Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change Why There'll Never Be A Hydrogen Economy | Ep232: Erik Rakhou
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Nov 5, 2025 In this engaging discussion, hydrogen advocate Erik Rakhou, author of Touching Hydrogen's Future, faces off against S&P Global's Andrew Critchlow. They dive into whether hydrogen is a miracle fuel or an expensive illusion, exploring its potential for industrial decarbonization. Topics range from the challenges of hydrogen economics and its practical applications to the intricacies of the global ammonia trade and regional competitiveness. The debate also touches on the role of electrification versus hydrogen for a sustainable future.
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Hydrogen’s Fundamental Cost Barrier
- Hydrogen faces a fundamental physics-driven cost problem that limits pervasive economy-wide use.
- Michael Liebreich argues hydrogen will remain niche for chemicals and specific industrial uses, not a universal fuel.
Prioritise Top-Tier Hydrogen Uses
- Focus hydrogen investment on the top two layers of the hydrogen ladder: industrials and hard-to-abate uses.
- Avoid broad deployment into low-value uses until costs and infrastructure prove viable.
Aramco Invited Him To Debate Hydrogen
- Erik described being invited by Aramco to a workshop debating whether hydrogen will happen.
- He noted major oil companies watch hydrogen because peak oil and petrochemicals/aviation remain strategic concerns.
