Two House Democrats are demanding a Department of Energy report projecting the life-cycle emissions of seven federally funded hydrogen centers.
First reported by politicsCongressmen Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Don Beyer of Virginia wrote to the Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstration (OCED) to request clarification on emissions from the $8 billion hydrogen hub project, aims to scale up hydrogen production for Use hydrogen for transportation like road transport.
Lawmakers say hydrogen could displace some fossil fuel use, but its production could also create carbon emissions, including in the form of “grid emissions” from electricity is used to power that production. notes in their letters.
Honda class 8 hydrogen fuel cell truck concept
“Scientists have warned that high life-cycle emissions from hydrogen production could completely cancel out any climate benefits from replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen,” they wrote. —not the emissions associated with their operations.
The federal government has at least so far established one High standards for clean hydrogen materials in the form of a tax credit for hydrogen producers, known as the Clean Hydrogen Production Credit. That quelled those concerns dirtier fuels like coal will be used—although fuels such as natural gas, methane, or others still need to be taken into account. Electrolysis using renewable energy is often considered the lowest emission option.
Kenworth-Toyota hydrogen fuel cell semi-prototype. – May 2024
Announced in 2021, the hydrogen hubs were completed in 2023. Seven hubs—Mid-Atlantic, Appalachian, California, Gulf Coast, Heartland, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest—aim to produce produces more than three million tons of hydrogen per year, which the White House said at the time would be used to eliminate 25 million tons of carbon emissions from end uses. That’s assuming those end uses come to fruition.
Estimates of how soon hydrogen can be cost-competitive with fossil fuels are extremely optimistic. A 2020 study found that could happen by 2030, while a California Energy Commission study (also from 2020) found hydrogen could reach price parity with gasoline by 2025. Instead, hydrogen prices have skyrocketed since then.
