Gas lobby | Scientific journal launches investigation into suspect study recommending hydrogen for heating
After revelations that fossil-gas lobbyists had funded the paper and written some of its recommendations, it might now be retracted
Hydrogen: hype, hope and the hard truths around its role in the energy transition
It is not clear how long the investigation will take.
“This is the appropriate action for the journal to take,” said Robert Howarth, professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University, who has published hydrogen research and has led three scientific journals. “They need to see if things were done incorrectly or wrongly.”
The study did declare that it had been funded by the Associated Industry of Massachusetts (AIM) Foundation, a local business association that has received funding from the above companies, but noted: “Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the AIM Foundation or the stakeholders interviewed.”
And it added: “The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.”
- Develop a hydrogen policy integrating hydrogen in the thermal sector in Massachusetts;
- Create a pilot program for gas distribution companies to mix hydrogen with natural gas for thermal delivery;
- Make sure the gas pipeline system is ready for use when green hydrogen becomes available for thermal needs, and make sure the state’s programme to safeguard the gas system is upgraded with hydrogen-compatible standards;
- Create subsidies for green hydrogen that can be utilised by natural gas suppliers.
The paper also lists challenges for hydrogen implementation that “need to be overcome in order to be commercially mature”, explaining that “a wholesale shift to change to a 100% hydrogen system would require a significant investment in infrastructure and technology”.
“Hydrogen for heating necessitates more energy supply infrastructure, uses more resources and requires more land,” the meta-analysis noted. “Hydrogen use for domestic heating is less economic, less efficient, more resource intensive, and associated with larger environmental impacts.”
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