Somssich: Green hydrogen essential for energy revolution

I share the relief that all of us in New Hampshire felt when we heard that Granite Shore Power will be shutting down New England’s last coal-fired power plant in Bow. Many environmental groups and renewable energy advocates, including myself, have been lobbying for this to happen for more than a decade, and I thank 350NH for their persistent effort. The fact that both Merrimack and Schiller Station are shutting down demonstrates the power of local organizing, but is also reflective of the unsustainable future of coal and other fossil fuels for our state and our country. Operating a coal plant for only 20 days in a year is a bad business model.

On the other hand, Ms. Beaulieu of 350NH, is selling the power of hydrogen energy short.

In fact, Green Hydrogen (G-H2) will be a very essential player worldwide helping to decarbonize many energy sectors that other technologies aren’t able to address. That is why I am encouraged to hear that Granite Shore Power plans to be part of a renewable energy future by investing in solar energy and energy storage.

G-H2 is a carbon-free energy source with many applications and should be seriously considered. But only G-H2 is carbon emission free, because it is produced using only renewable energy such as solar and wind. Other forms of H2 production all generate carbon emissions at varying amounts. Because H2 can be both an energy storage (as gas or liquid) and an energy fuel allows it to serve many sectors of the economy such as aviation, shipping, heavy trucking, high-speed commuter rail, steel- and cement manufacturing. In those areas it is superior to lithium-ion batteries and EV transportation.

Many countries including Australia and some in South Asia are converting G-H2 into liquid Green Ammonia, which is also a carbon-free fuel. However, in the US many myths about H2 still persist. Major US-based renewable energy organizations such as Union of Concerned Scientist and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) have been educating our country about the benefits of G-H2.

RMI published a list of 5 myths about hydrogen: 1) G-H2 can do it all ! Not necessarily. Only after reducing energy demand and using direct electrification where most efficient, should G-H2 be considered. 2) There is Clean Hydrogen! No, only G-H2 is carbon-free, all other H2 production generates carbon emissions. 3) H2 leakage can contribute indirectly to global warming ! This type of leakage can be stopped. But even with high leak rates, G-H2 has both short- and long-term benefits. 4) G-H2 is still decades away! No. In fact it is already technically feasible to implement by 2030, if enough demand is created. 5) G-H2 consumes too much water! No. The National Clean Hydrogen Roadmap targets 50 million metric tons of hydrogen annually produced by 2050, which would require 1 billion cubic meters of water, or 0.26% of current U.S. water consumption. Most water is used for irrigation, industrial cooling, and as cooling water for nuclear and fossil fuel energy facilities. However, it is still critical to ensure that H2 production does not strain local freshwater resources.

For all of these reasons, it is no surprise that the rest of world is already far ahead of us in exploring the possibilities for using G-H2. Australia and some African countries have discovered that with enough solar energy and a nearby source of water (e.g. an ocean) they can produce large amounts of G-H2 and G-Ammonia. Germany is already operating high-speed trains using hydrogen, while South Korea is converting commuter buses to use hydrogen. In Italy some pipelines already provide hydrogen for residential heating, and in Japan, Toshiba has a very large solar field that is producing G-H2, which is then compressed and is connected to a fuel-cell converter that provides electricity to the grid on demand. The safe use of H2 for industries, space exploration, and fuel-cell vehicles in California has already been demonstrated.

So it is not surprising that President Joe Biden included several billions of dollars in the Inflation Reduction Act bill to create numerous H2 Energy Hubs to explore the best uses of G-H2.

The renewable energy transition may come sooner than we expect.

Peter Somssich is a retired scientist with more than 40 years of experience in energy related work both for research and industrial use.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Somssich: Green hydrogen essential for energy revolution