What is it about?
Hydrogen is a key clean energy source, but transporting it is challenging. We explore alternative pipeline transport: moving methane and converting it to hydrogen at the destination. This saves energy, reduces emissions, and uses existing infrastructure. We show when and where this strategy works best to support the energy transition.
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Photo by Ronak Naik on Unsplash
Why is it important?
We show for the first time how transporting methane instead of hydrogen over long distances can reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Our work identifies when and where this alternative is better, offering a new strategy to speed up the clean hydrogen transition. This is important because building a dedicated hydrogen network will take time, and transitional solutions are urgently needed.
Perspectives
Writing this article was exciting because it addresses a very practical challenge for the clean energy transition. I enjoyed combining engineering analysis with environmental assessment to find real-world solutions for delivering hydrogen more sustainably. I hope this work helps open new pathways to accelerate the use of hydrogen — not in some distant future, but with the infrastructure we already have today.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Ernst Müller
Ruhr-Universitat Bochum
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Comparative analysis of hydrogen vs. methane pipeline transport systems with integrated methane pyrolysis for low-carbon hydrogen supply, Applied Energy, April 2025, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125276.
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