Hydrogen poised to rival natural gas by 2030, but renewable energy expansion needed to meet future demand.

Hydrogen could compete with natural gas by 2030, according to analysis by The Brattle Group. This is due to existing policy support and tax credits, and proposed new standards for stationary combustion turbines, which could reduce the price of hydrogen to 90 cents per kilogram or $6.70 per million British thermal units. However, there is a catch: National demand for hydrogen could reach 50 million metric tons by 2050, which would require an additional 700 GW of renewable energy. While potentially more costly than green hydrogen, blue hydrogen may become the more prevalent product in many U.S. markets. The report suggests that lower prices could allow hydrogen to displace natural gas across a larger swath of the economy, assuming the US can make enough to meet demand. However it could take 17 years to build enough renewable energy to make 50 million tonnes of hydrogen.