The role of hydrogen in decarbonizing U.S. industry: A review

There is a growing interest in hydrogen for decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries. However, determining which industries to target, the scale of the opportunity, and how to meet the hydrogen demand out to 2050 is complex and highly uncertain. The most significant decarbonization opportunity identified in this review is in the refining and chemicals industries, where annual emissions could reduce by up to 24% by 2050 from 2021 levels if emissions-intensive grey hydrogen is replaced with clean hydrogen. New (clean) hydrogen applications include replacements for carbon-based reductants in steelmaking (≤18% steelmaking emissions reduction by 2050) and fuel for high-temperature heat in cement, aluminum, and…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy