The Battle Lines are Drawn
As the US administration prepares to elucidate how hydrogen producers can leverage major tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, a contentious lobbying face-off is brewing between energy companies and environmental champions.
The government’s bold gamble on green hydrogen – an envisioned zero-emissions fuel for industrial and marine sectors – is stirring a contentious dialogue. Predominant international energy corporations are vying for these credits for hydrogen production that leverages fossil fuels. Contrarily, environmental proponents warn against the inadvertent creation of a vicious cycle, where fossil fuel-dependent power plants churn out ‘dirty’ hydrogen. This scenario would ironically incite further activities from carbon-spewing power plants, thereby undercutting the carbon pollution restrictions proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The stakes are high – if such a cycle takes root, it could culminate in the emission of hundreds of millions of metric tons of carbon, ironically in the quest to realize President Biden’s iconic climate change strategies.
The Mechanics of Green Hydrogen Production
Contemporary green hydrogen generation pivots on electrolyzers – devices that deploy electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This procedure requires an enormous amount of electricity. The impending directives from the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service will delineate the purity standards this electricity must meet for hydrogen to be eligible for tax incentives.
Industrial organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute, warn against overly rigid regulations that could throttle the emerging hydrogen sector. They advocate for regulatory flexibility, underlining the importance of nurturing a robust hydrogen economy.
Three Pillars of Green Hydrogen
Conversely, environmental activists are championing stringent rules that clearly define ‘green’ hydrogen. They propose a tri-pillar framework: additionality, deliverability, and hourly matching.
Additionality necessitates that hydrogen producers source power from new clean electricity facilities directly connected to the electrolyzer. Deliverability mandates that locally-sourced clean electricity should physically power the electrolyzer. The last, and arguably the most contentious pillar – hourly matching – stipulates that hydrogen producers align their hourly grid power consumption with hourly power output from a new renewable facility.
Striking a Balance
The American Clean Power Association recently put forth recommendations attempting to strike a ‘compromise’ between environmental and industry interests. Nevertheless, their suggestion diverges from environmentalists’ stance by opposing the enforcement of hourly matching for most of the decade.
Critics, including Rachel Fakhry from the Natural Resources Defense Council, caution against lenient guidelines, positing they could jeopardize the effectiveness of the EPA power plant rules – Biden’s core climate regulations – before they become operational. The core of the contention resides in establishing a delicate equilibrium between fostering a thriving green hydrogen industry and enforcing stringent emission norms.
Read the most up to date Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Industry news at FuelCellsWorks
