Hydrogen may be the long-term solution to decarbonizing the U.S. energy future, rather than electrification, on the basis of cost and long-term grid capacity, according to a mix of energy thinkers analyzing the future transition away from natural gas and other fossil fuels.

natural gas consumption

In the transportation sector alone, electrification’s added transmission grid upgrades would far exceed the cost of investing in green hydrogen and applying it as long-term storage for renewable-produced power that otherwise would be wasted.

Other nations like the UK and Germany are already looking beyond just electrification to hydrogen through a reformed natural gas system that will be “more resilient and  cheaper to transform” in a zero emissions network at the same time the power grid is being...