Fueling Hydrogen

Net Zero

The goal is net zero emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) by 2050.

Net zero: “a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere.”

CO₂: “an important heat-trapping gas, or greenhouse gas, that comes from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas), from wildfires, and from natural processes like volcanic eruptions.”

And so, the challenge: get our CO₂ emissions under control in the next quarter of a century.

Wherever you stand on the climate change debate, there’s no debating that it’s hot out there (Texas, Arizona, and Florida readers, nodding heads now). And there’s been an alarming uptick in the power of recent natural disasters in recent years.

Science tells us that’s a direct result of the burning of fossil fuels, with the resulting burn-off essentially baking the planet.

With that, science and innovation are combining to tackle the challenge of greenhouse gas emission.

Over the years, we’ve spotlighted the promise and hope of hydrogen as an energy source, especially in its potential to transform the emissions of the commercial vehicles we use as essential lifelines to deliver equipment, food, and other essential products that drive our communities and economies.

Toward that end, there’s some promising progress. This fall, the U.S. Department of Energy will announce up to ten recipients of federal funding to develop their hydrogen hubs. The DOE will distribute some $7 billion to these regional hubs This will be one of the “largest financial assistance programs” ever distributed by the agency.

With such an investment comes the idea that we’ve likely reached critical mass in making hydrogen fuel ⏤ the known universe’s most abundant element ⏤ a viable, cleaner path forward for what powers our industry.