Feds outline plan for hydrogen sector
The federal government on Wednesday unveiled its Hydrogen Strategy for Canada, a 104-page document that lays out the opportunities and benefits of building a hydrogen energy industry, though it's light on details about how to do it.
Hydrogen, the first element on the periodic table and the most abundant on Earth, is a versatile energy carrier that emits zero carbon at the point of use. As a result, it is increasingly drawing interest as an alternative to natural gas, and for applications where electricity is not practical, as countries such as Canada seek to cut their emissions to comply with Paris Agreement targets set in 2016.
The strategy document is mostly aspirational, with the government hoping to cut carbon emissions while also bolstering the economy.
The government said it hopes to help develop Canadian production and build distribution infrastructure over the next five years, while regulations such as clean fuel standards help encourage private investment. It also has said it can dip into its $1.5-billion Low Carbon and Zero Emissions Fuels Fund to help develop hydrogen energy projects.
“A $1.5-billion fund spread across all technologies, that's not a large investment compared to other jurisdictions,” said Simon Dyer, deputy executive director at the Pembina Institute in Edmonton.
But he nonetheless applauded the strategy, because it makes clear that not all hydrogen is the same and that it supports an effort to define a clear carbon-intensity scale: Hydrogen energy can be created using coal and natural gas or, on the other end of the spectrum, wind, hydro and solar power, which have very different carbon profiles.
The document notes that the European Commission is already creating a measurement system that takes into account the total greenhouse-gas emissions associated with hydrogen so that clean producers can be certified as such.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Seamus O'regan, minister of Natural Resources, said he envisions hydrogen as a pathway in helping the country reduce its carbon emissions, while simultaneously bolstering the economy.