NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., will join energy leaders from two continents when he takes part in a panel discussion on Wednesday, June 9, at the inaugural Hydrogen Americas Summit to discuss opportunities and challenges to expand the use of hydrogen as a clean-burning fuel.

“NETL performs research on a wide range of hydrogen technologies including carbon-free hydrogen and hydrogen carrier production through methane pyrolysis and advanced reaction processes like microwave catalysis. Our long history in the development of advanced materials for hydrogen transportation and novel combustion techniques like pressure-gain combustion have great potential to assist with meeting the Biden Administration’s goals for a carbon emission-free electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050,” Anderson said.

He continued, “The Hydrogen Americas Summit provides an opportunity to interact with governments and industry leaders from the U.S., Canada, Chile, Uruguay, Guyana, Bolivia, Panama and Colombia to explore the future of the hydrogen industry across North and South America. In addition to the in-house research portfolio that we are advancing, NETL manages a portfolio of projects to unlock the full potential of hydrogen. I am excited to share our innovations with this world-wide audience.”

Anderson will serve as a panelist for a session on Commercial Opportunities in Blue Hydrogen for Existing Gas Markets, which will be held at 10:05 a.m. (ET). Click here for information about the Hydrogen Americas Summit and to register for sessions.

Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of sources, with varying costs and emissions. The most likely sources of hydrogen are either fossil fuels paired with carbon capture technologies or water splitting driven by renewable electricity; these pathways are commonly referred to as “blue” and “green” hydrogen, respectively.

Hydrogen produced by the electrochemical splitting of water using renewable electricity has seen some decline in baseload cost of production but is still significantly more expensive than hydrogen produced from steam methane reforming of natural gas, even when the cost of capturing and storing carbon dioxide is included.

Blue hydrogen can support many applications that are difficult to decarbonize, as the cost of renewably driven electrolysis of water to produce green hydrogen continues to fall. NETL also is advancing technology to store large amounts of hydrogen and use it in turbines or fuel cells to generate zero-carbon electricity for the grid. 

Topics to be explored by Anderson and other panelists include hydrogen distribution as a key proponent to costs; combining cost and carbon efficiency in hydrogen distribution methods; safety, policy and cost considerations in hydrogen blending; and sustainable opportunities in natural gas infrastructure integration.

NETL collaborates with partners in industry and at research universities to address these issues. Anderson noted existing projects are developing technologies to improve the integrity, reliability and safety of hydrogen transportation infrastructure, including pipelines and compression stations.

In addition, projects supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s University Turbines Systems Research program are advancing hydrogen as a high-performing, efficient gas for turbine-based electricity generation. Research is addressing the use of pure hydrogen, hydrogen and natural gas mixtures, and other carbon-free hydrogen containing fuels to enhance the performance and efficiency of combustion turbines.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.