New research from Heriot-Watt University argues that while hydrogen production, storage, and fuel cell technologies are advancing rapidly, the distribution infrastructure needed to move hydrogen at scale is developing only half as fast.
It’s a structural challenge members of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership have been collaborating on for years, and it requires intentional planning and policy action.
The analysis of nearly 1.3 million patent citations reveals a clear culprit: hydrogen distribution requires pipeline networks, liquefaction plants, and storage terminals, all capital-intensive infrastructure that demands billions in upfront investment. The real barrier isn't capability or knowledge, it's that we haven't committed to prioritizing these investments the way we prioritize other energy infrastructure (e.g., transmission lines).
The United States currently operates approximately 1,600 miles of hydrogen pipelines, delivering hydrogen reliably and cost-effectively to refineries and chemical producers. This existing infrastructure proves the technology works. What’s now needed is the will to build the resilience our clean energy future demands, and then scale those solutions across new regions and markets.
“What separates success from stagnation is forward-thinking infrastructure planning,” said Bill Elrick, Executive Director of H2FCP. “Just as policymakers and industry leaders are planning hydrogen production capacity ahead of demand, the same logic must apply to distribution. Waiting until demand exists to build pipelines creates the classic chicken-and-egg problem: industry won't commit at scale without reliable delivery networks, and those networks can't be built without firm demand signals. We're choosing to delay, and we'll pay for that choice later.”
For example, the Angeles Link exemplifies the type of forward-thinking projects needed across the nation. Proposed by SoCalGas, the system would transport clean, renewable hydrogen from third-party production and storage sites to hard-to-electrify sectors across Central and Southern California, including transportation, power generation, and industry.
H2FCP believes several pathways can accelerate progress:
- Federal and state backing of distribution demonstration projects reduces financial risk for infrastructure developers
- Clearer permitting pathways and streamlined regulatory processes speed deployment
- Regional hydrogen hub investments (e.g., like those funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) coordinate production, distribution, and end-use in the same geography.
- Strategic infrastructure investments that build system redundancy and resilience
“Hydrogen won't decarbonize our economy through production or fuel cell technology alone: distribution is the connective tissue that links the entire hydrogen system,” said Elrick. “The good news is that we know how to build it. What's needed now is the coordinated investment and policy support to make it happen at the scale our clean energy future demands.”