Stanford's Hydrogen and Natural Gas Initiatives

Dr. Naomi Boness is the managing director of the Natural Gas Initiative and co-managing director of the Hydrogen Initiative at Stanford University. With a Ph.D. in Geophysics from Stanford and over 13 years in technical and management roles at Chevron, Dr. Boness combines deep scientific knowledge with real-world experience in energy operations.

In this episode, we dive into the molecule side of energy, focusing on the evolving roles of natural gas and hydrogen in a decarbonizing world. Topics range from geopolitics and energy security to emissions challenges and the future of these key resources in the energy mix.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [1:38] Dr. Boness' work and focus at Stanford 
• [5:10] Corporate involvement: utilities, investment firms, and oil majors
• [7:12] Natural gas in the global energy mix and its role as a coal alternative
• [9:09] Addressing the critical issue of methane leaks
• [11:42] Incentives for midstream players to participate 
• [13:53] Dr. Boness' pov on the idea of halting oil and gas production entirely
• [16:04] Geopolitical dynamics of natural gas production and exportation
• [20:59] Breakdown of the global gas production mix
• [22:55] Effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the European gas market
• [27:10] DPower vs. heat transition and natural gas' role
• [29:49] Vision for the future of natural gas in a renewable energy landscape
• [33:55] Challenges and trade-offs in transitioning from natural gas and investing in infrastructure
• [39:25] Potential role of hydrogen in decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors
• [43:38] Environmental impacts of hydrogen as a potential greenhouse gas
• [47:33] Policy and regulatory hurdles for clean hydrogen production
• [50:39] Issues surrounding the "45V rule" in the Inflation Reduction Act
• [54:21] Dr. Boness' top policy priorities and wish list

Episode recorded on Aug 14, 2024 (Published on Nov 21, 2024)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant