neil banwart, chief integration officer,
midwest alliance for clean hydrogen
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Neil Banwart, the Chief Integration Officer of the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2), unveiled the ambitious plans of the MachH2 hydrogen hub to revolutionize the energy landscape. Neil articulated the vision of MachH2, a hub spanning three states – Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, emphasizing its comprehensive nature. With a potential billion-dollar investment from the federal government’s $7 billion hydrogen hub program, MachH2 is poised to become a game-changer in the quest for a sustainable future by avoiding around 3.9 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.
"MachH2 proposes to cover the entire hydrogen value chain from the production, the transportation and storage to the end use of clean hydrogen and clean hydrogen" - Neil Banwart
The initiative's diversity is one of its defining strengths, encompassing various production methods, including electrolysis using renewable power (through Invenergy and Air Liquide), natural gas reformation with carbon capture (through BP), and even nuclear-powered electrolysis (through Constellation Energy). This diversity ensures a robust and resilient hydrogen ecosystem, catering to a wide range of applications.
When it comes to transportation, Neil highlighted the potential of hydrogen to revolutionize heavy-duty and long-haul trucking, marine and automotive transport. Hydrogen fuel cells present a promising alternative, offering the necessary range and energy density without compromising performance.
"Heavy duty trucking … is a sector which in our estimation is really difficult to electrify." - Neil Banwart
But MachH2 is about more than just energy; it's a vision for a sustainable and equitable future. Neil emphasized the initiative's commitment to community benefits.
"We're estimating that our hydrogen hub is going to create over 13,000 jobs, which is a really big number. Most of those admittedly are construction jobs, but there's over 1500 permanent jobs, and these are permanent good paying jobs, new energy jobs, which we're really, really excited about." - Neil Banwart
The emphasis is less on technology development and more on demonstrating the value of scale to establish attractive economics for hydrogen production and utilization. Looking ahead, Neil painted a picture of a hydrogen-powered future, where the Midwest becomes a hub for clean energy innovation.
"Five years from now, Ali, I hope that I'm confident that we'll be right in the middle of really ramping up this hydrogen hub in the Midwest... We're really going to be in the thick of ramping things up ten years from now." - Neil Banwart