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A “road to nowhere?” Or crucial to “our zero-emission future?”
I’ve heard hydrogen labeled both ways as I’ve written about Southern California Gas’ controversial plans to test the safety of blending hydrogen into natural gas pipelines at UC Irvine.
Hydrogen is the smallest and most abundant element on Earth. When burned, it can deliver large quantities of power without emitting carbon. So the invisible, odorless gas has become a key focus in recent years for researchers, regulators and everyone else seeking cleaner substitutes for fossil fuels.
The Inflation Reduction Act dedicates tax credits to encourage development of so-called “green hydrogen.” But what, exactly, is considered “green?” Grist writer Emily Pontecorvo dove into the complicated question and high stakes around that definition. Make the rules too tough and experts told Pontecorvo the nascent hydrogen industry will be wiped out. Make them too loose and experts told her emissions will actually get worse in coming years.
The energy world is listening. During the massive CERAWeek conference last week, Houston Chronicle opinion writer Chris Tomlinson called hydrogen the “belle of the ball,” with “low turnout for the oil and gas CEO speeches and the standing-room-only crowds for clean technology entrepreneurs.”
But most environmental groups consider hydrogen a dead end when it comes to climate change. Beyond limited uses for hard-to-decarbonize sectors, they call hydrogen a risky and costly distraction that simply lets fossil fuel companies extend demand for their products amid heightened pressure to clean up their acts.
Now UC Irvine is on the front lines of that debate. Here are five questions and answers to get you up to speed on how that happened and why you should care.
Why is this project being considered?
The Public Utilities Commission in 2019 asked California gas companies to help develop standards for safely injecting hydrogen into the statewide natural gas system, including older steel and plastic distribution systems that fuel gas-powered appliances found in homes and smaller commercial facilities. The goal was to see how much, if any, hydrogen could be used without causing problems for the pipeline system or appliances. That way, the state could reduce carbon emissions without having to develop a new, dedicated hydrogen gas infrastructure system.
So gas companies and state regulators hope to use results from the UC Irvine study, and others in the works, to help develop those hydrogen injection standards. They argue that any amount of natural gas displaced by hydrogen will lead to lower carbon emissions.
And why UC Irvine?
UC Irvine is home to the National Fuel Cell Research Center, which has been testing hydrogen for years. The center is led by Jack Brouwer, an engineering professor at UCI who’s studied hydrogen for 25 years. Brouwer’s team has worked with SoCalGas on other projects, and he told me this next test seemed a natural fit.
How would it work?
SoCalGas hopes to install an electrolyzer at UC Irvine to make hydrogen by shooting an electrical current (powered by the state grid) through water and splitting hydrogen from oxygen. That hydrogen would be stored in tanks until being injected into a skid, where it would blend with natural gas. The mix then would be delivered to buildings on campus.
Initially, the mix would be just 5% hydrogen. Under that level, a study out of UC Riverside said there are few concerns about how the pipeline system and appliances fueled by it would perform. But after three months, the blend would be bumped up to 10% hydrogen. And at six months, it would hit 20% and stay there for one year.
The gas company’s original plan called for sending the hydrogen blends to buildings on the north end of campus — including the Mesa Arts Building, a freshman dorm, offices and a food court — to fuel equipment “such as ovens, furnaces, water heaters, dryers and boilers.” But after pushback from students and environmental groups, university leaders recently instructed SoCalGas not to include dorm and dining facilities in the plan. No new locations have been selected yet.
What are the potential downsides?
Hydrogen leaks more easily than natural gas alone, since it’s smaller and lighter. Such leaks also are harder to detect. And hydrogen can make pipelines get brittle and potentially fail faster than pipelines carrying natural gas alone.
If hydrogen does leak, emerging research suggests it’s a so-called secondary greenhouse gas that still contributes to global warming. It’s also roughly five times more likely than natural gas to ignite, raising the risk of catastrophic events.
The pilot at UC Irvine also wouldn’t use what some groups consider “green energy,” since it would rely on electricity from the grid. That’s a mix of renewable and fossil fuel energy.
For all of those reasons, the federal Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy recently clarified on Twitter “none of our roadmaps consider home heating a viable use” for hydrogen. So opponents of the UC Irvine project say it’s a waste of money and not worth the risk to send hydrogen to heat buildings and power appliances on campus.
What happens next?
The Public Utilities Commission recently passed new rules requiring changes to the utility’s plans, including requiring a public workshop by this summer. An updated proposal, which should incorporate university leaders’ request to move the project to a new location on campus, is expected in November.
Hours after my latest story deadline, SoCalGas spokesman Brian Haas emailed this statement in response to questions about next steps:
“SoCalGas is still reviewing and analyzing the California Public Utility Commission’s December decision directing additional requirements to the scope of our blending proposal and has yet to determine what changes will be made to amend this application. In the meantime, we continue to work closely with University of California, Irvine, to incorporate feedback from the university and their students into our amended application. This includes scheduling a public workshop prior to mid-June.”
In the meantime, interested parties can sign up to be notified when the utility commission considers the project. They can also send comments of support, opposition or questions to the commission, to UC Irvine and to SoCalGas.
— Brooke Staggs, environment reporter
ENERGIZE
Willow is a go: No, this isn’t a Southern California project. But the Biden administration’s decision to approve the massive Willow oil-drilling project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope has implications for everything from energy security to climate change to politics. …READ MORE…
REGULATE
Waste not welcome: A new bill would make it illegal to send new toxic waste to the Stringfellow Acid Pits in Jurupa Valley. The move comes after containers of lead-laced soil from the Exide battery recycling plant in Los Angeles County were moved to the Riverside County site. Our Sarah Hofmann has the tale. …READ MORE…
Startling detail: Between 1956 and the 1970s, “approximately 34 million gallons of liquid hazardous waste were deposited in unlined evaporation ponds” at Stringfellow.
HYDRATE
Storms rage on: As California’s onslaught of weather continues, Donner Summit near Lake Tahoe is posting its fourth highest snowpack on record, at 52 feet and counting. That bodes well for drought conditions. But the wet winter is still causing problems for San Bernardino mountain residents and businesses. Rains also triggered massive flooding in Tulare County, with Orange County fire crews rushing to help with rescues. And rains are expected to start again this morning into Wednesday, with a chance of more to come next week.
Climate link: Climate change isn’t weather. But this BBC article does a good job of explaining how the two are linked, with a warming planet triggering wilder swings in weather.
Not forever: The EPA this morning announced that utilities for the first time will be required to remove two toxic chemicals, among the class known as “forever chemicals,” from drinking water. The New York Times reports that the synthetic chemicals have been linked to a wide range of health issues and are estimated to be in drinking water going to as many as 200 million Americans. …READ MORE…
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TRANSPORT
Sea rise hits the rails: Orange County Transportation Authority officials are hoping new studies – expected to cost about $7 million – will shed light on solutions for a 7-mile stretch of train tracks through Dana Point and San Clemente that run right along the shore, some of which has already been damaged by the encroaching sea. Our Laylan Connelly has the story. …READ MORE…
PROTECT
Grounding growth: Residents around Van Nuys Airport are voicing concerns about increases in noise and pollution as traffic from private and charter flights grows. They’re requesting a moratorium on new projects at the airport until a new environmental impact study is conducted and a plan to mitigate the airport’s effects on residents is in place. Our correspondent Delilah Brumer has the story. …READ MORE…
That stinks: New research, which included studies of California sites, shows wastewater treatments plants emit twice as much planet-warming methane as previously thought. Grist reporter Siri Chilukuri has a story on the study. …READ MORE…
Key quote: “Wastewater treatment plants are a major source of greenhouse gasses in cities and we need to start treating them like that.”
One of the waterfalls along the Murray Canyon Trail to Seven Falls in the Agua Caliente Indian Canyons. The site is included in a new Visit Native California hub on the state tourism bureau’s website. (Photo by Brooke Staggs, Orange County Register/SCNG)
EXPLORE
Native California: The state’s tourism bureau just launched a new online hub called Visit Native California, which aims to help residents and visitors plan trips to places linked to the original occupants of the area. As Condé Nast Traveler reports, the site launched with some 500 places to go, from state parks to Native-owned breweries, cultural centers to hikes. One of my favorite hikes I’ve been on so far this year made the cut: Murray Canyon Trail to Seven Falls in the Agua Caliente Indian Canyons, seen above.
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