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by freemint 1469 days ago
Hydrogen needs an complete overhaul to the pipeline system. Burning natural gas for energy is a fraction of it's use. More important are heating (where it can't be transported too), steel making and chemistry (CoViD vaccine ingredients are made using natural gas by BASF).
2 comments

Not to supply grid leveling it doesn't. For that, the hydrogen is produced, stored, and consumed in a small range of places.
Hydrogen can be added to dilute NG, during the transition.
This would still cause hydrogen embrittlement which results in cracked steel pipes.
Have you heard of "lamp gas"? It used to be delivered via cast-iron pipes to every house, factory, and street light. It was a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. There was no problem with embrittlement, because the pressure was low. Natural gas is today carried (in the same pipes, some places) at quite low pressure. Germany could start admixing H2 anytime, although feeding it to NG turbines would be a better immediate use.

Anyway aluminum is quite resistant to hydrogen embrittlement.