Clean Hydrogen in Houston

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What’s the lightest element in the universe? My scale tells me it’s not me—apparently it’s hydrogen, which is light, abundant, and a potential key to a low-carbon future. 

The element is already being used to refine fuels and create ammonia. While most of it is currently made from fossil fuel, there’s a rainbow of ratings to clean it up, with gray, brown, and black representing higher-emission hydrogen and green, blue, and gold indicating cleaner sources. 

Hydrogen is a great source of energy, but it requires energy to create it. The energy used in production is what deems hydrogen blue or black or something in between. 

The bipartisan infrastructure law provides $9.5 billion in funding for hydrogen projects in the U.S., and our hometown Houston just released a report that found H-town could be a prime spot for one of the country’s hydrogen hubs. 

Houston already produces and consumes one-third of the nation’s hydrogen and has more than half of the country’s dedicated hydrogen pipelines. The report estimates that clean hydrogen in Houston could create 180,000 jobs statewide, add $100 billion to Texas’ GDP, and abate 220 million tons (MT) tons of carbon emissions by 2050.

H + H-Town could = green