the heavy transport domain would include buses and ships – and some players in the emerging hydrogen industry are likewise placing their bets with other business segments, including industrial applications and retrofit of power plants.

Hydrogen is similarly targeted as prospective energy storage solution for renewable energy; while ports around the world have also been looking at this technology innovation for the refueling of mammoth vessels that have been connecting the global economy.

Kapitany noted there are still impediments when it comes to market patronage for hydrogen – primarily those on policies and incentives for infrastructure development chain; then warranted further innovation on the electrolysers before the technology could drive its way into the marketplace on commercial scale.

“We need haulers that are buying these hydrogen trucks; and then of course, we need to have hydrogen charging facilities; and that’s the reason why we’re testing this at this very early stage,” he explained.

The other intricate terrain yet to be navigated clearly by targeted hydrogen rollout is its high cost compared to other alternative solutions that are already making their way into energy markets worldwide.

“There are still many hurdles with hydrogen around the world. As we said, the whole ecosystem needs to develop, so there has to be hydrogen-powered trucks which are efficient and cost-effective as well,” the Shell executive stressed.

But once hydrogen technology already gains commercial viability, Kapitany stated that the wide market reach of Shell globally would help a great deal when it comes to offering this as a solution to countries where it operates – including the Philippines.

“We’re going to be accelerating, a major advantage that Shell has is that: we are in the Philippines, we are in Malaysia – we are in 85 markets where customers will be growing,” he expounded.

Kapitany qualified that Shell as a company is also “participating in producing hydrogen, but it has yet to come full cycle in terms of cost effectiveness – and we believe that we can do our part.”

Last year, Shell firmed up its final investment decision (FID) for Holland Hydrogen 1, a 200-megawatt electrolyser that could produce up to 80 tonnes of green hydrogen per day; and it is touted to be the largest once it reaches full commercial operation by 2025.