Letter on hydrogen: The generation game

Hydrogen is making inroads as a fuel for power plants as governments seek clean fuels to back up intermittent wind and solar

Energy economists are quick to point out that producing electrolytic hydrogen for use as a power generation fuel does not really stack up in terms of energy losses and various other cost and efficiency factors. Would renewable power not be better used directly to help meet the expected surge in electricity demand as the transition accelerates, instead of converting it into hydrogen molecules and then ‘re-electrifying’ via a fuel cell or turbine? Well, yes and no. A growing number of governments and utilities are stepping up efforts to establish hydrogen as a generation fuel over the next couple of decades. A growing number of governments and utilities are stepping up efforts to establi