By Quinn Glabicki
Public Source, Aug. 8, 2022
Nature’s simplest element is at the center of a new energy strategy that has won the support of much of the Pittsburgh region’s leadership, while drawing scorn from sustainability advocates who say it would actually entrench the carbon economy.
As proponents tout the potential of so-called blue hydrogen to shepherd our region to a sustainable future, climate scientists and financial analysts question the viability — technologically, economically and ideologically — of developing a hydrogen hub reliant on natural gas and carbon capture in Western Pennsylvania.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last November contained $8 billion appropriated for four “clean hydrogen hubs” nationwide. In May, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that his administration would pursue the federal funds for Pennsylvania, and the state’s bipartisan congressional delegation threw its weight behind the effort in June.
Even before that, a group of local industrial titans including Shell, EQT and U.S. Steel issued a joint press release pledging support for the idea. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald joined them in May alongside the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and prominent labor leaders.
With the process still firmly in the beginning stages, questions remain about how a hydrogen hub would be implemented, who gets a say in that process and whether it advances climate goals.
PublicSource spoke with climate scientists, financial analysts, critics and industry stakeholders in an effort to better understand the status and viability of the proposed hydrogen hub. Here are some of the questions and emerging answers.
What does hydrogen have to do with energy?
When hydrogen burns, it produces heat and the only byproduct is water.
The most abundant element in the universe, however, is itself not a source of energy.
“Hydrogen is another form of energy storage, like batteries,” said Neil Donahue, a climate scientist and professor of chemical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University [CMU]. “Batteries are not a form of energy, nor is hydrogen.”
In nature, hydrogen is tied up in other compounds, like water (H2O). For hydrogen to be used, it must first be isolated, which requires energy. Once pure, the hydrogen can then be stored, transported and ultimately combusted with zero carbon footprint.
The question, says Donahue: Where does the energy needed to produce hydrogen come from?
Renewables, fossil fuels and nuclear power are all potential energy sources for hydrogen production. Each occupies a corresponding space on a figurative color wheel often used in discussions of hydrogen power.
