Texas Project Will Use Wind to Make Fuel Out of Water

Oil made Texas an energy giant, but even this petroleum powerhouse is working hard to secure a footing beyond fossil fuels.

Texas already generates more wind energy than any other U.S. state, and soon the mighty air that lashes its high plains will power a novel new process: the production of vehicle fuel from water.

Scientists say this technology, called “green hydrogen,” plays a big part in the world’s hopes to transition from fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions.

Until recently, green hydrogen fuel production cost too much to compete with gasoline or diesel. But that is changing quickly thanks to steep subsidies offered in the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed in June.

One project, announced last month in north Texas, hopes to be the country’s first large-scale producer of clean hydrogen from water. Its developers, Air Products and AES, expect to begin operations in 2027. With government support, planners hope an ecosystem of engines, pipelines and fueling stations built for hydrogen will follow.

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Oil made Texas an energy giant, but even this petroleum powerhouse is working hard to secure a footing beyond fossil fuels.