Making blue hydrogen from gas requires not only preventing methane emissions, but also capturing and permanently sequestering the associated carbon dioxide - for which there is currently almost no significant capacity. So before we start making big bets on hydrogen, we’ll need a major commitment to the deployment of renewable energy (and in many cases, it will make more sense to use that electricity directly). The green electricity necessary to make green hydrogen is currently a scarce commodity - and likely to be so for decades. Electricity can serve those needs directly - faster, more easily and at less cost. Hydrogen could be especially useful in heavy industry - like steel and cement production - or as a raw material for low-carbon fuels for ships and planes.īut in most cases, it won’t make sense to divert electricity from the grid to make hydrogen for use in cars, homes or commercial buildings. In the global transition to clean energy, the best uses for hydrogen will be in places where clean electricity can’t do the job alone. People living nearby must be engaged from the start, and new projects must adapt to local concerns. If hydrogen is burned in a power plant, it can produce air pollutants called nitrogen oxides that have been linked to asthma.īlue hydrogen projects may also prolong the life of existing fossil fuel infrastructure that has polluted communities for decades. Water consumption and air pollution from production and use of hydrogen must factor into deployment decisions. Hydrogen is no solution at all if it harms local communities. People’s health and well-being must be a priority as new energy sources are developed. If hydrogen production and distribution systems aren’t managed properly, even supposedly “clean” hydrogen could be worse for the climate in the near term than the fossil fuels it replaces. With high leak rates, green hydrogen would still be better for the climate over 20 years than fossil fuels, but far less so than the climate-neutral promises we often hear.īut for blue hydrogen, if leakage of both hydrogen and natural gas is high, this type of hydrogen could actually increase the 20-year warming impact. In a well-managed system with low leak rates, our researchers found that both green hydrogen and - to a lesser extent - the best blue hydrogen would significantly reduce warming compared with fossil fuels. As it’s typically done today, that process is energy-intensive and creates a lot of climate pollution.īut “green” hydrogen can be made by using renewable energy, and “blue” hydrogen by extracting it from natural gas that’s produced under conditions that sharply minimize methane and CO2 emissions. Hydrogen does not naturally occur on its own it must be separated from other elements. Good engineering, regular inspections, and eliminating venting are crucial (which is why EDF is also working with developers to create better detection technology for hydrogen).Īnd the further hydrogen travels, the greater the risk of leaks, so it makes sense to produce hydrogen close to where it’s used. This poses a challenge for industry: Because hydrogen molecules are tiny, they’re prone to leakage.Īll of this means minimizing leaks must be a priority for every hydrogen project. Research by EDF scientists found that on time scales of a decade or two, hydrogen’s warming power is much greater than previously recognized. We’re just starting to understand how potent those effects can be. Most people don’t realize that hydrogen can trigger warming: When hydrogen escapes into the atmosphere before it’s burned or used, it reacts with other chemicals to create warming effects. Here are three big concerns to stay focused on: 1. With the industry in its infancy, now is the time to address problems and get things right - before vast systems and infrastructure are built out. To be an effective climate solution, hydrogen must be produced cleanly and used wisely. Hydrogen is a leak-prone gas with a potent warming effect that’s widely overlooked. Hydrogen holds important promise as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels.īut as governments and companies pour tens of billions of dollars into hydrogen energy technologies, we need to make sure that we’re asking the hard questions that we should be asking about this emerging industry.
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