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Wright: hydrogen inefficient; geothermal and small modular reactors could deliver sooner
Summary
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said hydrogen storage loses roughly half its energy in the conversion process and that next‑generation geothermal and small modular nuclear reactors offer more immediate prospects, citing a 500 MW geothermal project in Utah and multiple reactors reaching criticality.
Wright said hydrogen is "very expensive" to store and estimated that about half of the energy is lost when producing and reconverting hydrogen for electricity: "About 0.5 of the energy is lost in making hydrogen and then turning hydrogen back into electricity." He characterized hydrogen as conceptually useful but presently poor in energy‑efficiency math for widespread household use.
By contrast, Wright pointed to a 500‑megawatt next‑generation geothermal plant under construction in Utah and described progress on small modular and next‑generation nuclear reactors, saying four reactors reached criticality and another one was coming online; he said modular nuclear and other technologies could supply electricity to remote areas by the end of next year and in meaningful amounts by 2028.
