GCR: Transition to green energy in gas-producing regions: How the convergence of Engineering, Social Sciences and Geoscience can enable carbon-free H2 technologies

The vision of this project is to enable the transition to green energy in gas-producing regions using a unique proposition: To engage local communities in the co-development of research goals related to hydrogen energy transition. This effort will involve cutting-edge capabilities in producing hydrogen from natural gas in a way that does not produce carbon-containing gases that pollute the environment.

The project will use social science to guide engineering and geoscience research, based on issues, perceived risks, and interests of rural communities that are expected to be immediately impacted by a transition to hydrogen energy. By identifying and clearly articulating the needs of rural communities, including members of Indigenous communities, researchers will develop viable ways to pursue hydrogen production and storage research.

In this manner, the project will discover how to utilize the resources of a state like Oklahoma, which has significant oil and gas production, to generate green energy. Enabling a region rich in fossil-fuel resources to use these to create a hydrogen-based economy can help create a diversified and robust free market economy, less prone to boom-and-bust cycles.

It can also help develop high-technology, skill-intensive new industries in the production, storage, and distribution of hydrogen.

Most hydrogen today is produced in oil refineries or coal power generation plants through the century-old steam methane reforming (SMR) process that emits large amounts of carbon dioxide. For zero-carbon emissions during SMR, carbon dioxide would have to be captured and sequestered, but this approach adds cost and is not feasible in all areas. Truly green hydrogen can be produced with electrolysis using power only from renewable sources, but this technology is also quite costly and requires clean water and scarce materials as electrodes.

This project focuses on an alternative path, one more appropriate for gas-producing regions in the US: catalyst-assisted methane pyrolysis, where methane decomposes directly into hydrogen and solid carbon (with zero carbon dioxide production). The solid carbon byproduct can be utilized in other industries. Yet, because of the history of the fossil fuel industry and because of potential resistance to novel technologies, any viable research and development program will need to be calibrated to local geological, social, and economic conditions.

How can we formulate a hydrogen-focused research model that considers the special social and economic conditions of a state that depends on oil and gas production? Addressing this challenging question requires a deep understanding of intersecting social and economic factors involved in an energy transition, including decoding potential new vulnerabilities or other negative impacts that could be created by decarbonization.

This project will investigate local perceptions of the energy transition and use these findings to fine tune research goals to address the points of concern.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.