The US wants to become a hydrogen production powerhouse

The Biden administration wants to put an end to the pollution caused by fossil fuel by increasing the production of hydrogen fuel. The Department of Energy wants to produce 10 million metric ton of hydrogen by the year 2030.

10 million metric tons of hydrogen is produced in the US every year, but most of it is made with dirty natural gas. Combining natural gas with controversial technologies that capture carbon dioxide emissions as well as make more hydrogen using renewable energy sources would be the new way to go.

It's a high priority technology for this administration.

The deputy secretary of energy said that clean hydrogen is a high priority technology. One word about why that is, and that isVersatility.

It is thought that hydrogen is an alternative fuel. It's possible that it's a cleaner fuel for planes. It is hoped that using hydrogen as fuel could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial processes that need to reach extremely high temperatures, something that is harder for renewable sources like wind and solar to accomplish. When hydrogen is made with excess wind and solar energy, it also serves as a kind of energy storage, similar to a battery, so that abundant renewable power doesn't go to waste.

The reason hydrogen is being sold as a clean fuel is because it releases water Vapor when burned. Hydrogen is only as clean as the energy source that produced it. Electricity can be used to separate water from hydrogen and oxygen. Water can be split to make green hydrogen. Pink hydrogen is made through the use of nuclear energy.

Most of the hydrogen produced today is greenhouse gas emitting. In order to make gray hydrogen, methane gas reacts with high- temperature steam under high pressure in a process that releases carbon dioxide. The Biden administration wants to use technologies that remove CO2 from smokestack emissions in order to make gray hydrogen clean.

Critics argue that it would prolong the reign of fossil fuels. Methane leaks are a big problem for natural gas infrastructure. There are concerns that a hydrogen industry could cause problems. Several environmental groups sent a letter to the US Secretary of Energy earlier this week urging her to remove hydrogen projects from the environmental justice initiatives due to safety concerns.

Critics say it would prolong the reign of fossil fuels.

The hydrogen ambitions of the Biden administration appear to be on track. 20 million metric tons of clean hydrogen can be produced by the year 2040 and 50 million metric tons by the year 2050. According to the Department of Energy, that could reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent. The DOE is soliciting feedback on the strategy before it is finalized.

Up to 10 regional hubs for hydrogen production will be developed by the Biden administration. One of the hubs should use renewable energy to make hydrogen fuel and another should use nuclear energy. Abundant natural gas resources are what the DOE is looking for. One of the largest investments in DOE history will be made by the $7 billion in funding that the DOE opened up yesterday.