The climate impact of hydrogen emissions: consequences for natural hydrogen
PresentationSurface Indicators
2025-11-13 | 11:30 AM - 11:45 AM | Conference Room 2
Abstract
Recent momentum and investment in hydrogen as a tool for decarbonization have brought into focus the climate benefits and risks related to building out hydrogen systems. Hydrogen indirectly causes warming when released into the atmosphere. While the chemical processes by which hydrogen contributes to warming have been understood for decades, the potential impact of hydrogen emissions in scenarios with high deployment was not recognized or quantified until recently. The climate benefits of hydrogen deployment can be undermined if value chain hydrogen emissions are high. Yet, there remains a lack of empirical data on actual hydrogen emission rates from current infrastructure, making it challenging to assess the full climate implications of hydrogen deployment. Improving hydrogen emissions measurement is critical as global interest grows in geologic hydrogen as a potential energy source. A better understanding and quantifying of hydrogen emissions as part of the energy system—whether from manufactured or natural origins—will build confidence in the climate benefits of a hydrogen economy. This talk will provide an overview of the state of science on the atmospheric impact of hydrogen emissions, what we know and don’t know about sources and magnitude of emissions, ongoing research by EDF and others in hydrogen emissions quantification, and major knowledge gaps on this topic. Additionally, a brief summary of other EDF research topics that have synergistic overlap with geologic hydrogen, including subsurface hydrogen storage and enhanced geothermal energy, will be discussed.
Authors: Irving D. Rettig, Tianyi Sun, Roland Kupers, Sofia Esquivel-Elizondo, Steven P. Hamburg
