How Hydrogen Can Be A Source of Fuel

2 min read

Fossil fuels have long been the centre of the global environmental debate with 89% of carbon emissions in 2018 coming from fossil fuels. But a new gas is being readied and has long been in the works to replace traditional fossil fuels – hydrogen. When hydrogen fuel is burned it only emits water, as opposed to carbon dioxide being released by fossil fuels. Hydrogen fuel can be used for things that work best with fuel that is burned such as rockets, planes, boats, cars, energy intensive factory machines, etc.

Different kinds of hydrogen

Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and BMW all have hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Fuel cells work like batteries that do not need to be recharged. When hydrogen fuel is inserted, they produce electricity using heat. Germany currently uses hydrogen fuel cell trains, with Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea and the US all planning on joining in.

Auto piloted hydrogen fuel cell planes are also being explored in addition to power generation systems that could be used to provide electricity in space stations. Earlier this year Microsoft successfully tested the use of hydrogen backup systems they produced.

Right now most forms of producing hydrogen gas is highly inefficient and not environmentally friendly. The main aim is to scale hydrogen production to reduce costs to $1-2/kg of hydrogen which will make it a viable fuel. Right now hydrogen costs about $3-5/kg.

Do you think hydrogen will become a generally accepted source of fuel within the next two decades? Do you think it is better than other forms of clean/renewable energy? Share your thoughts by replying to this email.

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