Hydrogen's Role in the Green Energy Transition Debate

Hydrogen's potential as a climate solution faces skepticism due to high costs and slow progress towards net zero goals.

### The High-Stakes Hydrogen Gamble: A Climate Solution or Big Oil's Trojan Horse?
* 💡  Policymakers worldwide are pinning their hopes on hydrogen as a **key element in the transition to clean energy**, with global subsidies reaching **$360 billion this year**.
* 🏭  A power plant in East Germany aims to convert to **emissions-free hydrogen** within 2 years, but the **high costs and technological challenges** are evident.
* 🏠  An experimental hydrogen heating trial in the UK faced strong opposition from local residents, highlighting the **importance of community engagement in energy transitions**.
* 🛢️  The oil and gas industry is heavily investing in hydrogen, with concerns raised about the "**greenness**" of **blue hydrogen**, which is mostly produced from natural gas.
* 🌍  Climate change urgency is driving the push for hydrogen, but its **high cost and slow scalability** raise questions about its **feasibility as a near-term solution**.
* 🏗️  Building the necessary hydrogen infrastructure is a significant gamble, with some experts warning that there is no viable "**Plan B**" if hydrogen fails to deliver.
* 🏡  Alternative solutions like ground source heat pumps have proven effective in reducing emissions and could offer **more immediate benefits than hydrogen**.
* 🎯 " There's no route to Net Zero that doesn't go through **clean hydrogen**, but we need to be **realistic**.

this bright yellow power plant in East Germany is at the forefront of the green energy transition. Its aim is to go from using polluting fossil fuels to emissions-free hydrogen in just 2 years, and that would make it one of the first in the world. We are really convinced that hydrogen will play a major role in the future. Facilities like these are part of a dream energy system sketched out by policymakers across the world. Clean hydrogen is a perfect means towards our goal of climate neutrality. But does this hydrogen dream come at too high of a cost? To be quite honest, without any support schemes, we can't afford to transform these operations from natural gas into hydrogen operation. I think we are tying our hands, and we are making it impossible to hit net zero on an accelerated time frame. We've got a problem with climate change, and we need to solve it. And along comes this thing that seems like it ticks all the boxes: heat pumps are hard, changing people's cars is hard, hydrogen fabulous, that's easy. Hydrogen is a gas and a lot

of companies and governments see it as a way to replace natural gas but using the same infrastructure that we already have. Governments across the world are rushing to scale up the technology. Clean hydrogen subsidies are set to top $360 billion globally this year, up 71% since 2022. But even that might not be enough. Europe aims to ramp up production to 20 million metric tons by the end of the decade. Bloomberg NEF forecasts it will only hit 2.8. One reason green hydrogen currently costs three times more than natural gas. When you look at hydrogen, it could be this amazing solution for the future, but really when you dig into it and when you take a closer look, the time scales are long, the budgets are huge, and the technology isn't working in a lot of places yet, so we don't see it on the ground. This is Redar, a tiny seaside town in the northeast of England, chosen to be the site of an experimental hydrogen heating trial a few years ago, as well as

fueling power plants. Advocates want hydrogen to heat our homes, another source of emissions. The trial was expected to start in 2025, but Northern Gas Network eventually pulled the plug on the project after months of strong opposition from local residents. The excuse given was that there wasn't enough hydrogen, but to be honest, it was never going to happen in any case because the basic work of getting people to accept what was coming down the tracks had not been done. The first knowledge I had of the Red Car trial was leaflets and advertising through doors, and initially, it was quite enticing. You will be given new boilers, new cookers, new appliances, and that was the kind of the selling point. The more questions were asked and the less answers were given, it just became very alarming. Hydrogen is a dangerous gas. We handle it very well in industrial environments, but we do it through an enormous amount of safety cautions. So when it came to Red Car, NGN said no, we're not going to knock holes in

people's walls. We're going to use a hydrogen sensor. Most hydrogen professionals are aghast at the idea that we would be putting hydrogen into homes in the UK. You were not dinosaurs. It wasn't that we weren't for progress. It was just, you know, we all know that it hadn't been tried properly. It's quite insulting, really, to think that they just thought we wouldn't fight back, we wouldn't do anything, say we just back. It just proves what can happen when a community works together, stands together, and says, No, you were not listening to us. You will listen to us, and we're not putting up with it. How you like them apples? Exactly what Redcar really shows us is that you need to get people on board from the very beginning. You've got to bring people with you, whether it's heat pumps, whether it's hydrogen, whatever it is. You can't roll something out without talking to people first and making them believe in what you're trying to do. There's been 58 independent reports.

not one comes out saying anything other than a minuscule or no role for hydrogen and heating, and that raises the question: why is it still being promoted so heavily? The force behind the government subsidies, it's recent; it really is not coming from energy experts outside of the oil and gas industry. It's coming from the oil and gas industry itself. Robert Howth has enemies in the oil and gas industry due to his research questioning how clean hydrogen really is. There are several different types of hydrogen. While green hydrogen comes from renewable sources, it only makes up 1% of the total hydrogen mix. The majority of hydrogen we make today is a byproduct from fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Although still categorized as clean, blue hydrogen is made using natural gas, but only some of the emissions are captured. The oil and gas industry is an incredibly powerful force in our universe. You know, there's documented history of decades of misinforming, disinforming, trying to pretend climate

change doesn't exist when they know it does, trying to pretend that's not caused by them when they know it was blue hydrogen, a dirty product. The greenhouse gas footprint of blue hydrogen is actually larger than that of simply burning natural gas. Over the past couple of years, big oil has been jumping on hydrogen, and the companies have started to heavily invest in the technology's success. In 2018, Shell, Total, British Petroleum, and other big majors set up this thing called the Hydrogen Council. It's a huge part of the revenue stream for big oil and gas, so you know when you call into question whether or not we should be using that fuel at all, that's going to be problematic for them, right? Billions are being poured into a technology that could actually be adding to our climate woes while the stakes have never been higher. 2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record, and climate change is exacerbating the effects of extreme weather globally, and the electorate feels it. A lot of politicians

need an answer to climate change. Young people expect it, and some of the answers are really difficult. If the ones you have are difficult, would require sacrifices, would require costs, it's much easier just to say, Oh, it's going to be hydrogen, and if it works or doesn't work, we'll only find out in a decade anyway. But the fact is, we don't have decades to get to Net Zero. Unless hydrogen becomes considerably cheaper, our climate policies might need a rethink. There's no route to Net Zero that doesn't go through clean hydrogen, but we need to be realistic. They call it the Swiss army knife of energy; you can do everything with it, but of course, just like with a Swiss army knife, just because you can cut your hair with it, you don't, right? You can butter your bread with it, but you don't. While hydrogen can play a part in reaching Net Zero, a more pragmatic approach could offer benefits sooner. Ten years ago, we decided to get rid of the oil furnace, and we replaced

it with these ground source heat pumps. It's modestly expensive to put in initially, but over the 10 years since we've put it in, we've more than paid back the system. Here in the state of New York, the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions is the emissions that we use for heating our homes and our commercial buildings. Once up and running, the hydrogen plant in Leig will have two turbines, each producing 62.5 Mega of clean power, barely scratching the surface of what's needed. The German Authority predicts they could require up to 10 Gaw to reach net zero. Building all this infrastructure needed for hydrogen is a big gamble. We're going too slowly, and we can't really afford to lose several years looking at a technology that later we don't use. I think what's really at stake here is net zero, and from what we've seen from reporting this story, there isn't really a plan B. It's just hydrogen or fossil fuels. [Music] [Music]

The Dirty Secret Behind the Green Hydrogen Push

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The Shift to Hydrogen: A Power Plant's Green Transition

A bright yellow power plant in East Germany is aiming to transition from fossil fuels to emissions-free hydrogen in just two years, potentially becoming one of the first in the world.

The global push for clean hydrogen is driving governments to invest heavily, with subsidies set to top $360 billion this year.

However, the high cost of green hydrogen and the long timeframes for scaling up production pose significant challenges to achieving climate neutrality.

The Controversial Hydrogen Trial in Redcar

The Northern Gas Network's trial to use hydrogen for heating homes in Redcar faced strong opposition from local residents and was ultimately canceled.

The project's selling point of new appliances was overshadowed by safety concerns and a lack of communication.

The trial's failure highlights the importance of involving and gaining the trust of the community before rolling out such initiatives.

The Controversial Role of Hydrogen in Energy

The promotion of hydrogen as a clean energy source is largely driven by the oil and gas industry, despite its minimal role in heating.

Green hydrogen, from renewable sources, makes up only 1% of the total mix, while blue hydrogen, derived from natural gas, has a larger greenhouse gas footprint than burning natural gas.

The oil industry's significant investment in hydrogen technology raises concerns about its true impact on climate change, especially as 2024 is projected to be the hottest year on record.

The Role of Hydrogen in Climate Change Solutions

Young people expect answers to climate change, but the solutions are often difficult and require sacrifices.

Clean hydrogen is essential for reaching Net Zero, but its cost and effectiveness need to be realistic.

A more pragmatic approach to climate policies could offer benefits sooner, rather than relying solely on hydrogen's potential.

The Impact of Ground Source Heat Pumps and Hydrogen Power

Ground source heat pumps have a modest initial cost but can pay for themselves over time, addressing greenhouse gas emissions from heating.

A hydrogen plant in Leig is set to produce clean power, but the German Authority predicts a need for much more to reach net zero.

The slow progress in building hydrogen infrastructure raises concerns about its effectiveness as a long-term solution for reducing emissions.