Renewable energy production in America is soaring, sparking optimism across the country. However, it’s not all good news, as a think tank has just realized something that is happening ‘quietly’: The country may run out of water in the biggest drought in its history, all because of a new energy source that will force us to ‘drill’ huge natural resources from the east coast to the west. Do you think it’s a good idea or a risky project? See for yourself, we’ll tell you what the scientists say.
This energy could produce serious problems to America: The biggest drilling in history
As the United States pushes forward with its ambitious green hydrogen plans, an unexpected challenge has emerged: It’s obvious that one of the major problems related to water is water scarcity. Green hydrogen is synthesized by electrolysis, which is an electric process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen.
As much as this method plants a dream of achieving clean energy, it has a high water consumption factor. Green hydrogen produced in a humidified electrolyzer demands between 18 and 24 kilograms of water per kilogram of green hydrogen produced. Do you understand why this situation is so serious?
The United States Department of Energy’s green hydrogen targets for 2050 would require about one trillion gallons of water annually. While this may account for only about 1% of the country’s current freshwater consumption, it becomes an issue when looking at where planned hydrogen projects are to be situated.
A concerning trend is emerging: Existing water stress regions are where numerous green hydrogen projects are being proposed and initiated. Among 18 HIN approved power projects that needed large quantities of water for hydrogen production, 4 are located in high/ extremely high water stress regions as per the World Resources Institute Water Risk Atlas.
America, at risk of running out of water: Experts are terrified, and there’s reason for concern
Several notable green hydrogen projects are raising eyebrows due to their location in water-stressed regions:
- Buckeye-area plant: This project in Arizona is among the four projects which have been authorized in high water stressed regions.
- Casa Grande plant: Another project with the water deficit area is located in Arizona and has an even greater capacity of 3,650 tons of hydrogen plan.
- Los Angeles power plants: The city is retooling its biggest power plant to combust green hydrogen instead of natural gas, with three others earmarked for change. The first plant by itself could be using 122 million gallons of water in a year by 2045.
- SoCalGas pipeline network: This project, which will be the largest hydrogen pipeline network in the country, may take up to 5. 5 billion gallons per year for hydrogen production.
The developments of green hydrogen projects in water-scarce regions are therefore raising concern due to the swift increase in such projects across the globe. For example, Food and Water Watch has been against the expansion of hydrogen in California, claiming that it could further worsen the water scarcity in the state.
How is green hydrogen being producing in America? The extreme threat, in detail
Residents of the water scarce regions have been keen to know how the issue affects their water resources. Some families in California’s Central Valley already have twenty-first-century problems like dry wells, and temperature-use for hydrogen production is predicted to intensify this situation.
Therefore, though the water consumption rate of the production of green hydrogen is a worthy matter of concern, it is important to look at the whole picture, bearing in mind water utility and the impact of shifting towards environmentally sustainable sources of energy. Why are there reasons for concern? Two keys to understanding it:
- The one trillion gallons of water per year estimated for the delivery of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2050 green hydrogen goals is as much as 1% of America’s current freshwater use.
- Also, if green hydrogen substitutes some water-intensive industries, this may lead to less water usage in some industries, hence creating a kind of water-saving process in the industrial processes.
What could become the biggest energy drilling in the country’s history is one step away from also being a historic mistake that we might regret. The problem is that green hydrogen in America relies heavily on the cleanest water sources, unlike other colors. An example and, at the same time, a solution could be orange hydrogen, which uses wastewater as a resource, with proper management to avoid the contamination of large aquifers, as is done in some countries in Europe and Asia.
