Brett Perlman, CEO for the Center for Houston’s Future, understands that not everyone may be familiar with the goals of the organization he leads.
“We’re an economic development-focused organization affiliated with the city’s chamber of commerce, called the Greater Houston Partnership,” Perlman said.
“Collectively we put together the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) which is focused on how Houston can become a low-carbon energy capital.”
Perlman observed that Houston is already the energy capital of the world, and has many advantages in scaling up hydrogen production.
The city and state’s proximity to the demand for green initiatives is favorable to driving early adoption, in addition to demonstrated existing hydrogen capacity and expertise.
“We have proximity to a number of industrial customers and a welcoming environment to building infrastructure here,” Perlman said. “We have permitting and setup programs, and we have a highly skilled workforce that can do that work.”
Jeremy Osterberger of BIC Magazine speaks with Brett Perlman of the Center for Houston’s Future.
“If you combine those with the assets we have in the hydrogen space, I think you will see that we really do have a winning combination.”
Regarding production capacity and cost, Perlman noted that Houston enjoys access to low-cost renewable energy capacity, “and we have the ability to store massive amounts of carbon dioxide, both onshore and offshore. We have access to low-cost natural gas production — perhaps not as low-cost as it’s been in the past but nevertheless, in the long term, it will be.”
“Then we have the opportunity to transport and store hydrogen and use it as, perhaps, a balancing tool for the grid,” Perlman said, adding that Texas hosts the largest network of hydrogen pipelines in the U.S. as well as access to geologic formations for seasonal storage.
Speaking at the Hydrogen North America conference, held recently in Houston, Perlman outlined “a vision for Texas as a hydrogen hub,” as it might look in 2050.
“We think that we can be the number one global producer, user, innovator and talent-creator for a clean hydrogen market,” Perlman projected. “It may sound like ‘Texas braggadocio’ to say that, but I really do think we have the right investment environment and the right set of assets to accelerate the development of a global clean hydrogen hub in Texas.”
“The thing that gets me excited as the chief executive of an economic development organization, however, is the opportunity to create a new industry in Texas that brings both job growth and GDP,” he said.
The anticipated hydrogen hub economy would create approximately 170,000 potential direct and indirect jobs, with a $100 billion potential addition to Texas’ gross domestic product, which amounts to 6% of Texas’ GDP in 2019.
The hub would offer 220 MT in carbon dioxide abatement potential from 21MT of hydrogen, which translates to four times the amount of Houston’s emissions in 2019.
“We can use this resource that we have here to decarbonize the globe. That 21 MT from hydrogen could potentially eliminate 220 MT carbon dioxide from across the globe. It’s a huge ambition for what we want to create in Houston,” Perlman said.
Ultimately, the Center for Houston’s Future seeks to “create a roadmap that stretches across the Gulf Coast,” Perlman concluded.
To view the video interview between BIC’s Jeremy Osterberger and Brett Perlman click here.
