The question of where hydrogen fits into the clean-energy future is complicated and I don’t really understand what parts are good and what are bad. It’s all so nebulous and theoretical right now that it’s easy to make compelling-sounding arguments which paint it as a disastrous tool of Big Oil or as a powerful tool for reshaping the fossil fuel economy, or something in between.
A good example is the uncertainty over a Northeast Clean Hydrogen Hub for the Northeast, spurred by a few billion from the federal government. Grist wrote about it in July (here) and CleanTechnica discusses it today (here).
New Hampshire isn’t mentioned in the reports: New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey are the driving states. Importantly, gas-rich Pennsylvania isn’t part of it, raising hopes that any hub wouldn’t be dependent on the colors of hydrogen that boost gas drilling but instead on hydrogen labelled green (made by renewable energy, including offshore wind) or pink (made by nuclear power).
But, as I say, who knows?
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