hubs

Hydrogen hubs

November 2, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 earmarked $7 billion in federal funding aimed at accelerating the commercial-scale deployment of hydrogen as well as driving down its cost. Clean hydrogen is considered to be a key technology for cleaning up hard-to-decarbonize industrial sectors like refining, chemicals, and heavy-duty transport.

On October 13th, the Department of Energy named seven regional clean hydrogen hubs which will provide clean hydrogen production, storage, delivery, and end-use components. The so-called H2Hubs are expected to collectively produce three million metric tons of hydrogen annually.

One selected project is the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub that includes West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Another is the California Hydrogen Hub, that will produce hydrogen exclusively from renewable energy and biomass. Then there is the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub, centered in the Houston, Texas region. A fourth hub is the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, which includes Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. A fifth hub is the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub, that includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. The sixth is the Midwest Hydrogen Hub that includes Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Finally, there is the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub that includes Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

Each of these hubs involve multiple partner organizations in their regions and each has specific goals and strategies. The seven centers are located all around the country and are intended to jumpstart a national network of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure.

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Hydrogen hubs have arrived. Here are the big winners of the $7 billion sweepstakes

Photo, posted August 17, 2010, courtesy of David Stanley via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Removing Carbon Dioxide Won’t Get the Job Done | Earth Wise

May 31, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Limiting global warming to no more than 1.5-2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is a crucial goal for humankind. Countries, companies, and other organizations around the world have committed to achieving ‘net zero’ emissions. This is distinct from zero emissions in that it includes removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to offset the amounts we are putting into it. Carbon dioxide removal is increasingly touted as the way to achieve emission goals. But it is a realistic strategy? According to a recent paper by a leading climate scientist in the journal Nature, the answer in the short term is decidedly no.

In 2022, the world emitted 45 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Last year’s bipartisan Infrastructure Law earmarked $3.5 billion for developing four direct air capture hubs in the US. Each of these is expected to eventually be able to extract a little over a million tons of CO2 from the air each year. These hubs combined would therefore remove about 52 minutes’ worth of the year’s emissions over the course of the year.

The bottom line is that unless we drastically reduce emissions, all the carbon dioxide removal strategies combined will scarcely make a dent in the problem.

We will never be able to eliminate all sources of emissions, particularly from certain industries, and carbon dioxide removal will be a very important technology to address those emissions, but in the big picture, it is essential that the world decarbonizes as much as possible and as soon as possible.

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Carbon dioxide removal is not a current climate solution — we need to change the narrative

Photo, posted January 19, 2009, courtesy of Wladimir Labeikovsky via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio