Publication
Scaling Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Factsheet)
This factsheet summarizes the policy recommendations in our Regional Roundtable brief on Scaling Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Washington State.
Hydrogen is having a moment.
Heralded for decades as the “fuel of the future,” the most common element in the universe is again gaining recognition for its potential role in decarbonizing some of the most challenging sectors of society.
Hydrogen investments in the United States doubled in value between 2020 and 2021. In addition, the Department of Energy has launched a Hydrogen Shot initiative to drastically reduce the price of clean hydrogen. Congress has expressed support for clean hydrogen, too, including passing billions of dollars for hydrogen technology as part of last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law.
Numerous states are now vying for a slice of that funding, including Utah, which has earned international attention for its multiple industry-leading hydrogen projects.
To explore the opportunities and challenges for clean hydrogen in Utah, C2ES held a virtual roundtable discussion in November 2021. Our state policy team brought together more than 90 local leaders from business, state, and local government, nonprofits, universities, and other organizations, who shared their views on the future of hydrogen in the state.
The outcomes from the roundtable are detailed in our new policy brief, Fueling a Low-Carbon Future in Utah: The Role of Hydrogen.
We learned that interest in hydrogen in Utah is high, from government and private sector investors making high-profile hydrogen deals to curious local government leaders who’ve heard the hydrogen hype and want to know more.
But with that interest come questions. What impact will hydrogen production have on Utah’s water availability and air quality? For which applications will hydrogen be a competitive decarbonization tool? And what can the state do to improve public awareness and hydrogen infrastructure in a way that can foster market growth for hydrogen technologies?
These questions may be driven by Utah-specific concerns, but they apply to the hydrogen industry’s success at both the national and international levels. Answering these questions and better characterizing hydrogen’s potential in locally relevant ways will be critical to scaling the sector and realizing the tangible benefits hydrogen can bring across the country, including the potential for improved air quality, jobs, infrastructure improvements, and more.
Major points during the discussion included:
Read the full brief to learn more: Fueling a Low-Carbon Future in Utah:The Role of Hydrogen