Testimony Before the United States Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources FULL COMMITTEE HEARING ON CLEAN HYDROGEN

The testimony asserts that while electrification is critical, approximately 60% of U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions come from sectors like heavy industry and long-haul transport that are difficult to electrify. Hydrogen is presented as a versatile, carbon-free energy carrier capable of addressing these gaps. The author highlights specific opportunities in long-haul trucking, aviation, marine shipping, and ironmaking, while noting that the U.S. may require between 8 and 18 quads of hydrogen per year by 2050 for full decarbonization. To achieve this, the document advocates for federal R&D, the development of Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the implementation of production tax incentives to reduce costs through scaling.

• A significant portion of U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions arise from sectors that are difficult to decarbonize through electrification alone, specifically heavy surface transportation, shipping, aviation, and heavy industries such as chemicals and steel.
• Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) offer substantial advantages over battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for long-haul Class 8 trucks, including a drivetrain weight reduction of approximately 15,000 pounds and significantly faster refueling times.
• The aviation and marine shipping sectors are identified as requiring zero-carbon fuels due to the extreme weight and size limitations of current battery technology for long-distance travel.
• Ammonia, produced from low-carbon hydrogen, is presented as a primary decarbonization candidate for transoceanic shipping due to its superior volumetric energy density compared to hydrogen.
• Hydrogen can decarbonize the industrial sector, particularly ironmaking, by replacing carbon-based reducing agents with hydrogen to produce water instead of CO2.
• Projections for U.S. hydrogen demand by 2050 vary by source, with CATF modeling suggesting a requirement of 8 to 18 quads per year, while other analyses suggest around 9 to 10 quads.
• The scale of renewable energy required to produce clean hydrogen for high-demand sites is immense; for example, replacing jet fuel at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airport would require over 24 GW of solar installations, exceeding the current total photovoltaic capacity of four southeastern U.S. states combined.
• The Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub program is viewed as a critical mechanism to overcome the 'chicken-and-egg' problem of supply and demand by creating localized networks of production and end-use.

APA

Fowler, M. (2022). Testimony Before the United States Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources FULL COMMITTEE HEARING ON CLEAN HYDROGEN. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/10142650/mike-fowler-testimony-enr.pdf

Chicago

Fowler, Mike. Testimony Before the United States Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources FULL COMMITTEE HEARING ON CLEAN HYDROGEN. Clean Air Task Force, 2022. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/10142650/mike-fowler-testimony-enr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Fowler |first1=Mike |title=Testimony Before the United States Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources FULL COMMITTEE HEARING ON CLEAN HYDROGEN |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=10 February 2022 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/10142650/mike-fowler-testimony-enr.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{fowler2022testimony, author = {Fowler, Mike}, title = {{Testimony Before the United States Senate Committee on Energy \& Natural Resources FULL COMMITTEE HEARING ON CLEAN HYDROGEN}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/10142650/mike-fowler-testimony-enr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }