The technology to produce hydrogen with electricity already exists, which makes it possible to decarbonize this use fairly quickly. Policymakers argue that the first use of clean hydrogen will be to replace the fossil fuel-derived hydrogen already being used in industrial processes such as chemical production. “There was a lot of interest from the state, from the private sector, from various utilities, from tribes, from environmental organizations, all looking at Washington state as a place where that kind of hub would be competitive and where we saw that as an important opportunity,” Celt said.Ĭelt said that Washington is an ideal place for a hydrogen hub because of the state’s relatively clean energy grid and diverse group of stakeholders and advocates dedicated to environmental justice. If selected, this new hub would funnel federal dollars into hydrogen production and infrastructure projects in Oregon and Washington. The association applied earlier this month for a $1 billion regional hydrogen hub grant, funded by the 2021 infrastructure package, to kickstart investment in the field. According to Stephanie Celt, a senior energy policy specialist at COM, PNWH2 is a public-private partnership to encourage the establishment of hydrogen production facilities and other complementary industries. The Washington Department of Commerce (COM), Oregon and other regional governments have formed a partnership called the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2). Policymakers in the Pacific Northwest don’t think so. Can the climate transition afford to wait on the development of clean hydrogen technologies? Many technologies that utilize hydrogen are still in their infancy and years away from being deployed on a commercial scale. So what’s the big catch? Producing hydrogen through electrolysis has historically been difficult and expensive. Unlike fossil fuel combustion, the only byproduct of hydrogen fuel cells is water. Hydrogen could also store energy for far longer than batteries when converted into a stable compound, such as ammonia. Proponents say that the lightest element in the universe can, if produced with renewably generated electricity, help decarbonize these “hard to abate” sectors. Electric battery technology is not yet advanced enough to deliver sufficient power to justify its weight on big machines, such as jetliners. For example, manufacturing steel and concrete requires high heat, which is most easily achieved through burning fossil fuels. However, a big question has hovered over a handful of fossil fuel-reliant sectors such as heavy industry, maritime transportation, freight shipping and aviation. The abundance of hydroelectricity in the state, as well as big leaps in electric vehicles over the past decade, have made that goal much more feasible. In 2021, the Washington state Legislature passed the Climate Commitment Act, codifying a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent by 2050. You remember hydrogen: simplest element, number one on the periodic table? Experts say that this humble atom could play a key role in the future of clean energy, and Washington - along with other partners in the Pacific Northwest - is positioning itself to be a leader in hydrogen energy technology.
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