Don't Cede Hydrogen Energy Leadership to China

[Caribbeans]

A production engineer works at the new ThyssenKrupp Nucera SOEC green hydrogen components pilot plant on May 27, 2025, in Arnstadt, Germany. (Jens Schlueter via Getty Images)

Don’t Cede Hydrogen Energy Leadership to China

Brigham McCown | Jun 18, 2025 | Detroit News

The American energy industry stands at a strategic inflection point. A confluence of rising electricity demand driven by AI data centers, electric vehicles, domestic manufacturing and intensifying global competition is reshaping the United States’ approach to its energy future. Yet, despite these emerging opportunities, U.S. energy policy remains mired in regulatory uncertainty and political volatility, particularly regarding the future of natural gas and its role in producing clean hydrogen.

These dynamics threaten to undermine the nation’s competitive edge.

The 2022 passage of the Inflation Reduction Act marked a significant pivot toward government-led incentives for clean energy technologies, including renewables, carbon capture and hydrogen. However, implementation challenges, such as complex regulatory guidance, technology-specific mandates, and an overemphasis on environmental requirements, undermined deployment timelines and diluted the intended economic effect.

In response, the administration has adjusted its approach. Efforts under the “Energy Dominance” agenda have focused on increasing domestic oil and gas production, reforming federal permitting, and restoring the role of dispatchable energy resources.

However, legislative alignment remains essential, and Congress could strengthen the agenda by unleashing American gas producers to secure greater market share globally through emerging solutions like hydrogen...more
https://www.hudson.org/energy/mccown-dont-cede-hydrogen-energy-leadership-china-brigham-mccown

Brigham McCown
Senior Fellow and Director, Initiative on American Energy Security

Energy, Environment, National Security and Defense, Foreign Policy, Regulation, Innovation
https://www.hudson.org/experts/1473-brigham-mccown

Remember: While 'Murikants argue, China builds

[NNadir]

1. The only way to take "leadership" in the dumb idea of making hydrogen...

Last edited Fri Jun 20, 2025, 08:26 AM - Edit history (1)

...is to increase the production of fossil fuels.

As I noted in a recent post, the 50 year old hydrogen hype cycles have always been an effort to greenwash fossil fuels.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. We might ask, "Why are China and Europe spending so much more on hydrogen than the US?"

Do ”they" know something ”we" don’t?


IEA (2024), Global Hydrogen Review 2024 - IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2024 - Page 139 - Figure 5.1 - Investment in electrolyser installations by region and intended use, 2019-2024, Licence: CC BY 4.0

I think it’s worth pointing out that contrary to popular imagination, the primary intended use of all of this hydrogen is not for transportation.