Editorial: Overhyping hydrogen as a fuel risks endangering net-zero goals
Credit: Zhang Mao/VCG/Getty
On one level, the enthusiasm is understandable. If hydrogen were freely available, it would be something of a decarbonization wonder. It can make carbon-free fuels for transportation and heating, and power some energy-intensive industries that can’t easily be electrified, such as the manufacture of steel or fertilizer .
Most hydrogen is currently made by processes — such as steam reformation of natural gas — that produce large amounts of COas a by-product. Although ‘green’ hydrogen can be made by using electricity from renewable sources to split water molecules, this process is costly compared with more conventional production methods.
All this means that hydrogen should be used judiciously, to address emissions that can’t be eliminated in other ways. Many of the uses being touted do not tick that box. For example, some groups are advocating burning hydrogen to heat homes, as an alternative to natural gas, but this is much less efficient than using electricity directly. Most immediately, this means higher costs for consumers.
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