NETL works to transform fossil fuels into clean, stored energy

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is developing ways to transform coal and natural gas into chemicals, including hydrogen (H2) gas, to advance the use of fossil fuels in an environmentally responsible manner.

In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Fossil Energy (FE), NETL is working to generate hydrogen and other forms of chemical energy so it can be stored for long durations and used when needed to produce electricity and other products. This is being done through the NETL’s Advanced Energy Storage Program.

NETL technology manager Briggs White, Ph.D., discussed the role hydrogen produced from coal and natural gas might play in energy storage when he addressed more than 300 federal policymakers and researchers on a U.S. Energy Association webinar on April 22, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

White explained that the development of energy storage is a priority as more renewable, intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar energy, become more prevalent. Renewables should be supplemented with long duration energy storage, especially during peak demand and when there is little sunshine or wind.

“The Office of Fossil Energy has been investing in hydrogen-related technologies for years,” White said. “There already is in existence an infrastructure for hydrogen generation using the nation’s abundant resources of coal and natural gas.”

NETL has pioneered coal gasification technologies to produce hydrogen. H2 production technologies are gaining attention because hydrogen is a zero-emission fuel that produces heat and water. Many scientists predict it will be the energy carrier of the future. It can be combusted in a hydrogen turbine to generate electricity and used for transportation and industrial applications like steelmaking.

Research shows that introducing hydrogen into natural gas pipelines can reduce emissions of CO2. By blending hydrogen with natural gas, carbon emissions created by the combustion process can be significantly reduced.

“Clearly, hydrogen energy storage is an enabling mechanism for a future decarbonized hydrogen economy,” White said.