A Hydrogen Future?

Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element in the universe, has the potential to be the fuel of the future. It's an energy carrier that can store and deliver energy in a usable form. In its pure form, hydrogen is a colourless, odourless and non-toxic gas. It's high in energy, yet an engine that burns pure hydrogen produces almost no pollution, making it a desirable source of power.

Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of resources. The most common method is through a process called steam methane reforming, which involves reacting natural gas with high-temperature steam.  Electrolysis is another method, where an electric current is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen- this method is emissions free and can be used to store renewable energy, helping to balance the supply and demand on the power grid.

Green hydrogen is hydrogen that produced through the electrolysis of water, using renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar power. This process emits no CO2, making green hydrogen the most sustainable option. It's currently more expensive to produce than grey or blue hydrogen due to the high costs associated with renewable energy and electrolysis equipment.  It allows you to store energy from renewables in the form of hydrogen for use in buildings or vehicles where at can be used in fuel cells to generate electricity and heat.

The current challenge with hydrogen aside from cost is in its storage and transportation as it can be challenging due to its low energy density. Furthermore, while fuel cells are becoming more efficient and cheaper, they are still more expensive than conventional combustion engines.

As the cost of green hydrogen production and storage comes down it is hopeful that it will play a key part in our zero emissions future as it can be used in boilers, combined heat and power units and for vehicles.  In vehicles it will also mean that cars can be refuelled like petrol and diesel vehicles without having to wait for a car to charge or potentially charging a car when the carbon content of the grid is high.