Renewable electrolytic hydrogen produced by using electricity drawn from wind and solar sources delivers its greatest societal value when applied to steelmaking, transoceanic shipping and long-haul heavy-duty trucking, according to University of California, Irvine researchers.
Renewable electrolytic hydrogen produced by using electricity drawn from wind and solar sources delivers its greatest societal value when applied to steelmaking, transoceanic shipping and long-haul heavy-duty trucking, according to University of California, Irvine researchers.
Their findings, published recently in the journal Joule, quantify the social costs and benefits of clean energy transitions across major industrial and transportation sectors. They also provide policymakers and industry leaders with a data-driven framework to prioritize hydrogen investments for maximum public benefit. These social benefits include less climate damage, cleaner air and improved human health.
“Electrolytic hydrogen is a critical tool for decarbonizing sectors that are otherwise difficult to electrify directly, such as heavy industry and long-range freight transport,” said Jeff Reed, senior fellow at the UC Irvine Clean Energy Institute who developed the research concept and led the study effort. “However, widespread adoption faces significant barriers, including high production costs, substantial energy requirements and limited supply.”
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The ports, refineries and petrochemical plants of Greater Los Angeles are major emitters of greenhouse gases. A recent study conducted by UC Irvine researchers concluded that replacing fossil fuels with renewable hydrogen in applications such as steelmaking, transoceanic shipping and heavy-duty freight trucking would provide the greatest social benefit in terms of reduced climate impacts and air pollution and improved public health. (Photo Credit: Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)
