The first element, hydrogen (H₂), stores energy almost as well as fossil fuels. Japan, Europe, and China are investing in hydrogen fuel supply and power generation in the search for no-carbon energy. Owners and operators of generating equipment, industrial heating and transportation are all potential markets.

Jeff Benoit SM '89 and John Gaertner SM '73 will share insights on the current search for making green H₂ practical and price competitive to fossil gas, whose price has recently spiked. Already a fuel for high-heat industry, it could be a permanent or transition option for no-carbon energy. Our speakers expertise in pathways to generate electricity with H₂ tech and developing green (or pink, nuclear) supply  will make for an interesting discussion.

Speaker bios:

John Gaertner, SM '83, Atmospheric Science, is a consultant on climate change and energy. He recently authored a Review of Duke Energy’s Climate Strategy and participated in workshops to develop a Southeast U.S. Hydrogen Hub to assess and develop a transition from fossil fuels. John retired from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) as Technical Executive. He was Senior Vice President of ERIN Engineering and Research, and was an engineer with Duke Energy, and held a Professional Engineer license in North Carolina.

Jeff Benoit SM '89 is Vice President - Global Strategy & Marketing at Power Systems Mfg, LLC (PSM), part of  the Hanwha Group.  The company's technology is aftermarket gas turbine components and has designed, and is piloting new, low-emission, to generate H₂ enabled combustion system retrofits.