Public perceptions of hydrogen hubs in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Abstract

With the growing interest in hydrogen as an energy carrier and the federal-level investments in the development of hydrogen hubs in the United States, public perception and understanding of hydrogen and of regional hydrogen hubs will play a key role. The tri-state region of Southwestern Pennsylvania is a prime candidate for the development of such a hub. Because most people in the region have almost no familiarity with hydrogen, a modified mental models approach was developed. Eight participatory seminars were conducted over the course of five months in the greater Pittsburgh region to develop an initial understanding of likely public reactions. The study presents an overview of which advantages, disadvantages and uncertainties were mentioned across the group interviews, both as related to blue hydrogen and to a hypothetical hydrogen hub. While some discussions confirmed prior findings on public perception studies, we found that even when topics are not introduced by a facilitator, the interviews allowed participants the freedom to raise even advanced engineering topics independently. The groups were asked to identify which groups would be likely to support and oppose a hypothetical hub project. Participants’ responses displayed unique regional considerations. Based on the discussions observed, developing a cohesive public communication strategy between public and private sectors will need to account for both hydrogen production methods and, where relevant, associated technologies (such as carbon capture and sequestration). Lastly, regional differences are likely to play a role in determining the topics and communication strategy that would best address potential concerns of residents.