Hydrogen is all the rage in the Netherlands at the moment because it "saves billions". Here Robert vd Hoed (who studied hydrogen for a living at ECN for seven years or so if memory serves) nuances the story.
TL;DR The billions in savings are NOT due to hydrogen but due to NOT DOING CCS.
Remarkable is that reusing the existing pipelines for gas is MORE expensive than electric cables according to the report.
Remarkable is that reusing the existing pipelines for gas is MORE expensive than electric cables according to the report.
Just to be clear: Robert vd Hoed and I both advocate for investing in hydrogen research & I'm a fan of hydrogen for seasonal storage.
But we abhor the way the media laps up the hydrogen spin that claims everything gets better if you convert electricity to hydrogen and back.
But we abhor the way the media laps up the hydrogen spin that claims everything gets better if you convert electricity to hydrogen and back.
I'm usually not prone to conspiracy theories but I wonder what companies are behind barrage of spin. I would not be surprised if it's due to the fact that hydrogen saves Shell billions because they don't have to clean up pipelines or something. Or it's about subsidies.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Oh, and before we forget: >95% of hydrogen is currently made from natural gas.
So it's only 'natural' to assume that the natural gas lobby loves this. They can use the positive image to sell natural gas repackaged as hydrogen to customers looking for green energy.
So it's only 'natural' to assume that the natural gas lobby loves this. They can use the positive image to sell natural gas repackaged as hydrogen to customers looking for green energy.
