A powerful coalition of manufacture interests paid for a peer - reviewed study on the benefits of hydrogen as an vigor source , the Boston Globereported in an clause published Wednesday . The cogitation neglect to mention the meaning intimacy of fossil fuel player in drafting the text . concord to documents obtained by the Globe , these industry interests were so involved in the research that they were “ appropriate to review and suggest modification before the study was relinquish , ” include draught large part of the subject area ’s recommendation to policymakers .
The Globe ’s study deals with apaperpublished in Frontiers in Energy Research in September by a squad of investigator at University of Massachusetts , Lowell . In the cogitation , the authors critique research on dissimilar type of atomic number 1 and make recommendations for Massachusetts to well incorporate H into its vim time to come .
“ A hydrogen saving has the potential to cater economic benefits , a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions , and sphere coupling to allow a resilient vigour grid , ” the authors drop a line in the paper ’s introduction .
Fueling a car with hydrogen fuel.Photo:Shutterstock(Shutterstock)
The inquiry was funded by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts ( AIM ) , a business coalition represent a variety of industries ; their association was disclosed in the newspaper . However , emails incur through a public disk request by the Globe show that some of the association ’s fossil fuel and natural gas member , including natural gas hulk National Grid , that would benefit from a positive study on hydrogen ’s benefits had been directly asked to fund the inquiry and review the terminal newspaper publisher — and the study ’s authors were aware of this outreach . This was not observe in the net theme .
Over the past few class , the popularity of hydrogen fuel as an substitute energy source has skyrocketed in the conversation around the energy transition . The oil and gas industry is particularly enthusiastic about hydrogen ; in summation to types ofhydrogen that can be made with born gas and other fossil fuels , the idea that hydrogen made from renewable get-up-and-go — get it on as greenish H — could simply replace fossil fuels in survive pipelines and infrastructure is alluring to an industry anxious about a coming energy modulation . The study , however , omit to advert many of the issues with this conception , include hydrogen ’s confutable software for family warming . Several non - industry - fundedstudieshave found that H would not be an economic or sensitive carbon paper - free choice for heat homes .
The Globe reports that one of the study ’s joint author , Mary Usovicz , a former director of business development at UMass Lowell , “ had spent decades working in the throttle industry . ” A lobbyist for AIM , Robert Rio , was well-disposed with Usovicz , and met with her weekly and was let access to the study before it was published . In one electronic mail incur by the Globe , Rio was provided a Microsoft Word document of the study ; track changes show that Rio had a hired man in draft portions of the introduction as well as recommendations at the goal of the cogitation geared toward policymakers .
“ It is our close that the employment of hydrogen in some lotion which presently expend fossil fuel will reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate impart to meeting the Commonwealth ’s 2050 final - zero carbon goal and if wide adopted , help reduce CO2 discharge globally , ” a section almost whole drafted by Rio read . “ We believe that the challenge related to the enjoyment of atomic number 1 – cost , and base hit principally can be overtake with proper and appropriate regulations . ”
“ While UMass Lowell has no belief on the use of fleeceable hydrogen in Massachusetts , it has extensive faculty expertise on the topics of forward-looking energy and sustainability and a long history of partnership with industry , ” UMass Lowell spokesperson Jonathan Strunk told Earther in an email . “ The university ’s green hydrogen written report evaluated the challenges and opportunities posed by gullible hydrogen for further civic and scientific discussion through the lens of multiple disciplines crop from technology to economics . The research has gone through the equal review process , is in accordance with university pedantic and research policies and UMass Lowell stand up by its enquiry . ” voice from AIM did not generate our request for comment .
“ We were eager to support a study that would allow us to learn more about hydrogen ’s potential as a decarbonization solution , ” National Grid told the Globe .
As wereported last week , the fossil fuel industriousness is already finding ways to fund its interests at academic centers and up its standing in the eye of policymakers . However , the circumstances around this study show how industry interests and talking points can weasel their agency into match - reviewed research . And getting research like this out into the populace can be a win for the industry in terms of policy moves : Usovicz foregather with a state illustration , who later infix two hydrogen vizor into the House , as the research was getting off the flat coat last year .
“ My personal take is this should not have been published in a equal retrospect diary as it is , because I think the presentation is bias , slanted , and misleading in a way that ’s hard to hold academically , ” said Robert Howarth , a professor of ecology at Cornell University who has published research on atomic number 1 , told the Boston Globe .
ChemistryEnergyEnergy developmentEnergy policyHydrogen
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