Hydrogen Backup Demands Massive Overbuild

Using 'green' hydrogen to decarbonize gas plants requires vast surplus renewable generation plus new pipelines and electrolyzers. In New York’s plan, retrofitting 17 GW of gas to burn hydrogen would still need about 13 GW of offshore wind just to cover the top 10% of peak hours, costing $25–$65 billion before financing or hydrogen plant costs. Thermodynamic losses mean the system adds layers of expense rather than firm, affordable power. — This challenges hydrogen‑for‑power as a practical decarbonization pathway and forces net‑zero planning to grapple with scale, cost, and infrastructure realities.