Full Title: Hydrogen: Not a Solution for Gas-Fired Turbines
Author(s): Dennis Wamsted
Publisher(s): Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis
Publication Date: August 1, 2024
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Description (excerpt):
Electric utilities and project developers have latched on to the “hydrogen-ready” and “hydrogencapable” tags in describing their plans to build new methane gas-fired (popularly called natural gasfired) power plants. State regulators and potential project investors need to scrutinize assertions that hydrogen gas will be widely used in methane-fired turbines. IEEFA concludes that these assertions amount to little more than marketing designed to obscure the myriad shortcomings and unanswered questions associated with using hydrogen in methane-fired turbines, particularly regarding the enormous cost and lengthy time that would be required to build out the infrastructure needed for such a transition.
Utilities and merchant developers have announced “hydrogen-ready” projects in at least 18 states in the past several years, running the gamut from technology demonstrations to large-scale commercial developments. But the reality is that for at least the next 10 years, any “hydrogen capable” gas-fired power plant is going to operate almost completely, if not completely, using methane. As such, those projects should be evaluated on that basis—not some hoped-for, potentially less environmentally damaging fuel that is years from broad commercial availability.