What Can Hydrogen Learn from Propane and LNG?

Hydrogen is not the first fuel looking to replace gasoline and conventional natural gas. In the 1980s, propane was touted as the alternative fuel that would replace gasoline and help save the environment. The industry was already established for rural home heating and so, with propane being cheaper at the time was thought to be a promising alternative. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) was the next solution for North America starting in the early 2000s with plentiful cheap natural gas available in developing countries with the emerging ability to be shipped in cost-effective energy densities to consumers as LNG. Both alternative fuels had learnings from incidents, perceived risk, and regulatory engagement that have made them less successful than the industry had hoped. With carbon-free hydrogen rising as a possible solution, what should the hydrogen industry learn from propane and LNG?

This talk will briefly look at similarities and differences in technologies and then look at how the public perceived the risks and how the industry responded. It will include a discussion of how incidents, in particular, can shape perceptions and regulatory response and provide some suggestions of how hydrogen can more successfully grow in the market through collaborative engagements.