How Green is California's 'Green Hydrogen'?
Ru Chen
· 3 min read
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), transportation accounts for around 29% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Hydrogen is currently used in fuel cells of fuel cell
electric vehicles
, and overall, EVs do seem to produce fewer lifetime emissions. However, the process can still produce a substantial amount of pollution.A hydrogen firm in
California
, SG H2 Energy, is planning a special hydrogen production facility to make hydrogen production cleaner and cheaper. 
How would this California hydrogen facility be more eco-friendly?
This gasification is supposed to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions more than the electrolysis from renewable energy does.
At the moment, renewable energy electrolysis creates hydrogen in the cleanest way we have. If this Californian facility is able to find a better production method, it could be a meaningful eco-friendly improvement.
This facility will use waste paper and recycled water in its production. The City of Lancaster, California, which co-owns the facility, will provide the necessary resources.
The facility is located on a 5-acre plot. Production is scheduled to start in mid to late 2023.
Once the facility reaches full capacity, it should produce 3.85 million kgs of hydrogen annually and process 42,000 tons of recycled waste.
Through this process, the city would save $50 to $75 per ton.
Currently, the Japanese industrial-gas company, Iwatani, plans to purchase most of the hydrogen itself in California. There definitely is growing interest in this type of hydrogen production.
This arrangement is meant to reduce landfill methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Is this ‘green’ hydrogen really better than renewable energy?
Potentially. Green Car Reports warns that not all hydrogen advocates believe in going green, despite hydrogen’s potential.
There is a bipartisan infrastructure bill that includes “hydrogen hub” provisions that use coal. Considering the widespread attempt of automakers to move away from coal, going back to coal seems shortsighted.
This new type of hydrogen facility could reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than other methods. If so, it might be worth creating the infrastructure to prepare for hydrogen production and distribution.
Expert analysts say that hydrogen from renewables could be cost-competitive by 2030, so it could push ‘dirtier’, less green hydrogen out of the market.
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