350 Wenatchee Climate Conversations NCW

Here is the recording of the presentation:
https://youtu.be/BSe_HOYbPo8
Here are the slides, with notes and sources in the presenter notes:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KCpsGURCP-hMShgvfPypwHmIOV2OVYACr0o1QBvDWjI/edit?usp=sharing

Neal can be contacted with questions or requests to give additional presentations at sagan2112@yahoo.com

Below are three key takeaways to understand:
1) The only truly clean form of hydrogen is ‘green’ hydrogen made from renewables and then converted back to electricity in fuel cells.
This is essentially the same as using renewables directly, except that it requires 3 times as much solar or wind energy to produce, so we should use electricity directly wherever we can, such as in buildings and vehicles, and save green hydrogen for where there’s no alternative, such as long-haul shipping and aviation. Most hydrogen today is made from fossil fuels (labeled ‘gray’ or ‘blue’ hydrogen).

2) There is a difference between “green” hydrogen and “clean” hydrogen.
Green hydrogen carries a legal definition, guaranteeing it is from renewable means. “Clean” carries no legal meaning, and industry can use the term as it chooses. This language difference is very important when policy is being written.

3) Gas lighting & Greenwashing Opportunities
In addition to promoting blue hydrogen as a false solution, the gas industry may also attempt to blend green hydrogen into existing gas pipelines. This is pure greenwashing – there are no legitimate individual consumer uses for hydrogen.

We also recommend checking out this brief article by Earthjustice recently released regarding hydrogen: https://earthjustice.org/features/green-hydrogen-renewable-zero-emission