Decarbonizing industry and meeting our greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets is no small challenge — but it’s of the upmost importance for a sustainable future.
To that end, we’ve already seen significant changes to Canada’s energy mix over the past few decades. The rise of renewables, big battery storage and alternative fuel sources has greatly enhanced our progress and potential for a low-carbon energy sector. And the next step on this journey? Accelerating the hydrogen economy.
Hydrogen has massive potential as a low-carbon fuel source — in fact, in some circumstances, it is the only viable pathway to decarbonization. Yet establishing hydrogen as a significant part of Canada’s energy mix is not without challenges.
To maximize the potential of hydrogen fuel, we need to do two key things: create demand for this fuel in the market, and find a reliable, safe and economical way to transport it to the end-user.
Fortunately, the solution to both of these challenges lies right under our feet: we can utilize our existing natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen.
Retracing pathways
Canada already has a network of pipelines, infrastructure and assets that transport natural gas throughout the country — and we already have a great deal of expertise and highly trained professionals who support this infrastructure. With some relatively minor adjustments, we could use this natural gas infrastructure to transport hydrogen. By blending hydrogen with the natural gas, we can simultaneously address both challenges: demand creation and safe, efficient transportation.
The pathways to distribution are already here — it’s just a matter of expanding their potential to accelerate the hydrogen economy. If government and industry stakeholders work together to analyze potential impacts and create technical standards for hydrogen distribution, this could be a solution that is highly timely and efficient to implement.
For additional details on the factors involved in leveraging natural gas infrastructure to accelerate the hydrogen economy download the whitepaper, Accelerating the Hydrogen Economy, below. Visit our Advisory hub to learn more about how our innovative thinking can help achieve your strategic business outcomes.
