PORTLAND, Ore. — Hydrogen comes up frequently in recent discussions about green energy and alternative fuel sources that don't produce greenhouse gas emissions and won't contribute to climate change. A significant portion of the discussion focuses on transportation uses, but there are also efforts to turn hydrogen into a replacement for other types of fuel.
Referencing recent news coverage of one such effort in the Portland region, viewer Gary Hilliard asked KGW to VERIFY: Is it true that NW Natural Gas is now adding hydrogen to their gas lines in SE Portland?
THE QUESTION
Is NW Natural blending hydrogen into consumer gas in Portland?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, NW Natural has begun blending small amounts of hydrogen into some consumer gas in Portland.
WHAT WE FOUND
Natural gas is mostly methane, and more than half of U.S. homes and many businesses use it for heating, cooking and industrial processes. But methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, so many utilities are looking for alternatives that burn cleaner but can still be delivered to customers over existing infrastructure, with hydrogen eyed as one candidate.
NW Natural announced back in May that it had partnered with Seattle-based Modern Hydrogen to begin using the company's methane pyrolysis technology at NW Natural's central facility in Southeast Portland in a three-year pilot project. The pyrolysis process breaks down methane into solid carbon and hydrogen gas.
Modern Hydrogen promotes the technology as a tool that industrial businesses can install at their own facilities to transform their existing natural gas supply into hydrogen to be used directly as fuel, while Modern Hydrogen collects the solid carbon for use in asphalt. In NW Natural's case, the utility is blending the hydrogen into its supply of natural gas being piped out.
Hydrogen produces no harmful emissions when burned, but it's also more leak-prone and easier to ignite than methane and could cause some pipes to degrade faster, according to a 2013 U.S. Dept. of Energy report, so most existing natural gas pipes would have to be upgraded or replaced in order to safely carry pure hydrogen.
Blending small amounts of hydrogen into the natural gas mixture can avoid those drawbacks while still gaining some emission reductions when the gas is burned. The maximum safe proportion of hydrogen is about 15-20%, according to the report, but the limit depends on pipe materials and construction, so every utility would need to perform its own tests.
NW Natural's initial pilot program only blends in hydrogen at a rate of 0.2%, but NW Natural has been experimenting with higher rates internally at its own facilities, and the company makes it clear on its website that the long-term goal is to blend in hydrogen at rates as high as 20% for consumer distribution.
The program has drawn significant pushback, with critics objecting to the inclusion of hydrogen for safety reasons and accusing NW Natural of embarking on the experiment with little public warning or input.
A coalition of groups wrote an open letter to Gov. Tina Kotek and several state legislators earlier this summer, arguing that the utility's actions "fall between the cracks of Oregon's existing regulatory system" and asking them to step in and pause the project. The letter contends that hydrogen blending is risky for consumers and the climate benefits are exaggerated.
Other groups have pushed back on hydrogen blending by arguing that electrifying home cooking and heating systems will be more efficient and lead to better indoor air quality, and that the upper limit on the amount of hydrogen that can be blended into conventional natural gas delivery systems means that it can only ever lead to minor emissions reductions.
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