One of the hardest challenges to achieving a fossil-free electric grid is how to store renewable energy from wind and solar when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
• Converting wind and solar energy to hydrogen allows the energy to be stored indefinitely at a time instead of days.
• Hydrogen maintains its energy potency better than electricity stored in lithium-ion batteries
• It can be transported to regions with limited renewable energy
Because green hydrogen can be stored for long periods, it can be shipped around the world to places in need of a renewable energy. Companies are springing up around Washington to take advantage of the global opportunity in the hydrogen economy while creating jobs on both sides of the Cascades.
A single large container ship can emit cancer and asthma-causing pollutants equivalent to that of 50 million cars. The low-grade bunker fuel used in shipping today contains up to 2,000 times the amount of sulfur compared to diesel fuel in automobiles.
But containerships are among the most challenging sectors to decarbonize, and hydrogen in combination with biofuels offers the only scalable pathway to fully decarbonize these. (McKinsey & Co.)
In addition, hydrogen can serve as an emissions free-replacement for Washington’s ferry system because they don’t require require expensive large batteries and associated charging and infrastructure required by electric ferries.
"The hydrogen industry can help enable the energy transition to a net-zero world.” (Path to Hydrogen Competitiveness Report)
Green hydrogen is compatible with vehicle electrification and both are needed to reduce Washington’s largest source of climate pollution: transportation. In fact, hydrogen cars run by using a hydrogen fuel cell to power an electric battery.
But for long distances and heavy loads, green hydrogen is the better choice to achieve a net-zero emissions goal.
• Hydrogen can be stored for weeks or months, making it ideal for global shipping
• Hydrogen is lightweight and takes up far less space than batteries on trucks or planes
• Hydrogen fueling is much faster, which is essential for long haul trucking and meeting scheduled flight times
