What color is your hydrogen?

Last week at Hannover Messe I met some of the most enthusiastic supporters of hydrogen in the world. The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Pavilion was packed with innovative products and approaches to deliver hydrogen solutions for cleaner energy generation and transportation fuel.

I learn something new about hydrogen every day, I welcome your comments.

How is hydrogen labeled from a production and consumption perspective in your part of the world?

Coal

My energy journey with hydrogen started when I was growing up in West Virginia with bituminous coal (the official state rock) that includes high percentages of carbon and much lower percentages of hydrogen. If there was a black hydrogen?

Natural Gas

During my career with a leading oil and gas producer, I started to focus more on natural gas or methane. Natural gas has one carbon atom attached by single bonds to four hydrogen atoms (CH4).  When oil is produced associated natural gas is produced with it. With increased volumes of oil produced in the United States or around the world we also have increased volumes of natural gas.

Natural gas is increasingly being used as a cleaner alternative to coal, fuel oil and propane for power, electric and or heat. Natural gas is also a cleaner burning fuel for transportation displacing gasoline, diesel and bunker fuel.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen has proved to be an influential fuel. It has been used as a propulsion fuel since the early days of space flight. It is a light and extremely powerful rocket propellant -- has the lowest molecular weight of any known substance and burns with extreme intensity.

Compressed hydrogen or liquefied hydrogen provide a zero tailpipe emissions alternative for vehicles or high horse power engines. It can also be used as a clean energy power source.

Brown or Grey Hydrogen?

The four molecules of hydrogen in abundant affordable natural gas is also an attractive option for producing hydrogen as an alternative fuel. Today, 95% of the hydrogen produced in the United States is made by natural gas reforming in large central plants. Hydrogen sourced from fossil fuel is often referred to as “brown or grey hydrogen”. 

Green Hydrogen?

Hydrogen produced by water electrolysis can use renewable electricity sourced from solar panels, wind turbines, and hydroelectric dams to generate 100% “green hydrogen” fuel. 

Blue Hydrogen?

I have also read that if carbon capture and storage with the fossil fuel reforming the hydrogen produced is also CO2-neutral. This hydrogen is often called “blue hydrogen”.

Yellow Hydrogen?

I have had the privilege to learn more about renewable natural gas (RNG) or biogas in recent years as well as hydrogen production that does not include fossil fuel natural gas reforming.

RNG comes from biogas produced from existing waste streams including waste water, landfills, animal waste, crop residuals and food waste. RNG has the same molecular structure as fossil fuel natural gas, CH4. It can be injected into gas pipelines for distribution or used in natural gas powered vehicles like fossil fuel natural gas. It can offer a double climate benefit as it replaces fossil fuels with renewable fuels while stopping methane from leaking into the atmosphere from sources such as livestock and landfills. Natural gas reforming using RNG instead of fossil fuel natural gas also provides a form of “yellow hydrogen”. 

Different Color Hydrogen?

Could it also be argued that using fossil fuel natural gas to produce hydrogen could provide the same double climate benefit if it uses associated gas that was produced with oil that would otherwise be vented or flared? Another color?

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful comments or questions.