Hydrogen Forward: Who We Are and What We Stand For

April 6, 2021

Who We Are: Hydrogen Forward is a joint initiative of 11 companies committed to advancing hydrogen for a cleaner, stronger U.S. economy. The coalition works in concert with allies across industries and sectors to educate decisionmakers and other stakeholders on the value hydrogen delivers today and the important role that it should play in our future. Our diverse coalition is made up of companies committed to decarbonization and active across the full hydrogen value chain: Air Liquide, Anglo American, Bloom Energy, CF Industries, Chart  Industries Inc., Cummins Inc., Hyundai, Linde, McDermott, Shell, and Toyota.

What Are The Benefits of Accelerated Hydrogen Adoption? Accelerating the adoption of hydrogen solutions and related infrastructure across the U.S. will help the country achieve its climate goals, while also building a resilient economy and creating new, well-paying jobs.

Hydrogen is a key domestic resource that can lower emissions and contribute to climate goals. To achieve national decarbonization goals, the U.S. needs a strategy that promotes renewables, carbon capture technology, and long-term energy storage across industries and sectors. Hydrogen can help by enabling largescale, efficient renewable energy integration into the power grid; utilizing existing pipeline infrastructure to distribute energy across sectors and geographies; and decarbonizing transportation, industry, and heating.

Industry: Hydrogen is currently the only zero-emission technology capable of producing the extreme heat necessary for the production of cement, steel, glass, and other industrial materials. Hydrogen is the ideal energy and storage mechanism to help meet the decarbonization needs of those and other energy-intensive industries.

Transportation: Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are zero-emission vehicles that run on hydrogen and emit only water. FCEVs can significantly reduce transportation-related emissions, which account for 28% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. FCEVs are particularly useful for heavy-duty vehicles and long-haul trucking, where hydrogen is lighter, faster fueling, and more energy dense than batteries alone.

Environmental Equity: Hydrogen production and consumption can occur nearly anywhere in the U.S., providing opportunities to secure environmental justice for disadvantaged communities in regions that typically have less clean energy or suffer most from pollution.

Renewables: With the help of hydrogen, utilities across the country can harness wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources and incorporate it on a large-scale into the power grid. Hydrogen’s unique properties enables it to act as a carrier for energy produced from renewables, making it a key component in the drive to decarbonize the grid.

Energy Security: Because hydrogen can be produced and used in the United States, it is a key resource in limiting reliance on foreign energy and critical mineral imports. And, as the energy transition transforms global markets, the U.S. can take a leadership role in the development of hydrogen-related technologies.

Domestic Production: Hydrogen can be produced and used in the United States, capturing the full economic and jobs benefits of the value chain, including good-paying union and non-union jobs across the country. All states across the U.S. stand to benefit from increased hydrogen production, infrastructure, and value chain growth.

Job Creation: With policy support, a hydrogen economy could produce 700,000 jobs by 2030 and 3.4 million jobs by 2050. One recent study predicted hydrogen could be a $130 billion domestic industry by 2030.

What’s Next for Hydrogen in The U.S.? Hydrogen Forward supports the establishment of a national hydrogen strategy that outlines a clear, comprehensive approach to hydrogen and related infrastructure development. Such an approach will accelerate the energy transition, reinforce the U.S. energy economy and climate  leadership, and enable rapid, large-scale adoption of hydrogen solutions. Above all, Hydrogen Forward and our member companies are focused on efforts that drive decarbonization of the U.S. economy. We believe that policies should activate a diverse array of  decarbonization technologies, including hydrogen, that work together to accelerate the energy transition.

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