Our Work
Hydrogen

Canada can make hydrogen more cheaply than almost anywhere else in the world, presenting a remarkable export opportunity. In provinces with low-carbon electricity (from hydropower, nuclear or renewables), electrolysis of water can produce green hydrogen for about the same price as wholesale diesel. In provinces with low-cost natural gas and the geology suitable for carbon capture and storage, blue hydrogen can be made by upgrading carbon-based fuels like natural gas for about half the wholesale price of diesel. In addition, making emission-free hydrogen fuel out of natural gas is a rare scenario where the economic and environmental interests of Western Canada align with the rest of the country, with clear national unity implications. It leverages existing experience and technologies commonly used in the oil and gas sector presenting an enormous opportunity for Canada to be a global hub for the low-cost production of hydrogen.
But challenges exist. There is no hydrogen fuel economy in Canada because there is no distribution system, and there is no distribution system because there is no sustained demand at scale for hydrogen as a fuel. This is a challenge that The Transition Accelerator can help solve by working with groups to establish hydrogen hubs in key regions across the country with the ability to make low-cost hydrogen and connecting them to create a pan-Canadian hydrogen economy.
Latest
Thinking Ahead: The Way Forward for Hydrogen in Canada
December 19, 2022, 11 am ET
In this webinar, we’ll explore how several hydrogen production techniques can contribute to reducing GHG emissions and economic development. Invited experts will discuss how considerations such as resource availability, regional particularities, cost, and carbon-intensity come into play when establishing hydrogen strategies.
Review of Carbon-Dioxide Storage Potential in Western Canada: Blue Hydrogen Roadmap to 2050
August, 2022
Hares R,. McCoy S., Layzell D.
Bringing the Hydrogen Economy Into Focus
We need a strategic, cross-sectoral approach to industrial transition now, based on Canada’s strengths and an assessment of likely opportunities in the decarbonizing global economy.
Techno-Economics of a New Hydrogen Value Chain Supporting Heavy Duty Transport
July, 2022
Khan M. A,. MacKinnon C., Young C., Layzell D.
Assessing the Workforce Required to Advance Canada’s Hydrogen Economy
July, 2022
Hufnagel-Smith P.
Towards Hydrogen: A Hydrogen HUB Feasibility Study for SouthEast Alberta
July, 2022
Litun R.
How Industrial Strategy Can Secure Canada’s Future in a Net-Zero World
We need a strategic, cross-sectoral approach to industrial transition now, based on Canada’s strengths and an assessment of likely opportunities in the decarbonizing global economy.
Canada’s Future in a Net Zero World
March, 2022
Allan B., Eaton D., Goldman J., Islam A,. Augustine T., Elgie S., Meadowcroft J.
Technical Brief: The Techno-Economics of Hydrogen Pipelines
Vol. 1, Iss. 2 (Nov 2021)
Khan MA, Young C, Layzell D
The purpose of this ‘technical brief’ is to describe how to carry out techno-economic analyses for pure hydrogen pipelines, including their sizing, operating and cost estimating. The primary focus of this work is on the design and costing of pipelines transporting large volumes of hydrogen across large distances.
However, the principles discussed here can be used to explore the cost of smaller, shorter pipelines to serve
applications such as a fueling station or the blending of hydrogen into natural gas distribution systems.
Technical Brief: The Techno-Economics of Hydrogen Compression
Vol. 1, Iss. 1 (Oct. 2021)
Khan MA, Young C, Mackinnon C, Layzell D
This technical brief supports the analysis stage (#3) in the Accelerator’s work to identify credible, compelling transition pathways to a vibrant hydrogen economy in Canada. It is intended to provide a tool that students, engineers, policy makers and entrepreneurs could use to assess the technical and economic feasibility of projects to produce, use and export low carbon hydrogen. The work also provides a technical reference to more cross-cutting Transition Accelerator Reports that will be published in the future and exploring regional or sectoral opportunities.