Hydrogen Hoax: popping the bubble

There is a big drive to push something called the hydrogen economy. This article attempts to analyse those who back it, sum up why they are wrong and provide links to more detailed resources that might help the counter-attack against this very misguided notion and accompanying projects.

Proponents of a ‘hydrogen economy’ (HE) tend to fall into one or more groups

Panglossians.
(https://www.jstor.org/stable/3439137 )
These die-hard optimists think that everything will always turn out for the best. To them, HE is one such promise. They often overlap with:
Human potential believers
(https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-arrogance-of-humanism-9780195028904?cc=gb&lang=en& )Drinking deeply in the cup of hubris, they believe in human creativity, an unlimited capacity to overcome all problems. They often overlap with:
Techies
(https://www.theguardian.com/science/political-science/2013/mar/21/science-policy )They are often found in various branches of the sciences and technologies. They deeply believe in the power of the ‘technofix’. Often sufferers form ‘tunnel vision’, they believe that their particular expertise offers salvation for the rest of humanity. Frequently they have an attitude of ‘can do, will do’, regardless of wider consequences. Past successes in their field often boost their faith that they will be repeated in the future, with no real barriers.
Critiques of technofix ‘theory’ and practice:
(https://newsociety.ca/books/t/techno-fix?sitedomain=ca ; https://www.jstor.org/stable/43155445 and https://www.edwardtenner.com/why_things_bite_back__technology_and_the_revenge_of_unintended_consequences_21108.htm
Eco-modernists
(http://www.ecomodernism.org )They are like ’techies’ but more sensitive to the actualities of the ecological problems we face. But they too put all their eggs in the basket of innovation, embracing a whole gamut of ‘new’ technology, not just HE but small nuclear reactors, giant solar furnaces, carbon capture devices, driverless electric vehicles, high-speed trains, new aeroplane fuels, GM crops, AI, etc, even geo-engineering and space colonisation.
Both 3 & 4 groups share with Marxism a belief that technology is somehow neutral . Therefore, it is wrongly assumed, its actual deployment as well as resulting impacts are not intrinsic to its nature but solely the result of the society / economy in which it is used (eg abused by capitalists and power mad bureaucrats)
‘Stuck monkeys’
(https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/stuck-monkey-9781803285504/ )
This group is the biggest, formed mainly of members of the general public. For many reasons, not least familiarity, convenience and indeed fear of change, they want to stick with mass consumer society and will welcome any technology that seemingly will enable to live their ‘normal’ lives’ and indeed consume even more ‘goodies’.
They’ve seen many technological ‘miracles’ in their lifetime, from medicine to computers, and expect more to come. Knowledge of the laws of energy and matter and of their implications for life is not widespread. Yet when it comes to actual hydrogen projects, there can be considerable public opposition eg https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/government-people-health-and-safety-executive-north-yorkshire-claire-coutinho-b2449292.html and https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/news/first-hydrogen-boiler-trial-scrapped-due-to-concerns-from-local-residents
Band wagon jumpers
These are mainly politicians and members of the commentariat, keen to show that they are up-to-speed with the latest technological hype. They like to look as if they too are at the proverbial cutting edge.
A good case study is provided by the Tory mayor on Teesside, Ben Houchen eg https://www.teesworks.co.uk/news/mayor-welcomes-bps-plans-for-new-green-hydrogen-project But see: https://northeastbylines.co.uk/houchens-hydrogen-hype/ There have been several investigations in to corrupt practices surrounding this and other ‘regeneration’ developments under Houchen in ‘Private Eye’. Even the ‘Daily Telegraph’ has deigned to raise its eyebrows: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/05/21/ben-houchen-teesworks-freeport-andy-mcdonald/
Vested interests
Last but not least are all those with an intellectual and/or financial stake in HE development:
https://www.desmog.com/mapping-hydrogen-lobby/
https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-gas/greenwashed-hydrogen/
https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2020/12/08/unearthed-today-why-oil-companies-want-you-to-love-hydrogen/
https://corporateeurope.org/en/2023/10/hydrogen-lobby-spends-over-eu75-million-year-driving-eu-hydrogen-hype
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/09/fossil-fuel-companies-spend-big-on-lobbying-for-hydrogen-fuel-production/
https://www.desmog.com/2023/09/26/hydrogen-lobby-sets-sights-on-labour-party/
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/blue-hydrogen-appg-alexander-stafford-lobbying-shell/
https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/06/how-the-hydrogen-lobby-is-greenwashing-fossil-fuels/
https://irpimedia.irpi.eu/en-lobby-hydrogen-green-new-deal/
https://foe.scot/press-release/revealed-fossil-fuel-lobbyists-pushing-hydrogen-on-scottish-politicians/

Powerful though the above lobbyists are, the real problem is posed by those who have no economic stake in HE but still sincerely think it the way forward.

Core arguments

We face an all-embracing ecological crunch not just an energy crisis, with many social and economic interactions (https://www.postcarbon.org/publications/welcome-to-the-great-unraveling/ )
HE is based on a technology that is an energy carrier, not a source of energy. Whatever limits the latter limits the former. That applies not only to fossil fuels and nuclear powers but also to so-called ‘renewables’ (https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/15/4508 and https://sandyirvineblog.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/d7352-tedtrainer-renewableenergycannotsustainaconsumersociety2820072cspringer29-libgen.lc_.pdf )
We need technologies that are safe, affordable, proven and, critically, ready to be rolled out. Even if something might look good on a drawing board, it is irrelevant since the crunch is right now.
Even if ‘oven-ready’, the HE would most likely act as ‘positive feedback’, speeding up the doom loop.
On-going growth will cancel any benefits from HE
The real challenge is not this or that energy technology but, rather, deep changes in values and lifestyles (https://www.resilience.org/stories/2021-11-10/tech-wont-save-us-shrinking-consumption-will-returning-to-a-1970s-economy-could-save-our-future/ )

The debate is often muddied by different ‘colours’ of hydrogen’(blue, green…).

Some references