This blog was written by Elise Georgeff. Elise is an Associate Researcher with the Marine Team at the International Council on Clean Transportation. She supports research on zero-emission vessel alternatives and addressing impacts on marine protected areas from shipping activity. Currently, Ms. Georgeff is aiding the ICCT Marine Team on a series of route-based ZEV feasibility studies, focusing on applying green technology to existing ship types and voyages.
The first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration could be a whirlwind of climate action. The United States will seek to rejoin the Paris Agreement, and other initiatives could bring investment in green jobs and infrastructure and new clean energy incentives. The Biden Plan for A Clean Energy Revolution considers a number of industries and includes efforts to reduce the cost of “green” hydrogen production. That’s great, but even more can be done to support hydrogen’s potential for shipping.
Overview
Hydrogen has over the last century enjoyed repeated bouts of interest as a fuel source. Though these have repeatedly fallen flat, hydrogen-based production has recently enjoyed a renaissance, due to a trifecta of improving political, economic, and technological conditions. Importantly, hydrogen presents an answer to a major problem in the energy transition debate: decarbonizing fuel sources while maintaining energy security and reliability. While electrification has a first-mover advantage in certain areas (e.g., light-duty vehicles), hydrogen is seen as particularly viable in “hard-to-decarbonize” sectors such as heavy-duty transportation, which requires fuel supply for substantial distance and payloads.
These trends are still nascent. There has long been a small hydrogen market, primarily for industrial applications;