Hydrogen: The Time is Now

A Call to Action

Watch the full conversation HERE .

Collaboration, Technologies, Talent. These three themes dominated the discussion between two leaders passionate about decarbonization and the role hydrogen will play in achieving global net-zero goals. Dr. Alexander N. Cartwright , President of the University of Central Florida (UCF), and Bill Newsom , President and CEO of Mitsubishi Power Americas, provided their insight in a fireside chat at the UCF Hydrogen Forum, an event bringing together experts from academia, the government, and industry to focus on what it will take to create a hydrogen economy.

As companies and countries strive toward net-zero carbon goals — many targeting the year 2050 — hydrogen is gaining momentum as a key technology that will enable them to reach these goals. While the path toward a hydrogen economy looks promising, it is complex and will require overcoming large hurdles, such as scaling production, storage, and distribution.

We are at a landmark time with the recent Inflation Reduction Act’s $369 billion in clean energy climate provisions, including a stand-alone $3 per kilogram hydrogen production tax credit. It will be a game changer for bringing hydrogen to scale and helping move the energy transition forward to ensure clean, reliable, affordable, and accessible power generation.

The power generation sector has seen big successes in achieving 40% reduction in carbon emissions in the in the last two decades, yet Newsom noted that it still has a long way to get to net zero, “One thing is very clear: We have to have unprecedented collaboration to meet this moonshot goal. It will take diverse ideas and innovation and forward-thinking team members to get us there.”

Cartwright concurred that to attain our goals we need to focus on our strengths to move forward on these tough challenges with the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, educational institutions, industry, and government. UCF views hydrogen infrastructure holistically, in a broader context than just power generation. UCF has taken a national leadership position in decarbonization of aviation and various industry sectors, while reaffirming UCF’s commitment to a sustainable campus.

Both Mitsubishi Power and UCF are working toward decarbonization efforts that will help society as a whole. They are looking even beyond power generation, toward decarbonizing other sectors. The presidents used the forum as a call to action to create an ecosystem for clean energy, providing details about successes as examples and as a springboard for future action.

Watch the full conversation HERE .