据原油新闻6月24日消息称，今天，阿尔伯塔省的大部分经济来源于其丰富的自然资源，从油砂到煤炭和巨大的天然气田。
但随着世界远离化石燃料，一些省级领导和联邦政府希望阿尔伯塔能用氢来发展经济。氢是一种丰富的元素和多种形式的能源，几十年来一直处于成功的边缘，但从未完全达到预期。
阿尔伯塔投资公司首席执行官David Legg 告诉《金融邮报》：“氢气所发生的一切令人着迷。这有点像70年代的电动汽车或80年代的人工智能——你听说过这些东西，但似乎什么都没发生，所以每个人都有点翻白眼，但现在它只是家具的一部分。”
他补充说，“这就是现在对氢的感觉。”
联邦政府正在考虑如何拨付拟议中的80亿美元“净零”基金。目前的问题是，投资氢气生产是否有意义，作为阿尔伯塔化石燃料行业未来几年过渡到脱碳经济的一种方式。长期以来，氢被誉为一种新能源，但它以前曾遭遇过挫折，因为它的生产效率可能很低，会导致一些温室气体排放，需要大量基础设施投资，而且极易燃烧。但支持者表示，技术进步已经解决了这些问题。
本月早些时候，联邦政府和阿尔伯塔投资公司（该省于2020年成立的经济发展公司，旨在帮助振兴该省的经济）宣布，他们已分别与美国空气产品和化学品公司的子公司就在埃德蒙顿城外新建一座价值13亿美元的氢气生产设施签署了一份谅解备忘录。
朱佳妮 摘译自 原油新闻
原文如下：
Alberta Bets Hydrogen will Breathe New Life into Province’s Natural Gas Sector
Today, much of Alberta’s economy stems from its vast natural resources, from the oilsands to coal and vast natural gas fields.
But as the world moves away from fossil fuels, some provincial leaders, along with the federal government, are hoping Alberta can build an economy out of hydrogen, an abundant element and versatile form of energy that has been align="justify"> “It’s just so fascinating what’s happening with hydrogen,” David Legg, chief executive of Invest Alberta told the Financial Post. “It’s sort of like electric vehicles back in the 70s or A.I. in the 80s — you heard about those things and nothing seemed to happen, so everyone sort of rolled their eyes but now it’s just part of the furniture.”
He added, “and that’s what it feels like is happening with hydrogen right now.”
At issue, as the federal government contemplates how to dole out a proposed $8 billion ‘net zero’ fund, is whether investing in hydrogen production makes sense as a way for Alberta’s fossil fuel industry to bridge the transition to a decarbonized economy in the coming years. Long hailed as a new energy, hydrogen has fallen flat before because it can be inefficient to produce, results in some greenhouse gas emissions, requires significant infrastructure investment and is also highly combustible. But proponents say advances in technology have solved these problems.
Earlier this month, both the federal government and Invest Alberta, the economic development corporation that the province set up in 2020 to help rejuvenate its economy, announced they have each signed a memorandum of understanding with a subsidiary of U.S.-based Air Products and Chemicals about building a new $1.3 billion hydrogen production facility outside Edmonton.