GTI in plan to develop hydrogen carbon-intensity protocols

US research provider GTI said February 16 it had joined with the US Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and S&P Global Platts to develop protocols for measuring the carbon intensity of hydrogen production.

The Open Hydrogen Initiative, or OHI, will offer additional transparency into the environmental impacts of hydrogen production and overcome the limitations of the “colour-wheel” labeling model, GTI said.

“As hydrogen generation and use scales up, the market needs to adopt a consistent approach to the assessment of hydrogen’s greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint that is agnostic to the different production technologies, modes of transportation and end-use sector,” NETL director Brian Anderson said.

An apples-to-apples comparison of hydrogen production comparison, including at the asset level, would more accurately reflect the environmental bona fides of a given kilogram of produced hydrogen, GTI said, and provide benefits throughout the hydrogen value chain.

“The world is rapidly preparing for aggressive decarbonisation, and having access to precise carbon intensity assessments is no longer ‘nice-to-have’ but required,” said Paula Gant, GTI’s senior vice president of strategy and innovation. “With hydrogen applications increasing, more sophisticated measurement solutions are needed to assess the carbon intensity impacts of using this energy source.”