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{{Short description|Using hydrogen to decarbonize more sectors}}
'''This article only concern with the use of hydrogen in an energy system but not any other economic system.'''<br />
[[File:IRENA maturity of hydrogen solutions 2022.svg|thumb|Hydrogen has the most potential to reduce [[greenhouse gas emissions]] when used in chemical production, refineries, international shipping, and [[steelmaking]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=International Renewable Energy Agency |date=2022-03-29 |title=World Energy Transitions Outlook 1-5C Pathway 2022 edition |url=https://www.irena.org/publications/2022/mar/world-energy-transitions-outlook-2022 |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=IRENA |page=227 |language=en}}</ref>]]
The '''hydrogen economy''' is an umbrella term for the roles [[hydrogen]] can play alongside [[low-carbon electricity]] to reduce emissions of [[Greenhouse gas|greenhouse gases]]. The aim is to reduce emissions where cheaper and more energy-efficient clean solutions are not available.<ref name=":0" /> In this context, ''hydrogen economy'' encompasses the production of hydrogen and the use of hydrogen in ways that contribute to [[Fossil fuel phase-out|phasing-out fossil fuels]] and limiting [[climate change]].


Hydrogen can be produced by several means. Most hydrogen produced today is ''gray hydrogen'', made from [[natural gas]] through [[Steam reforming|steam methane reforming]] (SMR). This process accounted for 1.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2021.<ref name="auto1">Greenhouse gas emissions totalled 49.3 Gigatonnes CO<sub>2</sub>e in 2021.{{Cite web |title=Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 1990–2020 and Preliminary 2021 Estimates |url=https://rhg.com/research/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-2021/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=Rhodium Group |date=19 December 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Low-carbon hydrogen'', which is made using SMR with [[carbon capture and storage]] (''[[blue hydrogen]]''), or through electrolysis of water using renewable power (''[[green hydrogen]]''), accounted for less than 1% of production.<ref name=":23">{{Cite web |date=10 July 2023 |title=Hydrogen |url=https://www.iea.org/energy-system/low-emission-fuels/hydrogen |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=IEA |at="Energy" section |language=en-GB}}</ref> Virtually all of the 100 million tonnes<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hydrogen |url=https://www.iea.org/energy-system/low-emission-fuels/hydrogen |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=IEA |language=en-GB}}</ref> of hydrogen produced each year is used in oil refining (43% in 2021) and industry (57%), principally in the manufacture of [[ammonia]] for fertilizers, and [[methanol]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=IEA |url=https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2022 |title=Global Hydrogen Review 2022 |publisher=International Energy Agency |year=2022 |page= |language=en-GB |access-date=2023-08-25}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=18, 22, 29}}
In a hydrogen economy or a hydrogen energy system, [[hydrogen]], H<sub>2</sub>, will be used as a transportation [[fuel]] via the chemical reaction H<sub>2</sub> + 1/2 O<sub>2</sub> → H<sub>2</sub>O ([[water]]). Due to the exothermicity of this reaction, 285.77J of energy will be released from each mole of hydrogen<ref>P.9, Solar-Hydrogen Energy Systems, 1979, edited by T. Ohta, ISBN: 0080227139</ref> and the energy generated by this reaction will then be converted into kinetics energy to power vehicle. <br />


To [[limit global warming]], it is generally envisaged that the future hydrogen economy replaces gray hydrogen with low-carbon hydrogen. As of 2024 it is unclear when enough low-carbon hydrogen could be produced to phase-out all the gray hydrogen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hydrogen could be used for nearly everything. It probably shouldn't be. |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/04/25/1091757/hydrogen-uses-ranked/ |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=MIT Technology Review |language=en}}</ref> The future end-uses are likely in heavy industry (e.g. high-temperature processes alongside electricity, feedstock for production of [[Ammonia|green ammonia]] and [[organic chemicals]], as alternative to coal-derived [[Coke (fuel)|coke]] for [[steelmaking]]), long-haul transport (e.g. shipping, and to a lesser extent [[hydrogen-powered aircraft]] and heavy goods vehicles), and long-term energy storage.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |author=IPCC |author-link=IPCC |url=https://ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_FullReport.pdf |title=Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change |publisher=Cambridge University Press (In Press) |year=2022 |isbn=9781009157926 |editor1-last=Shukla |editor1-first=P.R. |series=Contribution of Working Group III to the [[IPCC Sixth Assessment Report|Sixth Assessment Report]] of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |place=Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, US |pages=91–92 |doi=10.1017/9781009157926 |ref={{harvid|IPCC AR6 WG3|2022}} |editor2-last=Skea |editor2-first=J. |editor3-last=Slade |editor3-first=R. |editor4-last=Al Khourdajie |editor4-first=A. |editor5-last=van Diemen |editor5-first=R. |editor6-last=McCollum |editor6-first=D. |editor7-last=Pathak |editor7-first=M. |editor8-last=Some |editor8-first=S. |editor9-last=Vyas |editor9-first=P. |display-editors=4 |editor10-first=R. |editor10-last=Fradera |editor11-first=M. |editor11-last=Belkacemi |editor12-first=A. |editor12-last=Hasija |editor13-first=G. |editor13-last=Lisboa |editor14-first=S. |editor14-last=Luz |editor15-first=J. |editor15-last=Malley}}</ref><ref name="IRENA 2021 95">{{Cite web |last=IRENA |date=2021 |title=World Energy Transitions Outlook: 1.5&nbsp;°C Pathway |url=https://www.irena.org/publications/2021/Jun/World-Energy-Transitions-Outlook |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=International Renewable Energy Agency |pages=95 |language=en |publication-place=Abu Dhabi}}</ref> Other applications, such as light duty vehicles and heating in buildings, are no longer part of the future hydrogen economy, primarily for economic and environmental reasons.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Plötz |first=Patrick |date=2022-01-31 |title=Hydrogen technology is unlikely to play a major role in sustainable road transport |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-021-00706-6 |journal=Nature Electronics |language=en |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=8–10 |doi=10.1038/s41928-021-00706-6 |s2cid=246465284 |issn=2520-1131}}</ref><ref name=":62">{{Cite journal |last=Rosenow |first=Jan |date=September 2022 |title=Is heating homes with hydrogen all but a pipe dream? An evidence review |journal=Joule |language=en |volume=6 |issue=10 |pages=2225–2228 |doi=10.1016/j.joule.2022.08.015|s2cid=252584593 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022Joule...6.2225R }}</ref> Hydrogen is challenging to store, to transport in pipelines, and to use. It presents [[Hydrogen safety|safety]] concerns since it is highly explosive, and it is inefficient compared to direct [[Electrification|use of electricity]]. Since relatively small amounts of low-carbon hydrogen are available, climate benefits can be maximized by using it in harder-to-decarbonize applications.<ref name=":62" />
However, hydrogen, although being the simplest kind of chemical element, rarely exist by itself in nature. For example, air only contain 0.5[[ppmv]] of hydrogen<ref>P.1, Environmental Chemistry, 1994, Nigel Bunce, ISBN 0920063659</ref>. In [[ground state]] hydrogen can only be found in large quantaty in the form of [[water]] (H<sub>2</sub>O), [[fossil fuel]] (C<sub>m</sub>H<sub>n</sub>) and [[organic chemical]] of many kinds. Therefore, there have been a great deal of research about the extractions of hydrogen from these three natural resources since approximately the beginning of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. Namely, [[electrolysis]] can extract hydrogen from water by supplying electrical energy to break its chemical bond (H<sub>2</sub>O → H<sub>2</sub> + 1/2O<sub>2</sub>) and [[steam methane reforming]] can extract hydrogen from both [[methane]] (a common form of fossil fuel) and [[water]] at high temperture (CH<sub>4</sub> (mathane) + 2H<sub>2</sub>O (water/ steam) → CO<sub>2</sub> (carbon dioxide) + 4H<sub>2</sub> (hydrogen)). It is important to note that there are many other methods of producing hydrogen as well but most of them are still in research state, such as direct water splitting<ref>P. 166, Hydrogen as an energy carrier: Technologies·Systems·Economy, 1988, Carl-Jochen Winter, Joachim Nitsch (Eds), ISBN: 0387188967</ref> and decarbonization of methane<ref>Hydrogen Production by Methane Decarbonization: Carbonaceous catalysts, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 32 (2007) 3320-3326, by I. Suelves, M.J. Lazaro, R. Moliner, J.L. Pinilla, H. Cubero</ref>.<br />


{{As of|2023}} there are no real alternatives to hydrogen for several chemical processes in which it is currently used, such as [[ammonia production]] for [[fertilizer]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnard |first=Michael |date=2023-10-22 |title=What's New On The Rungs Of Liebreich's Hydrogen Ladder? |url=https://cleantechnica.com/2023/10/22/whats-new-on-the-rungs-of-liebreichs-hydrogen-ladder/ |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=CleanTechnica |language=en-US}}</ref> The cost of low- and zero-carbon hydrogen is likely to influence the degree to which it will be used in chemical feedstocks, long haul aviation and shipping, and long-term energy storage. Production costs of low- and zero-carbon hydrogen are evolving. Future costs may be influenced by [[carbon taxes]], the geography and geopolitics of energy, energy prices, technology choices, and their raw material requirements. It is likely that green hydrogen will see the greatest reductions in production cost over time.<ref name="Goldman Sachs Research 4–6">{{Cite web |last=Goldman Sachs Research |title=Carbonomics: The Clean Hydrogen Revolution |url=https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/carbonomics-the-clean-hydrogen-revolution.html |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Goldman Sachs |pages=4–6 |language=en-US}}</ref> The U.S. Department of Energy's Hydrogen Hotshot Initiative seeks to reduce the cost of green hydrogen drop to $1 a kilogram during the 2030s. <ref name="Hydrogen Hotshot">{{cite web |title=Hydrogen Hotshot Initiative |url=https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-shot |website=DOE|date=31 August 2021 }}</ref>
Once hydrogen is produced, it must be stored at high pressure because hydrogen is much lighter than air (2 garms per [[mole]] of hydrogen) and would escape into [[stratosphere]] immediately if not captured inside a tank or a barrel for liquid hydrogen. Therefore, hydrogen storage technologies have also been the research subject of many.


== Rationale ==
== History and objectives ==
[[Image:Hydrogen.economy.sys integration circle.jpg|thumb|400px|Elements of the hydrogen economy]]
A hydrogen economy is proposed to solve the ill effects of using [[hydrocarbon]] fuels in transportation, and other end-use applications where the carbon is released to the atmosphere.


=== Origins ===
In the current [[hydrocarbon economy]], the [[transportation]] of people and goods (so-called ''mobile applications'') is [[fuel]]ed primarily by [[petroleum]], refined into [[gasoline]] and [[diesel]], and [[natural gas]]. However, the burning of these [[hydrocarbon]] fuels causes the emission of [[greenhouse gases]] and other [[pollutants]]. Furthermore, the supply of hydrocarbon resources in the world is limited, and the demand for hydrocarbon fuels is increasing, particularly in [[People's Republic of China|China]], [[India]] and other developing countries.


The concept of a society that uses hydrogen as the primary means of energy storage was theorized by geneticist [[J. B. S. Haldane]] in 1923. Anticipating the exhaustion of Britain's coal reserves for power generation, Haldane proposed a network of wind turbines to produce hydrogen and oxygen for long-term energy storage through [[Electrolysis of water|electrolysis]], to help address renewable power's [[Variable renewable energy|variable output]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Daedalus or Science and the Future'', A paper read to the Heretics, Cambridge, on February 4th, 1923 – Transcript 1993 |url=http://bactra.org/Daedalus.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115013540/http://bactra.org/Daedalus.html |archive-date=2017-11-15 |access-date=2016-01-16}}</ref> The term "hydrogen economy" itself was coined by [[John Bockris]] during a talk he gave in 1970 at [[General Motors]] (GM) Technical Center.<ref name="timeline">{{cite web|url=http://www.hydrogenassociation.org/general/factSheet_history.pdf|title=The History of Hydrogen|author1=National Hydrogen Association|author2=United States Department of Energy|work=hydrogenassociation.org|publisher=National Hydrogen Association|page=1|access-date=17 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714141058/http://www.hydrogenassociation.org/general/factSheet_history.pdf|archive-date=14 July 2010}}</ref> Bockris viewed it as an economy in which hydrogen, underpinned by [[Nuclear power|nuclear]] and [[Solar power|solar]] power, would help address growing concern about fossil fuel depletion and environmental pollution, by serving as [[energy carrier]] for end-uses in which [[electrification]] was not suitable.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Yap |first1=Jiazhen |last2=McLellan |first2=Benjamin |date=6 January 2023 |title=A Historical Analysis of Hydrogen Economy Research, Development, and Expectations, 1972 to 2020 |journal=Environments |language=en |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=11 |doi=10.3390/environments10010011 |issn=2076-3298 |doi-access=free |hdl=2433/284015 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bockris |first=J. O'M. |date=1972-06-23 |title=A Hydrogen Economy |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.176.4041.1323 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=176 |issue=4041 |pages=1323 |doi=10.1126/science.176.4041.1323 |pmid=17820918 |bibcode=1972Sci...176.1323O |issn=0036-8075}}</ref>
Hydrogen has a high [[energy density]] by [[mass|weight]]. The fuel cell is also more efficient than an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine is said to be 20–30% efficient, while the fuel cell is 35–45% efficient (some even higher) (not accounting for losses in the actual production of hydrogen, which would result in an overall efficiency of about 25%) and together with the electric motor and controller, the drive train overall efficiency approaches 24% with low idling losses.<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?url=/iel5/63/34172/01629013.pdf?arnumber=1629013
| title= "Comprehensive drive train efficiency analysis of hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles based on motor-controller efficiency modeling"
| last= Williamson | first= S. | coauthors= Lukic, M.; Emadi, A.
| date= Volume 21, Issue 3, May 2006 |format= | work= Xplore | publisher= [[IEEE]]
| pages= pp.&nbsp;730–740 |language= | doi= 10.1109/TPEL.2006.872388
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


A hydrogen economy was proposed by the [[University of Michigan]] to solve some of the negative effects of using [[hydrocarbon]] fuels where the carbon is released to the atmosphere (as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, unburnt hydrocarbons, etc.). Modern interest in the hydrogen economy can generally be traced to a 1970 technical report by [[Lawrence W. Jones]] of the University of Michigan,<ref>{{cite conference|last1=Jones|first1=Lawrence W|date=13 March 1970|title=Toward a liquid hydrogen fuel economy|conference=University of Michigan Environmental Action for Survival Teach In|location=Ann Arbor, Michigan|publisher=[[University of Michigan]]|hdl=2027.42/5800}}</ref> in which he echoed Bockris' dual rationale of addressing energy security and environmental challenges. Unlike Haldane and Bockris, Jones only focused on nuclear power as the energy source for electrolysis, and principally on the use of hydrogen in transport, where he regarded aviation and heavy goods transport as the top priorities.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Lawrence W. |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/5800/bac5758.0001.001.pdf |title=Toward a Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Economy |date=March 13, 1970 |pages=2–3}}</ref>
==Perspective: current hydrogen market (current hydrogen economy)==
[[Image:Realizing.the.Hydrogen.Economy.chart.gif|thumb|400px|Timeline]]


=== Later evolution ===
Hydrogen production is a large and growing industry. Globally, some 50 million [[metric ton]]s of hydrogen, equal to about 170&nbsp;million [[Tonne of oil equivalent|tons of oil equivalent]], were produced in 2004. The growth rate is around 10% per year. Within the [[United States]], 2004 production was about 11&nbsp;million metric tons (MMT), an average power flow of 48&nbsp;gigawatts. (For comparison, the average electric production in 2003 was some 442&nbsp;gigawatts.) As of 2005, the economic value of all hydrogen produced worldwide is about $135&nbsp;billion per year.<ref>{{cite web
[[File:IRENA hydrogen leadership opportunities.png|thumb|Technology leadership opportunities in green hydrogen value chains according to the [[International Renewable Energy Agency]] in 2022<ref>IRENA (2022), [https://www.irena.org/Publications/2022/Jan/Geopolitics-of-the-Energy-Transformation-Hydrogen Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation: The Hydrogen Factor], International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi. {{ISBN|978-92-9260-370-0}}.</ref>{{rp|55}}]]
| url= http://reporter.leeds.ac.uk/press_releases/current/biodiesel.htm
A spike in attention for the ''hydrogen economy'' concept during the 2000s was repeatedly described as hype by some [[The Hype about Hydrogen|critics]] and proponents of alternative technologies,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bakker |first1=Sjoerd |title=The car industry and the blow-out of the hydrogen hype |journal=Energy Policy |volume=38 |issue=11 |pages=6540–6544 |doi=10.1016/j.enpol.2010.07.019 |year=2010 |bibcode=2010EnPol..38.6540B |url=http://www.geo.uu.nl/isu/pdf/isu0914.pdf |access-date=2019-12-11 |archive-date=2018-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103054549/http://www.geo.uu.nl/isu/pdf/isu0914.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Harrison|first1=James|title=Reactions: Hydrogen hype|journal=Chemical Engineer|volume=58|pages=774–775|url=https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-31644446919&partnerID=40&md5=774f9bad3596ab20fa4e09dd311650f9|access-date=2017-08-31|archive-date=2021-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208150534/https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-31644446919&origin=inward&txGid=991e7333984829c38848e466307c1bde|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rizzi, Francesco Annunziata, Eleonora Liberati, Guglielmo Frey, Marco|title=Technological trajectories in the automotive industry: are hydrogen technologies still a possibility?|journal=Journal of Cleaner Production|date=2014 |volume=66|pages=328–336 |doi=10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.11.069|bibcode=2014JCPro..66..328R }}</ref> and investors lost money in the [[Economic bubble|bubble]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |title=Can a viable industry emerge from the hydrogen shakeout? |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/business/2023/07/03/can-a-viable-industry-emerge-from-the-hydrogen-shakeout |access-date=2023-09-26 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> Interest in the energy carrier resurged in the 2010s, notably with the forming of the [[World Hydrogen Council]] in 2017. Several manufacturers released hydrogen fuel cell cars commercially, with manufacturers such as Toyota, Hyundai, and industry groups in China having planned to increase numbers of the cars into the hundreds of thousands over the next decade.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Murai|first1=Shusuke|title=Japan's top auto and energy firms tie up to promote development of hydrogen stations|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/03/05/business/japans-top-auto-energy-firms-tie-promote-development-hydrogen-stations/|newspaper=The Japan Times Online|publisher=Japan Times|access-date=16 April 2018|date=2018-03-05|archive-date=2018-04-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417194850/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/03/05/business/japans-top-auto-energy-firms-tie-promote-development-hydrogen-stations/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Mishra|first1=Ankit|title=Prospects of fuel-cell electric vehicles boosted with Chinese backing|url=http://energypost.eu/fuel-cell-vehicles-help-drive-china-to-a-low-carbon-future/|publisher=Energy Post|access-date=16 April 2018|date=2018-03-29|archive-date=2018-04-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417192045/http://energypost.eu/fuel-cell-vehicles-help-drive-china-to-a-low-carbon-future/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| title= Leeds researchers fuelling the ‘hydrogen economy’
|author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors=
|date= 26 November 2007 |work= |publisher= [[University of Leeds]]
|pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


The global scope for hydrogen's role in cars is shrinking relative to earlier expectations.<ref name="role2">{{Cite journal |last=Plötz |first=Patrick |date=January 2022 |title=Hydrogen technology is unlikely to play a major role in sustainable road transport |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-021-00706-6 |journal=Nature Electronics |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=8–10 |doi=10.1038/s41928-021-00706-6 |s2cid=246465284 |issn=2520-1131}}</ref><ref name="Collins l_collins2">{{Cite news |last=Collins (l_collins) |first=Leigh |date=2022-02-02 |title='Hydrogen unlikely to play major role in road transport, even for heavy trucks': Fraunhofer |url=https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/-hydrogen-unlikely-to-play-major-role-in-road-transport-even-for-heavy-trucks-fraunhofer/2-1-1162055 |access-date=2023-09-08 |newspaper=Recharge &#124; Latest Renewable Energy News}}</ref> By the end of 2022, 70,200 [[hydrogen vehicle]]s had been sold worldwide,<ref name="auto2">{{Cite book |last1=Chu |first1=Yidan |url=https://theicct.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Global-EV-sales-2022_FINAL.pdf |title=Annual update on the global transition to electric vehicles: 2022 |last2=Cui |first2=Hongyang |publisher=International Council on Clean Transportation |pages=2–3 |access-date=2023-08-25}}</ref> compared with 26 million [[plug-in electric vehicle]]s.<ref name="Outlook2023">{{Cite book |url=https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2023 |title=Global EV Outlook 2023 |date=26 April 2023 |publisher=IEA |pages=14–24 |access-date=2023-08-25}}</ref>
There are two primary uses for hydrogen today. About half is used to produce [[ammonia]] ([[nitrogen|N]]H<sub>3</sub>) via the [[Haber process]], which is then used directly or indirectly as [[fertilizer]]. Because both the [[world population]] and the intensive [[agriculture]] used to support it are growing, ammonia demand is growing. The other half of current hydrogen production is used to convert heavy [[petroleum]] sources into lighter [[fractions]] suitable for use as fuels. This latter process is known as [[hydrocracking]]. Hydrocracking represents an even larger growth area, since rising oil prices encourage oil companies to extract poorer source material, such as [[tar sand]]s and [[oil shale]]. The scale economies inherent in large scale oil refining and fertilizer manufacture make possible on-site production and "captive" use. Smaller quantities of "merchant" hydrogen are manufactured and delivered to end users as well.


Early 2020s takes on the hydrogen economy share earlier perspectives' emphasis on the complementarity of electricity and hydrogen, and the use of electrolysis as the mainstay of hydrogen production.<ref name=":12"/> They focus on the need to limit [[Climate change|global warming]] to 1.5&nbsp;°C and prioritize the production, transportation and use of [[green hydrogen]] for heavy industry (e.g. high-temperature processes alongside electricity,<ref name="Kjellberg-Motton">{{Cite web |last=Kjellberg-Motton |first=Brendan |date=2022-02-07 |title=Steel decarbonisation gathers speed {{!}} Argus Media |url=https://www.argusmedia.com/en//news/2299399-steel-decarbonisation-gathers-speed |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=www.argusmedia.com |language=en}}</ref> feedstock for production of [[green ammonia]] and organic chemicals,<ref name=":12"/> as alternative to coal-derived coke for [[steelmaking]]),<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last1=Blank |first1=Thomas |last2=Molly |first2=Patrick |date=January 2020 |title=Hydrogen's Decarbonization Impact for Industry |url=https://rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/hydrogen_insight_brief.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922115313/https://rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/hydrogen_insight_brief.pdf |archive-date=22 September 2020 |access-date= |publisher=[[Rocky Mountain Institute]] |pages=2, 7, 8}}</ref> long-haul transport (e.g. shipping, aviation and to a lesser extent heavy goods vehicles), and long-term energy storage.<ref name=":12" /><ref name="IRENA 2021 95"/>
If energy for hydrogen production were available (from wind, solar or nuclear power), use of the substance for hydrocarbon synfuel production could expand captive use of hydrogen by a factor of 5 to 10. Present U.S. use of hydrogen for hydrocracking is roughly 4&nbsp;million metric tons per year (4&nbsp;MMT/yr). It is estimated that 37.7&nbsp;MMT/yr of hydrogen would be sufficient to convert enough domestic coal to liquid fuels to end U.S. dependence on foreign oil importation,<ref name="ANL0530Final"> [http://www.dis.anl.gov/ceeesa/documents/NuclearHydrogen_ANL0530Final.pdf] {{dead link|date=May 2008}} </ref> and less than half this figure to end dependence on Middle East oil. Coal liquefaction would present significantly worse emissions of carbon dioxide than does the current system of burning fossil petroleum, but it would eliminate the political and economic vulnerabilities inherent in oil importation.


==Current hydrogen market==
Currently, global hydrogen production is 48% from [[natural gas]], 30% from [[crude oil|oil]], and 18% from [[coal]]; water [[electrolysis]] accounts for only 4%.<ref> [http://www.airproducts.com/Products/LiquidBulkGases/HydrogenEnergyFuelCells/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.htm?wbc_purpose=basic%23other%23equipment%23top%23other%23other%23equipment%23top%23top Hydrogen energy FAQ] {{dead link|date=May 2008}} </ref> The distribution of production reflects the effects of thermodynamic constraints on economic choices: of the four methods for obtaining hydrogen, partial combustion of natural gas in a [[NGCC]] (natural gas combined cycle) power plant offers the most efficient chemical pathway and the greatest off-take of usable heat energy.
[[Hydrogen production]] globally was valued at over US$155 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow over 9% annually through 2030.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hydrogen Generation Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report, 2023 – 2030 |url=https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/hydrogen-generation-market |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=www.grandviewresearch.com |language=en}}</ref>


In 2021, 94 million tonnes (Mt) of molecular hydrogen ({{chem2|H2}}) was produced.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Executive summary – Global Hydrogen Review 2022 – Analysis |url=https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2022/executive-summary |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=IEA |language=en-GB}}</ref> Of this total, approximately one sixth was as a by-product of [[petrochemical industry]] processes.<ref name=":23"/> Most hydrogen comes from dedicated production facilities, over 99% of which is from fossil fuels, mainly via steam reforming of natural gas (70%) and coal gasification (30%, almost all of which in China).<ref name=":23"/> Less than 1% of dedicated hydrogen production is low carbon: steam fossil fuel reforming with [[carbon capture and storage]], [[green hydrogen]] produced using electrolysis, and hydrogen produced from [[Biomass (energy)|biomass]].<ref name=":23"/> CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from 2021 production, at 915 MtCO<sub>2</sub>,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hydrogen |url=https://www.iea.org/energy-system/low-emission-fuels/hydrogen |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=IEA |language=en-GB}}</ref> amounted to 2.5% of energy-related CO<sub>2</sub> emissions<ref>Energy-related emissions totalled 36.3 Gigatonnes CO<sub>2</sub> in 2021.{{Cite web |title=Global CO2 emissions rebounded to their highest level in history in 2021 – News |url=https://www.iea.org/news/global-co2-emissions-rebounded-to-their-highest-level-in-history-in-2021 |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=IEA |date=8 March 2022 |language=en-GB}}</ref> and 1.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.<ref name="auto1"/>
The large market and sharply rising prices in fossil fuels have also stimulated great interest in alternate, cheaper means of hydrogen production.<ref> [http://www.dis.anl.gov/ceeesa/programs/hydrogen_markets.html ] {{dead link|date=May 2008}} </ref>


Virtually all hydrogen produced for the current market is used in [[oil refining]] (40 Mt{{chem2|H2}} in 2021) and industry (54 MtH2).<ref name=":02"/>{{Rp|pages=18, 22}} In oil refining, hydrogen is used, in a process known as [[hydrocracking]], to convert heavy petroleum sources into lighter fractions suitable for use as fuels. Industrial uses mainly comprise [[ammonia]] production to make fertilizers (34 Mt{{chem2|H2}} in 2021), [[methanol]] production (15 Mt{{chem2|H2}}) and the manufacture of [[direct reduced iron]] (5 Mt{{chem2|H2}}).<ref name=":02" />{{Rp|pages=|page=29}}
==Production, storage, infrastructure==
{{main|Hydrogen technologies}}


== Production ==
Today hydrogen is produced for merchant use and captive industrial applications using mature, thermodynamically efficient technologies. Linking its centralized production to a fleet of light-duty [[hydrogen vehicle|fuel cell vehicles]] will require the siting and construction of a distribution infrastructure with large investment of capital. Further, the technological challenge of providing safe, energy-dense storage of hydrogen on-board the vehicle must be overcome to provide sufficient range between fillups.
{{Excerpt|Hydrogen production|paragraphs=1-3}}


===Methods of production===
===Green methanol===
{{See also|Methanol economy}}
{{main|Hydrogen production}}
Green [[methanol fuel|methanol]] is a [[liquid fuel]] that is produced from combining [[carbon dioxide]] and [[hydrogen]] ({{chem2|CO2 + 3 H2 → CH3OH + H2O}}) under pressure and heat with [[Catalyst support|catalysts]]. It is a way to reuse [[carbon capture and recycling|carbon capture for recycling]]. Methanol can store hydrogen economically at [[Standard temperature and pressure|standard outdoor temperatures and pressures]], compared to [[liquid hydrogen]] and [[ammonia]] that need to use a lot of energy to stay cold in their [[liquid state]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Song |first1=Qianqian |last2=Tinoco |first2=Rodrigo Rivera |last3=Yang |first3=Haiping |last4=Yang |first4=Qing |last5=Jiang |first5=Hao |last6=Chen |first6=Yingquan |last7=Chen |first7=Hanping |date=2022-09-01 |title=A comparative study on energy efficiency of the maritime supply chains for liquefied hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and natural gas |journal=Carbon Capture Science & Technology |volume=4 |pages=100056 |doi=10.1016/j.ccst.2022.100056 |issn=2772-6568|doi-access=free }}</ref> In 2023 the [[Laura Maersk (2023)|Laura Maersk]] was the first container ship to run on methanol fuel.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-14 |title=World's 'first green container ship' christened in Denmark |url=https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/09/14/what-is-green-methanol-denmark-launches-the-worlds-first-green-container-ship |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=euronews |language=en}}</ref> [[Ethanol fuel|Ethanol plants]] in the midwest are a good place for pure carbon capture to combine with hydrogen to make green methanol, with abundant [[Wind power in the United States|wind]] and [[Nuclear power in the United States|nuclear energy]] in [[wind power in Iowa|Iowa]], [[Wind power in Minnesota|Minnesota]], and [[List of power stations in Illinois|Illinois]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Strong |first=Jared |date=2024-02-17 |title=Green methanol: A carbon dioxide pipeline alternative? • Nebraska Examiner |url=https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/02/17/green-methanol-a-carbon-dioxide-pipeline-alternative/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=Nebraska Examiner |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cordero-Lanzac |first1=Tomas |last2=Ramirez |first2=Adrian |last3=Navajas |first3=Alberto |last4=Gevers |first4=Lieven |last5=Brunialti |first5=Sirio |last6=Gandía |first6=Luis M. |last7=Aguayo |first7=Andrés T. |last8=Mani Sarathy |first8=S. |last9=Gascon |first9=Jorge |date=2022-05-01 |title=A techno-economic and life cycle assessment for the production of green methanol from CO2: catalyst and process bottlenecks |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095495621005738 |journal=Journal of Energy Chemistry |volume=68 |pages=255–266 |doi=10.1016/j.jechem.2021.09.045 |issn=2095-4956|hdl=10754/673022 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Mixing methanol with [[ethanol]] could make methanol a safer fuel to use because methanol doesn't have a visible flame in the daylight and doesn't emit smoke, and ethanol has a visible light yellow flame.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c00991 | doi=10.1021/acsomega.2c00991 | title=Effects of Ethanol and Methanol on the Combustion Characteristics of Gasoline with the Revised Variation Disturbance Method | date=2022 | last1=Li | first1=Shu-hao | last2=Wen | first2=Zhenhua | last3=Hou | first3=Junxing | last4=Xi | first4=Shuanghui | last5=Fang | first5=Pengya | last6=Guo | first6=Xiao | last7=Li | first7=Yong | last8=Wang | first8=Zhenghe | last9=Li | first9=Shangjun | journal=ACS Omega | volume=7 | issue=21 | pages=17797–17810 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmEsU-QYxNk | title=The Horror of Methanol Fires &#124; Last Moments | website=[[YouTube]] | date=17 March 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.freepatentsonline.com/5858031.html | title=Isopropanol blended with aqueous ethanol for flame coloration without use of salts or hazardous solvents }}</ref> [[Green hydrogen]] production of 70% efficiency and a 70% efficiency of methanol production from that would be a 49% [[energy conversion efficiency]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Green Methanol Production-A Techno-Economic Analysis |url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/green-methanol-production-a-techno-economic-analysis-clrkc |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=www.linkedin.com |language=en}}</ref>


==Uses==
Molecular hydrogen is not available on Earth in convenient natural reservoirs, though it is an atmospheric trace gas having a [[mixing ratio]] of 500&nbsp;parts per billion by volume<ref> Novelli, 1999. </ref> in addition to being produced by [[microbes]] and consumed by [[methanogens]] in a rapid biological hydrogen cycle. Most hydrogen on Earth is bonded to oxygen in water. Hydrogen is presently most economically produced using fossil fuels. In practice this is usually methane, though hydrogen can also be produced via steam reforming or partial oxidation of coal. More expensively it can also be produced via [[electrolysis]] using electricity and water, consuming approximately 50&nbsp;kilowatt-hours of electricity per kilogram of hydrogen produced. Though the use of platinum as a catalyst for electrolytic separation of H<sub>2</sub>O into hydrogen and oxygen is well-known, the actual amount of known or projected platinum in Earth would allow for less than a hundredth of a cubic centimeter for every one out of three people on Earth for private use or ownership. Nuclear power can provide the energy for hydrogen production by a variety of means,<ref name="ANL0530Final"/> but its widescale deployment is opposed in some Western economies while it is embraced in others. [[Renewable energy]] is being used to produce hydrogen in Denmark<ref>{{cite web
[[File:The_Hydrogen_Ladder,_Version_5.0.jpg|thumb|Some projected uses in the medium term, but analysts disagree<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnard |first=Michael |date=2023-10-22 |title=What's New On The Rungs Of Liebreich's Hydrogen Ladder? |url=https://cleantechnica.com/2023/10/22/whats-new-on-the-rungs-of-liebreichs-hydrogen-ladder/ |access-date=2024-03-10 |website=CleanTechnica |language=en-US}}</ref>]]
| url= http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=48873
[[Image:Photo praxair plant.hydrogen.infrastructure.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Hydrogen fuel requires the development of a specific infrastructure for processing, transport and storage.]]
| title= First Danish Hydrogen Energy Plant Is Operational
Hydrogen can be deployed as a fuel in two distinct ways: in [[fuel cells]] which produce electricity, and via combustion to generate heat.<ref name=":04">{{Cite journal |last=Lewis |first=Alastair C. |date=10 June 2021 |title=Optimising air quality co-benefits in a hydrogen economy: a case for hydrogen-specific standards for NO x emissions |journal=Environmental Science: Atmospheres |language=en |volume=1 |issue=5 |pages=201–207 |doi=10.1039/D1EA00037C|s2cid=236732702 |doi-access=free }}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by3|url=|authors=|vrt=|from this source=yes}}</ref> When hydrogen is consumed in fuel cells, the only emission at the point of use is water vapor.<ref name=":04" /> Combustion of hydrogen can lead to the thermal formation of harmful [[NOx|nitrogen oxides]] emissions.<ref name=":04" />
| date= June 8, 2007 |work= |publisher= RenewableEnergyWorld.com
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref> and Iceland.<ref name="detnews">{{cite web
| url= http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0501/14/autos-60181.htm
| title= "Iceland's hydrogen buses zip toward oil-free economy"
| last= Doyle | first= Alister | date= January 14, 2005 |work= |publisher= [[Reuters]]
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>
The environmental effects of hydrogen production can be compared with alternatives, taking into account not only the emissions and efficiency of the hydrogen production process but also the efficiency of the hydrogen conversion to electricity in a fuel cell.


=== Industry ===
While hydrogen (the element) is abundant on Earth, and indeed is the most abundant element in the universe, manufacturing hydrogen does require the consumption of a hydrogen carrier such as a [[fossil fuel]] or water. The former consumes the fossil resource and produces carbon dioxide, but often requires no further energy input beyond the fossil fuel. [[Chemical decomposition|Decomposing]] water requires electrical or heat input, generated from some primary energy source ([[fossil fuel]], [[nuclear power]] or a [[renewable energy]]). The [[economics]] and [[Natural environment|environmental]] impact of any implementation of any future hydrogen economy will largely be determined by future [[energy development]].
In the context of [[limiting global warming]], low-carbon hydrogen (particularly [[green hydrogen]]) is likely to play an important role in decarbonizing industry.<ref name=":122">{{Cite book |author=IPCC |url=https://ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_FullReport.pdf |title=Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change |publisher=Cambridge University Press (In Press) |year=2022 |editor1-last=Shukla |editor1-first=P.R. |series=Contribution of Working Group III to the [[IPCC Sixth Assessment Report|Sixth Assessment Report]] of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |place=Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, US |pages=1184 |doi=10.1017/9781009157926 |isbn=9781009157926 |ref={{harvid|IPCC AR6 WG3|2022}} |author-link=IPCC |editor2-last=Skea |editor2-first=J. |editor3-last=Slade |editor3-first=R. |editor4-last=Al Khourdajie |editor4-first=A. |editor5-last=van Diemen |editor5-first=R. |editor6-last=McCollum |editor6-first=D. |editor7-last=Pathak |editor7-first=M. |editor8-last=Some |editor8-first=S. |editor9-last=Vyas |editor9-first=P. |display-editors=4 |editor10-first=R. |editor10-last=Fradera |editor11-first=M. |editor11-last=Belkacemi |editor12-first=A. |editor12-last=Hasija |editor13-first=G. |editor13-last=Lisboa |editor14-first=S. |editor14-last=Luz |editor15-first=J. |editor15-last=Malley}}</ref> Hydrogen fuel can produce the intense heat required for industrial production of steel, cement, glass, and chemicals, thus contributing to the decarbonization of industry alongside other technologies, such as [[electric arc furnace]]s for steelmaking.<ref name="Kjellberg-Motton"/> However, it is likely to play a larger role in providing industrial feedstock for cleaner production of ammonia and organic chemicals.<ref name=":122" /> For example, in [[steelmaking]], hydrogen could function as a clean energy carrier and also as a low-carbon catalyst replacing coal-derived [[Coke (fuel)|coke]].<ref name="auto"/>


The imperative to use low-carbon hydrogen to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has the potential to reshape the geography of industrial activities, as locations with appropriate hydrogen production potential in different regions will interact in new ways with logistics infrastructure, raw material availability, human and technological capital.<ref name=":122" />
==== Biological production ====
{{main|Biological hydrogen production (Algae)}}


=== Transport===
[[Biohydrogen]] can be produced in an [[algae]] [[bioreactor]]. In the late 1990s it was discovered that if the algae is deprived of [[sulfur]] it will switch from the production of [[oxygen]], i.e. normal [[photosynthesis]], to the production of hydrogen.
{{Main|Hydrogen vehicle}}


Much of the interest in the hydrogen economy concept is focused on [[hydrogen vehicle]]s, particularly [[Hydrogen plane|planes]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Is the time now ripe for planes to run on hydrogen? |url=https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/12/08/is-the-time-now-ripe-for-planes-to-run-on-hydrogen |access-date=2024-02-17 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Yusaf |first1=Talal |last2=Faisal Mahamude |first2=Abu Shadate |last3=Kadirgama |first3=Kumaran |last4=Ramasamy |first4=Devarajan |last5=Farhana |first5=Kaniz |last6=A. Dhahad |first6=Hayder |last7=Abu Talib |first7=ABD Rahim |date=2024-01-02 |title=Sustainable hydrogen energy in aviation – A narrative review |journal=International Journal of Hydrogen Energy |volume=52 |pages=1026–1045 |doi=10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.02.086 |issn=0360-3199|doi-access=free |bibcode=2024IJHE...52.1026Y }}</ref> Hydrogen vehicles produce significantly less local air pollution than conventional vehicles.<ref>{{cite web |date=2018-02-16 |title=This company may have solved one of the hardest problems in clean energy |url=https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/2/16/16926950/hydrogen-fuel-technology-economy-hytech-storage |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112094756/https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/2/16/16926950/hydrogen-fuel-technology-economy-hytech-storage |archive-date=2019-11-12 |access-date=9 February 2019 |publisher=Vox}}</ref> By 2050, the energy requirement for transportation might be between 20% and 30% fulfilled by hydrogen and [[synthetic fuel]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=IRENA |title=The Hydrogen Factor |url=https://irena.org/DigitalArticles/2022/Jan/Hydrogen_Factor |access-date=2022-10-19 |website=irena.org |language=en |archive-date=2022-10-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019161220/https://irena.org/DigitalArticles/2022/Jan/Hydrogen_Factor |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sustainable fuels and their role in decarbonizing energy {{!}} McKinsey |url=https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/oil-and-gas/our-insights/charting-the-global-energy-landscape-to-2050-sustainable-fuels |access-date=2022-10-19 |website=www.mckinsey.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Spiryagin |first1=Maksym |last2=Dixon |first2=Roger |last3=Oldknow |first3=Kevin |last4=Cole |first4=Colin |date=2021-09-01 |title=Preface to special issue on hybrid and hydrogen technologies for railway operations |journal=Railway Engineering Science |language=en |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=211 |doi=10.1007/s40534-021-00254-x |issn=2662-4753 |s2cid=240522190 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2021RailE..29..211S }}</ref>
It seems that the production is now economically feasible by trespassing the 7–10 percent energy efficiency (the conversion of sunlight into hydrogen) barrier.


Hydrogen used to decarbonize transportation is likely to find its largest applications in [[Hydrogen-powered ship|shipping]], aviation and to a lesser extent heavy goods vehicles, through the use of hydrogen-derived synthetic fuels such as [[Green ammonia|ammonia]] and [[Green methanol|methanol]], and fuel cell technology.<ref name=":12"/> Hydrogen has been used in [[fuel cell bus]]es for many years. It is also used as a fuel for [[spacecraft propulsion]].
Biohydrogen can and is produced in bioreactors that utilize feedstocks other than algae, the most common feedstock being waste streams. The process involves bacteria feeding on hydrocarbons and exhaling hydrogen and CO<sub>2</sub>. The CO<sub>2</sub> can be sequestered successfully by several methods, leaving hydrogen gas. A prototype hydrogen bioreactor using waste as a feedstock is in operation at Welch's grape juice factory in North East, Pennsylvania.


In the [[International Energy Agency]]'s 2022 Net Zero Emissions Scenario (NZE), hydrogen is forecast to account for 2% of rail energy demand in 2050, while 90% of rail travel is expected to be electrified by then (up from 45% today). Hydrogen's role in rail would likely be focused on lines that prove difficult or costly to electrify.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2022 |title=World energy outlook 2022 |date=27 October 2022 |publisher=International Energy Agency |pages=150}}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4|from this source=yes}}</ref> The NZE foresees hydrogen meeting approximately 30% of [[heavy truck]] energy demand in 2050, mainly for long-distance heavy freight (with battery electric power accounting for around 60%).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Cozzi |first1=Laura |url=https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/830fe099-5530-48f2-a7c1-11f35d510983/WorldEnergyOutlook2022.pdf |title=World Energy Outlook 2022 |last2=Gould |first2=Tim |publisher=International Energy Agency |pages=148}}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4|from this source=yes}}</ref>
==== Electrolysis ====
[[Image:Hydrogen-challenger hg.jpg|thumb|Electrolysis of water ship [[Hydrogen challenger]]]]
The predominant methods of hydrogen production rely on exothermic chemical reactions of fossil fuels to provide the energy needed to chemically convert feedstock into hydrogen. But when the energy supply is '''mechanical''' (hydropower or wind turbines), hydrogen can be made via [[electrolysis of water]]. In current market conditions, the 50&nbsp;kWh of electricity consumed to manufacture one kilogram of hydrogen is roughly as valuable as the hydrogen produced, assuming 8&nbsp;cents/kWh. The price equivalence, despite the inefficiencies of electrical production and electrolysis, are due to the fact that most hydrogen is made from fossil fuels which couple more efficiently to producing the chemical directly, than they do to producing electricity. However, this is of no help to a hydrogen economy, which must derive hydrogen from any source other than fossil fuels if it is to achieve the goals which primarily drive it.<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://scitation.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_57/iss_12/39_1.shtml
| title= "The Hydrogen Economy"
| last= Crabtree | first= George W. | coauthors= Mildred S. Dresselhaus, and Michelle V. Buchanan
| date= December 2004 |work= | publisher= ''[[Physics Today]]'' | pages= p.&nbsp;39
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


Although hydrogen can be used in adapted [[Hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicle|internal combustion engines]], fuel cells, being [[electrochemical]], have an efficiency advantage over heat engines. Fuel cells are more expensive to produce than common internal combustion engines but also require higher purity hydrogen fuel than internal combustion engines.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stępień |first=Zbigniew |date=January 2021 |title=A Comprehensive Overview of Hydrogen-Fueled Internal Combustion Engines: Achievements and Future Challenges |journal=Energies |language=en |volume=14 |issue=20 |pages=6504 |doi=10.3390/en14206504 |issn=1996-1073 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
====High-temperature electrolysis (HTE)====
Hydrogen can be generated from energy supplied in the form of '''heat''' (e.g., that of concentrating solar thermal or nuclear) and electricity through [[high-temperature electrolysis]] (HTE). In contrast with low-temperature electrolysis, HTE of water converts more of the initial [[heat]] energy into chemical energy (hydrogen), potentially doubling [[fuel efficiency|efficiency]], to about 50%. Because some of the energy in HTE is supplied in the form of heat, less of the energy must be converted twice (from heat to electricity, and then to chemical form), and so potentially far less energy is required per kilogram of hydrogen produced. HTE has been demonstrated in a laboratory, but not at a commercial scale.<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/nuclear_energy_h2_plan.pdf
| title= Nuclear Hydrogen R&D Plan
| year= 2004 | month= March |format= PDF |work=
| publisher= United States Department of Energy|U.S. Dept. of Energy]]
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


In the light road vehicle segment including passenger cars, by the end of 2022, 70,200 fuel cell electric vehicles had been sold worldwide,<ref name="auto2" /> compared with 26 million plug-in electric vehicles.<ref name="Outlook2023" /> With the rapid rise of [[electric vehicle]]s and associated battery technology and infrastructure, hydrogen's role in cars is minuscule.<ref name="role2" /><ref name="Collins l_collins2" />
HTE processes are generally only considered in combination with a nuclear heat source, because the only other non-chemical form of high-temperature heat (concentrating solar thermal) is not consistent enough to bring down the capital costs of the HTE equipment. It is possible that research into HTE and high-temperature nuclear reactors may eventually lead to a hydrogen supply that is cost-competitive with natural gas steam reforming. For example, some prototype [[Generation IV reactor]]s have coolant exit temperatures of 850 to 1000 [[degrees Celsius]], considerably hotter than existing commercial [[nuclear power]] plants. High temperature (950–1000&nbsp;°C) gas cooled nuclear reactors have the potential to split hydrogen from water by thermochemical means using nuclear heat. [[General Atomics]] predicts that hydrogen produced in a High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR) would cost $1.53/[[kilogram|kg]].(The first commercial generation&nbsp;IV reactors are expected around 2030). In 2003, steam reforming of natural gas yielded hydrogen at $1.40/kg. At 2005 natural gas prices, hydrogen costs $2.70/kg.


=== Energy system balancing and storage ===
One side benefit of a nuclear reactor that produces both [[electricity]] and hydrogen is that it can shift production between the two. For instance, the plant might produce electricity during the day and hydrogen at night, matching its electrical generation profile to the daily variation in demand, and offloading the extra output at night into a storable medium for energy.
[[Green hydrogen]], from [[electrolysis of water]], has the potential to address the [[Variable renewable energy|variability of renewable energy]] output. Producing green hydrogen can both reduce the need for renewable power [[Curtailment (electricity)|curtailment]] during periods of high renewables output and be [[Energy storage|stored]] long-term to provide for power generation during periods of low output.<ref name="Schrotenboer">{{Cite journal |last1=Schrotenboer |first1=Albert H. |last2=Veenstra |first2=Arjen A.T. |last3=uit het Broek |first3=Michiel A.J. |last4=Ursavas |first4=Evrim |date=October 2022 |title=A Green Hydrogen Energy System: Optimal control strategies for integrated hydrogen storage and power generation with wind energy |url=https://pure.rug.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/230184233/1_s2.0_S1364032122006323_main.pdf |journal=Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews |language=en |volume=168 |pages=112744 |doi=10.1016/j.rser.2022.112744 |arxiv=2108.00530 |bibcode=2022RSERv.16812744S |s2cid=250941369}}</ref><ref name="Lipták">{{Cite news |last=Lipták |first=Béla |date=January 24, 2022 |title=Hydrogen is key to sustainable green energy |work=Control |url=https://www.controlglobal.com/home/article/11288951/hydrogen-is-key-to-sustainable-green-energy |access-date=February 12, 2023}}</ref>


===Ammonia ===
==== Thermochemical production ====
Some thermochemical processes, such as the [[sulfur-iodine cycle]], can produce hydrogen and oxygen from water and heat without using electricity. These processes can be more efficient than high-temperature electrolysis. Thermochemical production of hydrogen using chemical energy from coal or natural gas is generally not considered, because the direct chemical path is more efficient.


{{Main|ammonia|ammonia production}}
None of the thermochemical hydrogen production processes have been demonstrated at production levels, although several have been demonstrated in laboratories.
{{see also|alkaline fuel cell}}
An alternative to gaseous hydrogen as an energy carrier is to bond it with [[nitrogen]] from the air to produce ammonia, which can be easily liquefied, transported, and used (directly or indirectly) as a clean and [[Ammonia as a fuel|renewable fuel]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Agosta |first=Vito |date=July 10, 2003 |title=The Ammonia Economy |url=http://www.memagazine.org/contents/current/webonly/webex710.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513030624/http://www.memagazine.org/contents/current/webonly/webex710.html |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |access-date=2008-05-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Renewable Energy |url=http://www.energy.iastate.edu/Renewable/ammonia/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513191842/http://www.energy.iastate.edu/renewable/ammonia/index.htm |archive-date=2008-05-13 |access-date=2008-05-09 |publisher=Iowa Energy Center}}</ref> Among disadvantages of ammonia as an energy carrier are its high toxicity, energy efficiency of {{chem2|NH3}} production from {{chem2|N2}} and {{chem2|H2}}, and poisoning of [[Fuel cell|PEM Fuel Cells]] by traces of non-decomposed {{chem2|NH3}} after {{chem2|NH3}} to {{chem2|N2}} conversion.


==== Reactive production ====
=== Buildings ===
Numerous industry groups (gas networks, [[gas boiler]] manufacturers) across the natural gas supply chain are promoting hydrogen combustion boilers for space and water heating, and hydrogen appliances for cooking, to reduce energy-related CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from residential and commercial buildings.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Leigh |date=2021-12-10 |title=Even the European gas lobby can't make a case for hydrogen boilers — so why does it say gases are needed to decarbonise heating? |url=https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/even-the-european-gas-lobby-can-t-make-a-case-for-hydrogen-boilers-so-why-does-it-say-gases-are-needed-to-decarbonise-heating-/2-1-1120847 |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Recharge {{!}} Latest renewable energy news |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Sammy |date=2023-02-09 |title=California declared war on natural gas. Now the fight is going national |url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2023-02-09/california-declared-war-on-natural-gas-now-the-fight-is-going-national-boiling-point |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":62" /> The proposition is that current end-users of piped natural gas can await the conversion of and supply of hydrogen to existing [[Natural gas#Domestic use|natural gas grids]], and then swap heating and cooking appliances, and that there is no need for consumers to do anything now.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":62" />
Hydrogen is the product of a number of chemical reactions with metals. [[Sodium]] is a classic example, with water and sodium metal reacting to form [[sodium hydroxide]] and hydrogen. Another example which has gained some recent interest is [[aluminium]] (as an aluminium/[[gallium]] [[alloy]]) reacting with water to produce [[aluminium oxide]] and hydrogen.<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/33570/113
| title= Childhood dreams may soon come true: Engines that run on water
| date= August 28, 2007 |work= |publisher= tgdaily.com
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref> In all cases the pure metal is consumed.


A review of 32 studies on the question of hydrogen for heating buildings, independent of commercial interests, found that the economics and climate benefits of hydrogen for heating and cooking generally compare very poorly with the deployment of [[district heating]] networks, electrification of heating (principally through [[heat pump]]s) and cooking, the use of [[Solar thermal energy|solar thermal]], [[waste heat]] and the installation of [[Energy efficient building|energy efficiency]] measures to reduce energy demand for heat.<ref name=":62" /> Due to inefficiencies in hydrogen production, using blue hydrogen to replace natural gas for heating could require three times as much [[methane]], while using green hydrogen would need two to three times as much electricity as heat pumps.<ref name=":62" /> Hybrid heat pumps, which combine the use of an electric heat pump with a hydrogen boiler, may play a role in residential heating in areas where upgrading networks to meet peak electrical demand would otherwise be costly.<ref name=":62" />
===Storage===
{{main|Hydrogen storage}}
Although molecular hydrogen has very high energy density on a mass basis, due in part to its low [[molecular weight]], as a gas at ambient conditions it has very low energy density by volume. If it is to be used as fuel stored on board the vehicle, pure hydrogen gas must be pressurized or liquefied to provide sufficient driving range. Increasing gas pressure improves the energy density by volume, making for smaller, but not lighter container tanks (see [[pressure vessel]]). Achieving higher pressures necessitates greater use of external energy to power the compression. Alternatively, higher volumetric energy density liquid hydrogen may be used. However, liquid hydrogen is cryogenic and boils at 20.268&nbsp;K (–252.882&nbsp;°C or –423.188&nbsp;°F). [[Cryogenic]] storage cuts weight but requires large [[liquification]] energies. The liquefaction process, involving pressurizing and cooling steps, is energy intensive. The liquefied hydrogen has lower energy density by volume than gasoline by approximately a factor of four, due to the low density of liquid hydrogen — there is actually more hydrogen in a liter of gasoline (116&nbsp;grams) than there is in a liter of pure liquid hydrogen (71&nbsp;grams). Liquid [[Hydrogen tank|hydrogen storage tanks]] must also be well insulated to minimize boil off. Ice may form around the tank and help corrode it further if the liquid hydrogen tank insulation fails.


The widespread use of hydrogen for heating buildings would entail higher energy system costs, higher heating costs and higher environmental impacts than the alternatives, although a niche role may be appropriate in specific contexts and geographies.<ref name=":62" /> If deployed, using hydrogen in buildings would drive up the cost of hydrogen for harder-to-decarbonize applications in industry and transport.<ref name=":62" />
The mass of the tanks needed for compressed hydrogen reduces the fuel economy of the vehicle. Because it is a small, energetic molecule, hydrogen tends to diffuse through any liner material intended to contain it, leading to the [[Hydrogen embrittlement|embrittlement]], or weakening, of its container.


===Bio-SNG===
Distinct from storing molecular hydrogen, hydrogen can be stored as a chemical [[hydride]] or in some other hydrogen-containing compound. Hydrogen gas is reacted with some other materials to produce the hydrogen storage material, which can be transported relatively easily. At the point of use the hydrogen storage material can be made to decompose, yielding hydrogen gas. As well as the mass and volume density problems associated with molecular hydrogen storage, current barriers to practical storage schemes stem from the high pressure and temperature conditions needed for hydride formation and hydrogen release. For many potential systems hydriding and dehydriding [[Chemical kinetics|kinetics]] and heat management are also issues that need to be overcome.
{{As of|2019}} although technically possible [[Syngas#Carbon dioxide and hydrogen|production of syngas from hydrogen and carbon-dioxide]] from [[bio-energy with carbon capture and storage]] (BECCS) via the [[Sabatier reaction]] is limited by the amount of sustainable bioenergy available:<ref>{{Harvnb|UKCCC H2|2018|p=79}}: The potential for bio-gasification with CCS to be deployed at scale is limited by the amount of sustainable bioenergy available. .... "</ref> therefore any [[bio-SNG]] made may be reserved for production of [[aviation biofuel]].<ref>{{Harvnb|UKCCC H2|2018|p=33}}: production of biofuels, even with CCS, is only one of the best uses of the finite sustainable bio-resource if the fossil fuels it displaces cannot otherwise feasibly be displaced (e.g. use of biomass to produce aviation biofuels with CCS)."</ref>


== Safety ==
A third approach is to [[Absorption (chemistry)|absorb]] molecular hydrogen into a solid storage material. Unlike in the hydrides mentioned above, the hydrogen does not dissociate/recombine upon charging/discharging the storage system, and hence does not suffer from the kinetic limitations of many hydride storage systems. Hydrogen densities similar to liquefied hydrogen can be achieved with appropriate absorption media. Some suggested absorbers include [[Metal-Organic Framework|MOFs]], [[nanostructure]]d carbons (including [[Carbon nanotube|CNTs]]) and [[clathrate hydrate]].
{{Main|Hydrogen safety}}
[[File:Hydrogen Flame Broom Test NASA.jpg|thumb|A NASA engineer sweeps an area with a corn broom to find the location of a hydrogen fire. Hydrogen burns with a nearly-invisible flame.]]Hydrogen poses a number of hazards to human safety, from potential [[Detonation|detonations]] and fires when mixed with air to being an [[Asphyxiant gas|asphyxiant]] in its pure, [[oxygen]]-free form.<ref name="NASAH2">{{cite web |author=Brown, W. J. |display-authors=etal |date=1997 |title=Safety Standard for Hydrogen and Hydrogen Systems |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19970033338.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501105215/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19970033338.pdf |archive-date=1 May 2017 |access-date=12 July 2017 |website=[[NASA]] |id=NSS 1740.16}}</ref> In addition, liquid hydrogen is a [[cryogen]] and presents dangers (such as [[frostbite]]) associated with very cold liquids.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 2004 |title=Liquid Hydrogen MSDS |url=http://www.hydrogenandfuelcellsafety.info/resources/mdss/Praxair-LH2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527233910/http://www.hydrogenandfuelcellsafety.info/resources/mdss/Praxair-LH2.pdf |archive-date=27 May 2008 |access-date=16 April 2008 |publisher=Praxair, Inc. |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Hydrogen dissolves in many metals and in addition to leaking out, may have adverse effects on them, such as [[hydrogen embrittlement]],<ref>{{cite journal |date=20 July 1985 |title='Bugs' and hydrogen embrittlement |journal=Science News |volume=128 |issue=3 |pages=41 |doi=10.2307/3970088 |jstor=3970088}}</ref> leading to cracks and explosions.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hayes |first=B. |title=Union Oil Amine Absorber Tower |url=http://www.twi.co.uk/content/oilgas_casedown29.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120215355/http://www.twi.co.uk/content/oilgas_casedown29.html |archive-date=20 November 2008 |access-date=29 January 2010 |publisher=TWI}}</ref>


Hydrogen is flammable when mixed even in small amounts with ordinary air. Ignition can occur at a volumetric ratio of hydrogen to air as low as 4%.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hydrogen Safety |url=https://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/pdfs/h2_safety_fsheet.pdf |publisher=Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy}}</ref> Moreover, hydrogen fire, while being extremely hot, is almost invisible, and thus can lead to accidental burns.<ref name="Cunn88">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Lactic acid to magnesium supply-demand relationships |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing and Design |publisher=Dekker |location=New York |url={{Google books|8erDL_DnsgAC|page=PA186|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |access-date=20 May 2015 |date=1988 |editor1=John J. McKetta |volume=28 |page=186 |isbn=978-0-8247-2478-8 |last2=Waltrip |first2=John S. |last3=Zanker |first3=Adam |last1=Walker |first1=James L. |editor2=William Aaron Cunningham}}</ref>
The most common method of on board hydrogen storage in today's demonstration vehicles is as a compressed gas at pressures of roughly 700&nbsp;bar (70&nbsp;[[Pascal (unit)|MPa]]). Many people believe that the energy needed to compress hydrogen to these pressures presents a major barrier to a hydrogen economy. For example, if one considers the entire world using hydrogen just in their cars, then a large amount of energy would be needed simply to compress the hydrogen for storage, of the order of 30% of the total energy used for transport. If this energy was not recovered in any way, the net energy used to compress it would be wasted. Currently, vehicle fuel cells are very expensive, typically 100&nbsp;times more expensive per kW output than conventional internal combustion engines.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} It further has been suggested that cars utilizing [[Lithium ion battery|Li-ion]] or [[Lithium ion polymer battery|Li-polymer batteries]] for onboard energy storage are capable of being more efficient than hydrogen-fueled cars would ever be, and that they just need to be mass produced to become cost effective.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}


== Hydrogen infrastructure ==
===Infrastructure===
{{main|Hydrogen infrastructure}}
{{Excerpt|Hydrogen infrastructure}}
[[Image:Photo praxair plant.hydrogen.infrastructure.jpg|Praxair Hydrogen Plant|thumb|200px|right]]


=== Storage ===
The hydrogen infrastructure consists mainly of industrial [[hydrogen pipeline transport]] and hydrogen-equipped filling stations like those found on a [[hydrogen highway]]. [[Hydrogen stations]] which are not situated near a hydrogen pipeline get supply via [[hydrogen tank]]s, [[tube trailer (hydrogen)|hydrogen tube trailer]]s, liquid tankers or dedicated onsite production.
{{Excerpt|Hydrogen storage}}


===Power plants===
Because of [[hydrogen embrittlement]] of steel, natural gas pipes have to be coated on the inside with carbon fibers. Proponents of the hydrogen economy envision local hydrogen sources. The challenges that large, rural high-efficiency hydrogen generators face are far more acute in an urban environment. Thus, some kind of transmission system will probably be required for cities.
{{See also|Hydrogen fuel cell power station|Natural hydrogen|Midcontinent Rift System}}
[[Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant#Hydrogen production|Xcel Energy]] is going to build two [[Combined cycle hydrogen power plant|combined cycle power plants]] in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] that can mix 30% hydrogen with the natural gas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orenstein |first=Walker |date=2024-02-01 |title=Xcel Energy wants to extend life of Prairie Island nuclear facility, add two gas plants |url=https://www.startribune.com/xcel-energy-long-term-plan-prairie-island-nuclear-gas-plants-wind-solar-large-scale-battery/600340390 |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=www.startribune.com |language=en}}</ref> [[Intermountain Power Plant]] is being retrofitted to a natural gas/hydrogen power plant that can run on 30% hydrogen as well, and is scheduled to run on pure hydrogen by 2045.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chevron joins Mitsubishi in 300 GWh hydrogen storage project as construction continues |url=https://www.utilitydive.com/news/chevron-mitsubishi-hydrogen-storage-aces-delata-utah/693782/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=Utility Dive |language=en-US}}</ref>


== Costs ==
Hydrogen use would require the alteration of industry and transport on a scale never seen before in history. For example, according to GM, 70% of the U.S. population lives near a hydrogen-generating facility but has just about no access to hydrogen, despite its wide availability for commercial use.<ref>{{cite web
{{Update section|date=February 2024|reason=current prices need updating and white hydrogen adding}}
| url= http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/oct2007/bw20071026_550384.htm?chan=autos_hybrids+index+page_news+%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3Aarial%3B%22%3E%2B%3C%2Fspan%3E+features
More widespread use of hydrogen in economies entails the need for investment and costs in its production, storage, distribution and use. Estimates of hydrogen's cost are therefore complex and need to make assumptions about the cost of energy inputs (typically gas and electricity), production plant and method (e.g. green or blue hydrogen), technologies used (e.g. [[Alkaline electrolysis|alkaline]] or [[Proton exchange membrane electrolysis|proton exchange membrane]] electrolysers), storage and distribution methods, and how different cost elements might change over time.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |url=https://www.energy-transitions.org/publications/making-clean-hydrogen-possible/ |title=Making the Hydrogen Economy Possible: Accelerating Clean Hydrogen in an Electrified Economy |date=April 2021 |publisher=Energy Transitions Commission |page= |language=en-GB |access-date=2023-08-25}}</ref>{{Rp|page=|pages=49–65}} These factors are incorporated into calculations of the levelized costs of hydrogen (LCOH). The following table shows a range of estimates of the levelized costs of gray, blue, and green hydrogen, expressed in terms of US$ per kg of H<sub>2</sub> (where data provided in other currencies or units, the average exchange rate to US dollars in the given year are used, and 1&nbsp;kg of H<sub>2</sub> is assumed to have a calorific value of 33.3kWh).
| title= "GM's Fuel-Cell Hedge"
{|
| last= Henry | first= Jim | date= October 29, 2007 | publisher= ''[[BusinessWeek]]''
|'''Production method'''
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref> The distribution of hydrogen fuel for vehicles in the U.S. would require new hydrogen stations costing 20 billion dollars.<ref>{{cite web
|'''Note'''
| url= http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/20041122-9999-1n22hydrogen.html
|'''Current cost (2020–2022)'''
| title= "Is 'hydrogen highway' the answer?"
|'''Projected 2030 cost'''
| last= Gardner | first= Michael
|'''Projected 2050 cost'''
| date= November 22, 2004 | publisher= ''[[San Diego Union-Tribune]]''
|-
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref> and 4.6 billion in the EU.<ref> {{cite web
| colspan="5" |'''Gray hydrogen (not including a carbon tax)'''
| url= http://www.hydrogenforecast.com/ArticleDetails.php?articleID=250
|-
| title= Shell Takes Flexible Approach to Fueling the Future
| rowspan="2" |[[International Energy Agency]]<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |url=https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2022 |title=Global Hydrogen Review 2022 |date=22 September 2022 |publisher=IEA |page=93 |language=en-GB |access-date=2023-08-25}}</ref>
| last= Stanley | first= Dean
| rowspan="2" |2022 costs estimated for June, when gas prices peaked in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine
|date= |year= |month= |format= |work= | publisher= hydrogenforecast.com
|2021: 1.0–2.5
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>
| rowspan="2" | –
| rowspan="2" | –
|-
|2022: 4.8–7.8
|-
|[[PwC|PWC]]<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |last=PricewaterhouseCoopers |title=Green hydrogen economy – predicted development of tomorrow |url=https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/energy-utilities-resources/future-energy/green-hydrogen-cost.html |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=PwC |language=en-gx}}</ref>
|
|2021: 1.2–2.4
|
|
|-
| colspan="5" |'''Blue hydrogen'''
|-
| rowspan="2" |International Energy Agency<ref name=":03" />
| rowspan="2" |2022 costs estimated for June, when gas prices peaked in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine
|2021: 1.5–3.0
| rowspan="2" | –
| rowspan="2" | –
|-
|2022: 5.3–8.6
|-
|[[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero|UK government]]<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=Hydrogen Production Costs 2021 annex: Key assumptions and outputs for production technologies |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-production-costs-2021 |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>
|Range dependent on gas price
|2020: 1.6–2.7
|1.6–2.7
|1.6–2.8
|-
|GEP<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Saini |first=Anshuman |date=January 12, 2023 |title=Green & Blue Hydrogen: Current Levelized Cost of Production & Outlook {{!}} GEP Blogs |url=https://www.gep.com/blog/strategy/Green-and-blue-hydrogen-current-levelized-cost-of-production-and-outlook |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=www.gep.com |language=en}}</ref>
|
|2022: 2.8–3.5
|<nowiki>-</nowiki>
|<nowiki>-</nowiki>
|-
|[[Energy Transitions Commission]]<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=28}}
|
|2020: 1.5–2.4
|1.3–2.3
|1.4–2.2
|-
| colspan="5" |'''Green hydrogen'''
|-
| rowspan="2" |International Energy Agency<ref name=":03" />
| rowspan="2" |2030 and 2050 estimates are using solar power in regions with good solar conditions
|2021: 4.0–9.0
| rowspan="2" |<1.5
| rowspan="2" |<1.0
|-
|2022: 3.0-4.3
|-
| rowspan="2" |UK government<ref name=":22" />
|Using grid electricity, UK specific; range dependent on electricity price, and electrolyser technology and cost
|2020: 4.9–7.9
|4.4–6.6
|4.0–6.3
|-
|Using otherwise curtailed renewable electricity, UK specific; range dependent on electrolyser technology and cost
|2020: 2.4–7.9
|1.7–5.6
|1.5–4.6
|-
|[[International Renewable Energy Agency|IRENA]]<ref>IRENA (2020), [https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2020/Dec/IRENA_Green_hydrogen_cost_2020.pdf Green Hydrogen Cost Reduction: Scaling up Electrolysers to Meet the 1.5&nbsp;°C Climate Goal], International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi, p. 91.</ref>
|
|2020: 2.2–5.2
|1.4–4.1
|1.1–3.4
|-
|GEP<ref name=":3" />
|Source notes green H<sub>2</sub> production cost has fallen by 60% since 2010
|2022: 3.0–6.0
|
|
|-
|[[Lazard]]<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.lazard.com/research-insights/2023-levelized-cost-of-energyplus/ |title=2023 Levelized Cost Of Energy+ |date=April 12, 2023 |publisher=Lazard |page=27 |language=en |access-date=2023-08-25}}</ref>
|
|2022: 2.8–5.3
|
|
|-
|PWC<ref name=":15" />
|
|2021: 3.5–9.5
|1.8–4.8
|1.2–2.4
|-
|Energy Transitions Commission<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=28}}
|
|2020: 2.6–3.6
|1.0–1.7
|0.7–1.2
|}
The range of cost estimates for commercially available hydrogen production methods is broad, As of 2022, gray hydrogen is cheapest to produce without a tax on its CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, followed by blue and green hydrogen. Blue hydrogen production costs are not anticipated to fall substantially by 2050,<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=28}} can be expected to fluctuate with natural gas prices and could face [[carbon tax]]es for uncaptured emissions.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=79}} The cost of [[Electrolysis|electrolysers]] fell by 60% from 2010 to 2022,<ref name=":3" /> before rising slightly due to an increasing [[cost of capital]].<ref name=":1" /> Their cost is projected to fall significantly to 2030 and 2050,<ref name=":52">{{Cite book |last1=Patonia |first1=Aliaksei |url=https://www.oxfordenergy.org/publications/cost-competitive-green-hydrogen-how-to-lower-the-cost-of-electrolysers/ |title=Cost-competitive green hydrogen: how to lower the cost of electrolysers? |last2=Poudineh |first2=Rahmat |date=January 2022 |publisher=Oxford Institute for Energy Studies |page= |language=en |access-date=2023-08-25}}</ref>{{Rp|page=26}} driving down the cost of green hydrogen alongside the falling cost of renewable power generation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roser |first=Max |date=2023-09-01 |title=Why did renewables become so cheap so fast? |url=https://ourworldindata.org/cheap-renewables-growth |journal=Our World in Data}}</ref><ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=28}} It is cheapest to produce green hydrogen with surplus renewable power that would otherwise be [[Curtailment (electricity)|curtailed]], which favors electrolyzers capable of responding to low and [[Variable renewable energy|variable power levels]].<ref name=":52" />{{Rp|page=5}}


A 2022 [[Goldman Sachs]] analysis anticipates that globally green hydrogen will achieve cost parity with grey hydrogen by 2030, earlier if a global carbon tax is placed on gray hydrogen.<ref name="Goldman Sachs Research 4–6"/> In terms of cost per unit of energy, blue and gray hydrogen will always cost more than the fossil fuels used in its production, while green hydrogen will always cost more than the renewable electricity used to make it.
====A key tradeoff: centralized vs. distributed production====
In a future (full) hydrogen economy, primary energy sources and feedstock would be used to produce hydrogen gas as stored energy for use in various sectors of the economy. Producing hydrogen from primary energy sources other than coal, oil, and natural gas, would result in lower production of the greenhouse gases characteristic of the combustion of these fossil energy resources.


Subsidies for clean hydrogen production are much higher in the US and EU than in India.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Polly |date=2023-06-29 |title=India to offer green hydrogen production subsidy of up to $0.60/kg — for three years only |url=https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/production/india-to-offer-green-hydrogen-production-subsidy-of-up-to-0-60-kg-for-three-years-only/2-1-1477425 |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Hydrogen news and intelligence {{!}} Hydrogen Insight |language=en}}</ref>
One key feature of a hydrogen economy is that in mobile applications (primarily vehicular transport) energy generation and use is decoupled. The primary energy source need no longer travel with the vehicle, as it currently does with hydrocarbon fuels. Instead of tailpipes creating dispersed emissions, the energy (and pollution) can be generated from point sources such as large-scale, centralized facilities with improved efficiency. This allows the possibility of technologies such as [[carbon sequestration]], which are otherwise impossible for mobile applications. Alternatively, [[distributed generation|distributed energy generation]] schemes (such as small scale renewable energy sources) can be used, possibly associated with [[hydrogen stations]].


== Examples and pilot programs ==
Aside from the energy generation, hydrogen production could be centralized, distributed or a mixture of both. While generating hydrogen at centralized primary energy plants promises higher hydrogen production efficiency, difficulties in high-volume, long range hydrogen transportation (due to factors such as [[hydrogen damage]] and the ease of hydrogen diffusion through solid materials) makes electrical energy distribution attractive within a hydrogen economy. In such a scenario, small regional plants or even local filling stations could generate hydrogen using energy provided through the electrical distribution grid. While hydrogen generation efficiency is likely to be lower than for centralized hydrogen generation, losses in hydrogen transport can make such a scheme more efficient in terms of the primary energy used per kilogram of hydrogen delivered to the end user.
{{Update|section|date=February 2019}}
<!-- This section is linked from [[Iceland]] -->
[[File:Brno, Autotec, Mercedes Citaro na palivové články II.jpg|thumb|A [[Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro]] powered by hydrogen fuel cells in [[Brno]], Czech Republic]]


The distribution of hydrogen for the purpose of transportation is being tested around the world, particularly in the US ([[California Hydrogen Highway|California]], [[Massachusetts Fuel Cell Bus Project|Massachusetts]]), [[BC hydrogen highway|Canada]], [[Japan hydrogen fuel cell project|Japan]], the EU ([[Portugal]], [[Hynor|Norway]], Denmark, [[Germany]]), and [[Iceland]].
The proper balance between hydrogen distribution and long-distance electrical distribution is one of the primary questions that arises in the hydrogen economy.


An indicator of the presence of large natural gas infrastructures already in place in countries and in use by citizens is the number of natural gas vehicles present in the country. The countries with the largest amount of natural gas vehicles are (in order of magnitude):<ref>{{Cite web |title=Worldwide NGV statistics |url=http://www.ngvjournal.com/worldwide-ngv-statistics/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206153839/http://www.ngvjournal.com/worldwide-ngv-statistics/ |archive-date=2015-02-06 |access-date=2019-09-29}}</ref>
====Efficiency as an automotive fuel====
[[Iran]], [[China]], [[Pakistan]], [[Argentina]], [[India]], [[Brazil]], [[Italy]], [[Colombia]], [[Thailand]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Bolivia]], [[Armenia]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Egypt]], [[Peru]], [[Ukraine]], the [[United States]]. Natural gas vehicles can also be [[Hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicle#Adaptation of existing engines|converted to run on hydrogen]].
An accounting of the energy utilized during a thermodynamic process, known as an energy balance, can be applied to automotive fuels. With today's technology, the manufacture of hydrogen via [[steam reforming]] can be accomplished with a thermal efficiency of 75 to 80&nbsp;percent. Additional energy will be required to liquefy or compress the hydrogen, and to transport it to the filling station via truck or pipeline. The energy that must be utilized per kilogram to produce, transport and deliver hydrogen (i.e., its well-to-tank energy use) is approximately 50&nbsp;megajoules. Subtracting this energy from the enthalpy of one kilogram of hydrogen, which is 141&nbsp;megajoules, and dividing by the enthalpy, yields a thermal energy efficiency of roughly sixty percent.<ref> Kreith, 2004 </ref> Gasoline, by comparison, requires less energy input, per gallon, at the refinery, and comparatively little energy is required to transport it and store it owing to its high energy density per gallon at ambient temperatures. Well-to-tank, the supply chain for gasoline is roughly 80&nbsp;percent efficient (Wang, 2002). The most efficient distribution however is [[Electrical power industry|electrical]], which is typically 95%&nbsp;efficient. [[Electric car|Electric vehicles]] are typically 3 to 4&nbsp;times as efficient as [[hydrogen vehicle|hydrogen powered vehicles]].<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/twentyfirstcenturycar.pdf
| title= The 21st Century Electric Car
|date= |year= |month= |format= [[PDF]] |work= |publisher= [[Tesla Motors]]
| accessdate= }} </ref>
<br>
[[Image:Battery EV vs. Hydrogen EV.png|753px]]


Also, in a few private homes, [[Micro combined heat and power#Fuel cells|fuel cell micro-CHP]] plants can be found, which can operate on hydrogen, or other fuels as natural gas or LPG.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fuel Cell micro CHP |url=http://www.pace-energy.eu/micro-cogeneration/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106175546/http://www.pace-energy.eu/micro-cogeneration/ |archive-date=2019-11-06 |access-date=2019-10-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fuel cell micro Cogeneration |url=https://www.cogeneurope.eu/events/past-events/cogen-event/fuel-cell-micro-cogeneration-generating-sustainable-heat-and-power-for-your-home |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023131059/https://www.cogeneurope.eu/events/past-events/cogen-event/fuel-cell-micro-cogeneration-generating-sustainable-heat-and-power-for-your-home |archive-date=2019-10-23 |access-date=2019-10-23}}</ref>
==== Distributed electrolysis ====
Another pathway proposed for hydrogen production is distributed electrolysis. This method would bypass the problems of distributing hydrogen somewhat by distributing electricity instead. It would take advantage of existing infrastructure to transport electricity to small, on-site electrolysers located at filling stations. Hydrogen can be produced through electrolysis of water, which is roughly 70&nbsp;percent efficient (using the lower heating value for hydrogen). However, accounting for the energy used to produce the electricity (i.e., enlarging the system boundary) and accounting as well for transmission losses will reduce this efficiency.


=== Australia ===
Natural gas combined cycle power plants, which account for almost all builds of new electricity plants in the United States, generate electricity at efficiencies of 60 percent or greater. Increased demand for electricity, whether due to hydrogen cars or other demand, would have the marginal impact of adding new combined cycle power plants. On this basis, distributed production of hydrogen would be roughly 40&nbsp;percent efficient. However, if the marginal impact is referred to today's power grid, with an efficiency of roughly 40 percent owing to its mix of fuels and conversion methods, the efficiency of distributed hydrogen production would be roughly 25 percent. (Note that, analogous to hydrogen production from a fossil fuel, gasoline must be refined from crude oil, the "primary energy resource".)<ref> Nakicenovic, 1998.</ref>
Western [[Australia]]'s Department of Planning and Infrastructure operated three Daimler Chrysler Citaro fuel cell buses as part of its Sustainable Transport Energy for Perth Fuel Cells Bus Trial in Perth.<ref>{{cite web |date=13 April 2007 |title=Perth Fuel Cell Bus Trial |url=http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/ecobus/1206.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607172715/http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/ecobus/1206.asp |archive-date=7 June 2008 |access-date=2008-05-09 |publisher=Department for Planning and Infrastructure, Government of [[Western Australia]]}}</ref> The buses were operated by Path Transit on regular Transperth public bus routes. The trial began in September 2004 and concluded in September 2007. The buses' fuel cells used a proton exchange membrane system and were supplied with raw hydrogen from a BP refinery in Kwinana, south of Perth. The hydrogen was a byproduct of the refinery's industrial process. The buses were refueled at a station in the northern Perth suburb of Malaga.


In October 2021, [[Queensland]] Premier [[Annastacia Palaszczuk]] and [[Andrew Forrest]] announced that Queensland will be home to the world's largest hydrogen plant.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 11, 2021 |title='Green industrial revolution': Queensland announces plans to mass produce green ammonia |newspaper=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-11/queensland-hydrogen-twiggy-forrest-ammonia-feasiblity/100528732 |url-status=live |access-date=2021-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012192350/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-11/queensland-hydrogen-twiggy-forrest-ammonia-feasiblity/100528732 |archive-date=2021-10-12 |via=abc.net.au}}</ref>
The distributed production of hydrogen in this fashion will be expected to generate air emissions of pollutants and carbon dioxide at various points in the supply chain, e.g., electrolysis, transportation and storage. Such externalities as pollution must be weighed against the potential advantages of a hydrogen economy. Other fuel cell technologies based on the exchange of metal ions (i.e. [[Zinc-air battery|zinc-air fuel cells]]) are typically more efficient at energy conversion than hydrogen fuel cells, but the widespread use of any electrical energy&nbsp;→ chemical energy&nbsp;→ electrical energy systems would necessitate the production of electricity.


In Australia, the [[Australian Renewable Energy Agency|Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)]] has invested $55 million in 28 hydrogen projects, from early stage research and development to early stage trials and deployments. The agency's stated goal is to produce hydrogen by electrolysis for $2 per kilogram, announced by Minister for Energy and Emissions Angus Taylor in a 2021 Low Emissions Technology Statement.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 November 2020 |title=Australia's pathway to $2 per kg hydrogen – ARENAWIRE |url=https://arena.gov.au/blog/australias-pathway-to-2-per-kg-hydrogen/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215065859/https://arena.gov.au/blog/australias-pathway-to-2-per-kg-hydrogen/ |archive-date=2020-12-15 |access-date=2021-01-06 |website=Australian Renewable Energy Agency}}</ref>
In summary, the so-called ''production problem'' is seen to be a combination of two different problems: one of producing hydrogen efficiently from energy sources, and the other of locating suitable (renewable or at least less polluting) energy sources to do it.


=== European Union ===
==End use: fuel cells as alternative to internal combustion==
Countries in the [[EU]] which have a relatively large natural gas pipeline system already in place include [[Belgium]], [[Germany]], [[France]], and the [[Netherlands]].<ref name="Hydrogen transport & distribution">{{Cite web |title=Hydrogen transport & distribution |url=https://hydrogeneurope.eu/hydrogen-transport-distribution |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929110509/https://hydrogeneurope.eu/hydrogen-transport-distribution |archive-date=2019-09-29 |access-date=2019-09-29}}</ref> In 2020, The EU launched its European Clean Hydrogen Alliance (ECHA).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pollet |first=Mathieu |date=2020 |title=AExplainer: Why is the EU Commission betting on hydrogen for a greener future? |url=https://www.euronews.com/2020/07/10/explainer-why-is-the-eu-commission-betting-on-hydrogen-for-a-cleaner-future |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807130615/https://www.euronews.com/2020/07/10/explainer-why-is-the-eu-commission-betting-on-hydrogen-for-a-cleaner-future |archive-date=2020-08-07 |access-date=2020-08-14 |website=euronews}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ECHA |url=https://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/policy/european-clean-hydrogen-alliance_en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812182627/https://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/policy/european-clean-hydrogen-alliance_en |archive-date=2020-08-12 |access-date=2020-08-14}}</ref>
{{main|Fuel cell}}
One of the main offerings of a hydrogen economy is that '''fuel cells''' can replace [[internal combustion engine]]s and [[turbine]]s as the primary way to convert chemical energy into kinetic or electrical energy. The reason to expect this changeover is that fuel cells, being [[electrochemical]], are usually (and theoretically) more efficient than heat engines. Currently, fuel cells are more expensive to produce than common internal combustion engines, but are becoming cheaper as new technologies and production systems develop.


==== France ====
Some types of fuel cells work with hydrocarbon fuels while all can be operated on pure hydrogen. In the event that fuel cells become price-competitive with internal combustion engines and turbines, large gas-fired power plants could adopt this technology. Such commercialization would be an important step in driving down the cost of fuel cell technology.
Green hydrogen has become more common in France. A €150 million Green Hydrogen Plan was established in 2019, and it calls for building the infrastructure necessary to create, store, and distribute hydrogen as well as using the fuel to power local transportation systems like buses and trains. Corridor H2, a similar initiative, will create a network of hydrogen distribution facilities in [[Occitania]] along the route between the Mediterranean and the North Sea. The Corridor H2 project will get a €40 million loan from the [[European Investment Bank|EIB]].<ref name=":77">{{Cite web |title=French port bets big on floating wind farms planned in Mediterranean |url=https://www.eib.org/en/essays/floating-wind-farms |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=European Investment Bank}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 June 2022 |title=Green Hydrogen: A key investment for the energy transition |url=https://blogs.worldbank.org/ppps/green-hydrogen-key-investment-energy-transition |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=blogs.worldbank.org}}</ref>


==== Germany ====
Much of the interest in the hydrogen economy concept is focused on the use of fuel cells in [[car]]s. The cells can have a superior power-to-weight ratio, are much more efficient than internal combustion engines, and produce no harmful emissions. If a practical and engineer-able method to [[hydrogen storage|store and carry hydrogen]] is introduced and fuel cells become cheaper, they can be economically viable to power [[Hybrid vehicle|hybrid]] fuel cell/[[electric battery|battery]] vehicles, or purely fuel cell-driven ones. The economic viability of fuel cell powered vehicles will improve as the hydrocarbon fuels used in internal combustion engines become more expensive, due to the depletion of easily accessible reserves or economic accounting of environmental impact through such measures as [[carbon tax]]es.
German car manufacturer [[BMW]] has been working with hydrogen for years.{{quantify|date=October 2021}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 October 2007 |title=E3B1C256-BFCB-4CEF-88A6-1DCCD7666635<!-- Bot generated title --> |url=https://www.scmp.com/article/612717/test-drive-bmws-car-future-its-gas |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029174424/https://www.scmp.com/article/612717/test-drive-bmws-car-future-its-gas |archive-date=2021-10-29 |access-date=2021-10-12}}</ref>
The German government has announced plans to hold tenders for 5.5 GW of new hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants and 2 GW of "comprehensive H2-ready modernisations" of existing gas power stations at the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/power/germany-to-tender-for-5-5gw-of-new-hydrogen-ready-gas-fired-power-plants-and-2gw-of-conversions/2-1-1674082 | title=Germany to tender for 5.5GW of new hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants and 2GW of conversions | date=8 July 2024 }}</ref>


==== Iceland ====
Currently it takes 2½ times as much energy to make a hydrogen fuel cell than is obtained from it during it's service life.<ref>{{cite web
[[Iceland]] has committed to becoming the world's first hydrogen economy by the year 2050.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hannesson |first=Hjálmar W. |date=2007-08-02 |title=Climate change as a global challenge |url=http://www.mfa.is/speeches-and-articles/nr/3800 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107205851/http://www.mfa.is/news-and-publications/nr/3800 |archive-date=2014-01-07 |access-date=2008-05-09 |publisher=[[Iceland]] [[Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland|Ministry for Foreign Affairs]]}}</ref> Iceland is in a unique position. Presently,{{when|date=June 2019}} it imports all the petroleum products necessary to power its automobiles and [[fishing fleet]]. Iceland has large geothermal resources, so much that the local price of electricity actually is ''lower'' than the price of the hydrocarbons that could be used to produce that electricity.
| url= http://nb2004.vatech.at/ereport.asp?fCompanyID=7&fAction=SHOWREPORT&freportid=84&fpageid=2057&fLangID=1
| title= Hydropower provides security of supply
|date= |year= 2004 |month= |format= |work= |publisher= VA Tech
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


Iceland already converts its surplus electricity into exportable goods and hydrocarbon replacements. In 2002, it produced 2,000&nbsp;tons of hydrogen gas by electrolysis, primarily for the production of [[anhydrous ammonia|ammonia]] (NH<sub>3</sub>) for fertilizer. Ammonia is produced, transported, and used throughout the world, and 90% of the cost of ammonia is the cost of the energy to produce it.
==Costs==
When evaluating costs, Oil and Gas (fossil fuels) are generally used as the cheapest reference, even though the true cost of those fuels is seldom considered. Being fossil fuels — a non-renewable source of energy — the millions of years required to be formed inside the Earth seem to mean "no cost" in most calculations and only the production costs are considered. Given such calculated low cost reference, any number of watts required for hydrogen production seem too much even if those watts come from a rather opposite — renewable — source of power like the Sun. Moreover, if a system for hydrogen generation and usage needs to compete with systems which use renewably generated electricity more directly, for example in [[trolleybus]]es, or in [[battery electric vehicle]]s, it will always be less efficient than them due to the low efficay of multiple conversions.


Neither industry directly replaces hydrocarbons. [[Reykjavík]], Iceland, had a small pilot fleet of city buses running on compressed hydrogen,<ref name="detnews">{{cite news |last=Doyle |first=Alister |date=January 14, 2005 |title=Iceland's hydrogen buses zip toward oil-free economy |agency=Reuters |url=http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0501/14/autos-60181.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=2008-05-09 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120724042846/http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0501/14/autos-60181.htm |archive-date=July 24, 2012}}</ref> and research on powering the nation's fishing fleet with hydrogen is under way (for example by companies as [[Icelandic New Energy]]). For more practical purposes, Iceland might process imported oil with hydrogen to extend it, rather than to replace it altogether.
From the above, Hydrogen seems unlikely to be the cheapest carrier of energy over long distances. Advances in electrolysis and fuel cell technology have not addressed the underlying cost problem.


The Reykjavík buses are part of a larger program, HyFLEET:CUTE,<ref>{{cite web |title=What is HyFLEET:CUTE? |url=http://www.global-hydrogen-bus-platform.com/index.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224165308/http://www.global-hydrogen-bus-platform.com/index.php |archive-date=2008-02-24 |access-date=2008-05-09}}</ref> operating hydrogen fueled buses in eight European cities. HyFLEET:CUTE buses were also operated in Beijing, China and Perth, Australia (see below). A pilot project demonstrating a hydrogen economy is operational on the [[Norway|Norwegian]] island of [[Utsira]]. The installation combines wind power and hydrogen power. In periods when there is surplus wind energy, the excess power is used for generating hydrogen by [[electrolysis]]. The hydrogen is stored, and is available for power generation in periods when there is little wind.{{citation needed|date=December 2011}}
Hydrogen pipelines are more expensive<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://www.ef.org/documents/NDakotaWindPower.pdf
| title= Transmitting 4,000 MW of New Windpower from North Dakota to Chicago: New HVDC Electric Lines or Hydrogen Pipeline
| last= Keith | first= Geoffrey | coauthors= William Leighty
| date= 28 Sept 02 | format= PDF |work= |publisher=
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref> than even long-distance electric lines. Hydrogen is about three times bulkier in volume than natural gas for the same [[enthalpy]], and hydrogen accelerates the cracking of steel ([[hydrogen embrittlement]]), which increases maintenance costs, leakage rates, and material costs. The difference in cost is likely to expand with newer technology: wires suspended in air can utilize higher voltage with only marginally increased material costs, but higher pressure pipes require proportionally more material.


=== India ===
Setting up a hydrogen economy would require huge investments in the infrastructure to store and distribute hydrogen to vehicles. In contrast, [[battery electric vehicle]]s, which are already publicly available, would not necessitate immediate expansion of the existing infrastructure for electricity transmission and distribution, since much of the electricity currently being generated by power plants goes unused at night when the majority of electric vehicles would be recharged. A study conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the US Department of Energy in December 2006 found that the idle off-peak grid capacity in the US would be sufficient to power 84% of all vehicles in the US if they all were immediately replaced with electric vehicles.<ref> {{cite web
[[India]] is said to adopt hydrogen and H-CNG, due to several reasons, amongst which the fact that a national rollout of natural gas networks is already taking place and natural gas is already a major vehicle fuel. In addition, India suffers from extreme air pollution in urban areas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hydrogen vehicles and refueling infrastructure in India |url=https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/03/f10/cng_h2_workshop_11_das.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612130231/https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/03/f10/cng_h2_workshop_11_das.pdf |archive-date=2017-06-12 |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Das |first1=L |date=1991 |title=Exhaust emission characterization of hydrogen-operated engine system: Nature of pollutants and their control techniques |journal=International Journal of Hydrogen Energy |volume=16 |issue=11 |pages=765–775 |doi=10.1016/0360-3199(91)90075-T|bibcode=1991IJHE...16..765D }}</ref> According to some estimates, nearly 80% of India's hydrogen is projected to be green, driven by cost declines and new production technologies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bridgeindia.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Bridge-India-UK-India-Energy-Report-2021.pdf|title=UK-India Energy Collaborations report}}</ref>
| url= http://newswire.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/behold.pl?ascribeid=20061211.105149&time=11%2005%20PST&year=2006&public=0
| title= Mileage From Megawatts: Study Finds Enough Electric Capacity to 'Fill Up' Plug-In Vehicles Across Much of the Nation
Currently however, hydrogen energy is just at the Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) stage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MNRE: FAQ |url=https://mnre.gov.in/file-manager/UserFiles/faq_hydrogenenergy.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921111217/https://mnre.gov.in/file-manager/UserFiles/faq_hydrogenenergy.htm |archive-date=2019-09-21 |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120927155111/http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/pdfs/cng_h2_workshop_9_chenoy.pdf Overview of Indian Hydrogen Programme]</ref> As a result, the number of hydrogen stations may still be low,<ref>{{Cite web |title=H2 stations worldwide |url=https://www.netinform.net/h2/h2stations/h2stations.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921111217/https://www.netinform.net/h2/h2stations/h2stations.aspx |archive-date=2019-09-21 |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref> although much more are expected to be introduced soon.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 February 2016 |title=India working on more H2 stations |url=https://www.gasworld.com/india-working-on-hydrogen-fuel-stations/2010006.article |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921111210/https://www.gasworld.com/india-working-on-hydrogen-fuel-stations/2010006.article |archive-date=2019-09-21 |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Shell plans to open 1200 fuel stations in India, some of which may include H2 refilling |newspaper=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/oil-gas/shell-plans-opening-1200-retail-stations-in-india-in-10-years/articleshow/65660768.cms |url-status=live |access-date=2019-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922161455/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/oil-gas/shell-plans-opening-1200-retail-stations-in-india-in-10-years/articleshow/65660768.cms |archive-date=2019-09-22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hydrogen Vehicles and Refueling Infrastructure in India |url=https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/03/f10/cng_h2_workshop_11_das.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612130231/https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/03/f10/cng_h2_workshop_11_das.pdf |archive-date=2017-06-12 |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref>
|date= December 11 2006 |work= |publisher=
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


=== Poland ===
''Different production methods each have differing associated investment and marginal costs.'' The energy and feedstock could originate from a multitude of sources i.e. natural gas, nuclear, solar, wind, biomass, coal, other fossil fuels, and geothermal.
It planning open first hydrogen publication stations, The Ministry of Climate and Environment (MKiŚ) will soon schan competitions for 2-3 hydrogen refueling stations, Polish Deputy Minister in this ministry Krzysztof Bolesta.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hydrogen-central.com/orlen-hydrogen-refueling-stations-poland/ | title=ORLEN will Build the First Hydrogen Refueling Stations in Poland | date=6 May 2021 }}</ref>
;Natural Gas at Small Scale: Uses steam reformation. Requires {{convert|15.9|Mcuft|m3}} of gas, which, if produced by small 500&nbsp;kg/day reformers at the point of dispensing (i.e., the filling station), would equate to 777,000 reformers costing $1&nbsp;trillion dollars and producing 150&nbsp;million tons of hydrogen gas annually. Obviates the need for distribution infrastructure dedicated to hydrogen. $3.00 per [[GGE]] (Gallons of Gasoline Equivalent)
;Nuclear: Provides energy for electrolysis of water. Would require 240,000&nbsp;tons of unenriched uranium — that's 2,000 600-megawatt power plants, which would cost $840&nbsp;billion, or about $2.50 per GGE.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4199381.html?page=3
| title= "The Truth About Hydrogen"
| last= Wise | first= Jeff
| date= November 2006 | publisher= ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'' | pages= p.&nbsp;3
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>
;Solar: Provides energy for electrolysis of water. Would require 2,500&nbsp;kWh of sun per square meter, 113&nbsp;million 40-kilowatt systems, which would cost $22&nbsp;trillion, or about $9.50 per GGE.
;Wind: Provides energy for electrolysis of water. At 7&nbsp;meters per second average wind speed, it would require 1&nbsp;million 2-MW wind turbines, which would cost $3&nbsp;trillion dollars, or about $3.00 per GGE.
;Biomass: Gasification plants would produce gas with steam reformation. 1.5&nbsp;billion tons of dry biomass, 3,300 plants which would require 113.4&nbsp;million acres (460,000&nbsp;km²) of farm to produce the biomass. $565&nbsp;billion dollars in cast, or about $1.90 per GGE
;Coal: FutureGen plants use coal gasification then steam reformation. Requires 1&nbsp;billion tons of coal or about 1,000 275-megawatt plants with a cost of about $500&nbsp;billion, or about $1 per GGE.


=== Saudi Arabia ===
*DOE Cost targets<ref>{{cite web
Saudi Arabia as a part of the [[Neom|NEOM project]], is looking to produce roughly 1.2 million tonnes of green ammonia a year, beginning production in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 April 2021 |title=Saudi Arabia's $5bn green hydrogen-based ammonia plant to begin production in 2025 |url=https://energy-utilities.com/saudi-arabia-s-5bn-green-hydrogenbased-ammonia-news111872.html |access-date=2022-01-13 |website=Energy & Utilities |archive-date=2021-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421122019/https://energy-utilities.com/saudi-arabia-s-5bn-green-hydrogenbased-ammonia-news111872.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| url= http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/news_cost_goal.html
| title= DOE Announces New Hydrogen Cost Goal
|author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors=
|date= July 14, 2005 |publisher= U.S. DoE
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


In Cairo, Egypt, Saudi real estate funding skyscraper project powered by hydrogen.<ref>https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/saudi-firm-plans-hydrogen-powered-skyscraper-egypts-new-capital-2024-08-14/ {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref>
== Environmental concerns ==
Hydrogen gas can be created through the natural gas steam reforming/water gas shift reaction method, outlined above. This creates [[carbon dioxide]] (CO<sub>2</sub>), a [[greenhouse gas]], as a byproduct. This is usually released into the atmosphere, although there has also been some research into interring it [[carbon dioxide sink|underground or undersea]]. The steam reformers in [[methane]]-based [[fuel cells]] convert [[hydrocarbons]] into either
carbon dioxide or [[carbon monoxide]] (CO).<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://fuelcellbus.georgetown.edu/x1tech.cfm
| title= Ballard X1 Bus Fuel Cell System
|author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors=
|date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= [[Georgetown University]]
| accessdate= 2008-05-09}} </ref>


=== Turkey ===
Recently, there have also been some concerns over possible problems related to hydrogen gas leakage, (this has been pointed out in a paper published in ''Science'' magazine by a group of Caltech scientists). Molecular hydrogen leaks slowly from most containment vessels. It has been hypothesized that if significant amounts of hydrogen gas (H<sub>2</sub>) escape, hydrogen gas may, due to ultraviolet radiation, form [[free radicals]] (H) in the stratosphere. These free radicals would then be able to act as catalysts for [[ozone depletion]]. A large enough increase in stratospheric hydrogen from leaked H<sub>2</sub> could exacerbate the depletion process. However, the effect of these leakage problems may not be significant. The amount of hydrogen that leaks today is much lower (by a factor of 10–100) than the estimated 10–20% figure conjectured by some researchers; for example, in [[Germany]], the leakage rate is only 0.1% (less than the natural gas leak rate of 0.7%). At most, such leakage would likely be no more than 1–2% even with widespread hydrogen use, using present technology.<ref> {{cite web
The [[Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (Turkey)|Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources]] and the [[UNIDO|United Nations Industrial Development Organization]] created the [[International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies]] (UNIDO-ICHET) in [[Istanbul]] in 2004 and it ran to 2012.<ref>{{cite web |date=31 August 2009 |title=Independent Mid-Term Review of the UNIDO Project: Establishment and operation of the International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET), TF/INT/03/002 |url=http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/About_UNIDO/Evaluation/TORs/TOR%20ICHET%20final.PDF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601075325/http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/About_UNIDO/Evaluation/TORs/TOR%20ICHET%20final.PDF |archive-date=1 June 2010 |access-date=2010-07-20 |publisher=[[UNIDO]] |df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 2023 the ministry published a Hydrogen Technologies Strategy and Roadmap.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Announcement – Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources |url=https://enerji.gov.tr/announcements-detail?id=20349 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=enerji.gov.tr}}</ref>
| url= http://rael.berkeley.edu/files/2003/Kammen-Tromp-Science-2003.pdf
| title= Assessing the Future Hydrogen Economy (letters)
|date= 10 October 2003 |format= PDF |work= | publisher= [[Science (magazine)|''Science'']]
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


=== United Kingdom ===
==Safety==
The [[United Kingdom|UK]] started a fuel cell pilot program in January 2004, the program ran two Fuel cell buses on route&nbsp;25 in [[London]] until December 2005, and switched to route RV1 until January 2007.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/environment/2017.aspx#routes | title= Hydrogen buses |publisher= Transport for London | access-date= 2008-05-09 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080323064054/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/environment/2017.aspx#routes |archive-date = March 23, 2008}}</ref> The Hydrogen Expedition is currently working to create a hydrogen fuel cell-powered ship and using it to circumnavigate the globe, as a way to demonstrate the capability of hydrogen fuel cells.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.atti-info.org/HydrogenVeh/prospectus.pdf | title= The Hydrogen Expedition | date= January 2005 | access-date= 2008-05-09 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080527234233/http://www.atti-info.org/HydrogenVeh/prospectus.pdf | archive-date= 2008-05-27 }}</ref> In August 2021 the UK Government claimed it was the first to have a Hydrogen Strategy and produced a document.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 2021|title=UK Hydrogen Strategy|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1011283/UK-Hydrogen-Strategy_web.pdf|url-status=live|website=UK Government|access-date=2021-08-19|archive-date=2021-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819205309/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1011283/UK-Hydrogen-Strategy_web.pdf}}</ref>
[[Image:Hindenburg burning.jpg|thumb|right|The ''Hindenburg'' a few seconds after catching fire.]]
Hydrogen has been feared in the popular press as a relatively more dangerous fuel, and hydrogen in fact has the widest explosive/ignition mix range with air of all the gases except acetylene. Hydrogen also usually escapes rapidly after containment breach. Additionally, hydrogen flames are difficult to see, so may be difficult to fight. An experiment performed at the University of Miami attempted to counter this by showing that hydrogen escapes while gasoline remains by setting alight hydrogen- and petrol-fuelled vehicles.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=482
| title= Hydrogen Car Fire Surprise
|date= January 18, 2003 |work= |publisher=
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


In August 2021, Chris Jackson quit as chair of the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, a leading hydrogen industry association, claiming that UK and Norwegian oil companies had intentionally inflated their cost projections for blue hydrogen in order to maximize future [[transfer payment|technology support payments]] by the UK government.<ref name="ambrose-2021">{{cite news |last1=Ambrose |first1=Jillian |date=20 August 2021 |title=Oil firms made 'false claims' on blue hydrogen costs, says ex-lobby boss |work=The Guardian |location=London, United Kingdom |url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/20/oil-firms-made-false-claims-on-blue-hydrogen-costs-says-ex-lobby-boss |url-status=live |access-date=2021-08-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824075238/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/20/oil-firms-made-false-claims-on-blue-hydrogen-costs-says-ex-lobby-boss |archive-date=2021-08-24 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
In the [[Hindenburg (airship)|LZ 129 ''Hindenburg'']] disaster, two thirds of the passengers and crew survived, though the skin of the ''Hindenburg'' may have contributed to the accident. It was concluded at the time by the board of enquiry that the fire was cause by [[electrostatic discharge]] of hydrogen leaking from the rear of the craft. Recent research by [[Addison Bain]] indicates that the outer fabric was highly inflammable, and that [[electrostatic]] [[spark]]s ignited the fabric first, which then spread to the hydrogen within.


=== United States ===
In a more recent event, an explosion of compressed hydrogen during delivery at the [[American Electric Power|AEP]] Muskingum River Coal Plant caused significant damage and killed one person.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800350.html
| title= "Ohio Power Plant Blast Kills 1, Hurts 9"
| last= Williams | first= Mark
| date= January 8, 2007 |work= | publisher= [[Associated Press]]
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref><ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.eei.org/meetings/nonav_2007-04-29-cs/Citations_Accident_Review.pdf
| title= Muskingum River Plant Hydrogen Explosion January 8, 2007
| date= November 11, 2006 | format= PDF |publisher= [[American Electric Power]]
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


Several domestic [[Automotive industry in the United States|U.S. automobile companies]] have developed vehicles using hydrogen, such as GM and Toyota.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Are hydrogen fuel cell vehicles the future of autos? |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicles-future-autos/story?id=74583475 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117010939/https://abcnews.go.com/Business/hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicles-future-autos/story?id=74583475 |archive-date=2021-01-17 |access-date=2021-01-18 |website=ABC News}}</ref> However, as of February 2020, infrastructure for hydrogen was underdeveloped except in some parts of California.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Siddiqui |first=Faiz |title=The plug-in electric car is having its moment. But despite false starts, Toyota is still trying to make the fuel cell happen.|newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/02/26/hydrogen-fuel-cell-cars/ |url-status=live |access-date=2021-01-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119142059/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/02/26/hydrogen-fuel-cell-cars/ |archive-date=2021-01-19 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The [[United States]] have their own [[United States Hydrogen Policy|hydrogen policy]].{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} A joint venture between [[NREL]] and [[Xcel Energy]] is combining wind power and hydrogen power in the same way in Colorado.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 8, 2007 |title=Experimental 'wind to hydrogen' system up and running |url=http://www.physorg.com/news87494382.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126092957/http://phys.org/news87494382.html |archive-date=2013-01-26 |access-date=2008-05-09 |publisher=Physorg.com}}</ref> [[Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro|Hydro]] in [[Newfoundland and Labrador]] are converting the current [[Wind-Diesel Hybrid Power Systems|wind-diesel Power System]] on the remote island of [[Ramea]] into a [[Wind-Hydrogen Hybrid Power Systems]] facility.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 16, 2006 |title=Hydrogen Engine Center Receives Order for Hydrogen Power Generator 250kW Generator for Wind/Hydrogen Demonstration |url=http://www.hydrogenenginecenter.com/userdocs/NRCan_Press_Release_Final_05.16.06.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527234233/http://www.hydrogenenginecenter.com/userdocs/NRCan_Press_Release_Final_05.16.06.pdf |archive-date=May 27, 2008 |access-date=2008-05-09 |publisher=Hydrogen Engine Center, Inc.}}</ref> Five pump station hubs being delivered to heavy-duty H2 trucks in Texas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kilgore |first=Erin |date=2024-01-12 |title=Texas Hydrogen Stations Infrastructure Gets Boost From Biden Administration |url=https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/hydrogen-stations-texas/8562318/ |website=Hydrogen Fuel News}}</ref> Hydrogen City built Green by Hydrogen International (GHI), to planning open in 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-08 |title=World's largest green H2 hub, Hydrogen City, to open in Texas in 2026 |url=https://newatlas.com/energy/worlds-largest-green-hydrogen-city/ |first=Loz |last=Blain |website=New Atlas}}</ref>
One of the measures on the roadmap is to implement higher safety standards like early leak detection with [[hydrogen microsensor]]s.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.anl.gov/techtransfer/pdf/Profile_HydrogenSensor9_06.pdf
| title= Hydrogen Sensor: Fast, Sensitive, Reliable, and Inexpensive to Produce
| year= 2006 | month= September | format= PDF | publisher= [[Argonne National Laboratory]]
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>


In 2006, Florida’s infrastructure project was commissioned.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 12, 2007 |title=The Florida Hydrogen Initiative |url=https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/docs/hydrogenprogramlibraries/pdfs/review07/tvp_11_levine.pdf?sfvrsn=3534d200_1 |website=Hydrogen Program}}</ref> First opened Orlando as public bus transportation, Ford Motor Company announced putting a fleet of hydrogen-fueled Ford E-450.<ref>{{Cite web |title=First Hydrogen Station Opens |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2007/05/24/first-hydrogen-station-opens/ |date=May 24, 2007 |website=Tampa Bay Times|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709025342/https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2007/05/24/first-hydrogen-station-opens/ |archive-date= 2024-07-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 May 2007 |title=Florida gets hydrogen-fueled buses |url=https://www.drive.com.au/news/florida-gets-hydrogenfueled-buses-20070523-1413y/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709014134/https://www.drive.com.au/news/florida-gets-hydrogenfueled-buses-20070523-1413y/ |archive-date=2024-07-09 |website=Drive}}</ref> Liquidated hydrogen mobile system was constructed at Titusville.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Himmelstein |first=S. |date=January 18, 2023 |title=Liquid hydrogen system is compact and mobile |url=https://insights.globalspec.com/article/19790/liquid-hydrogen-system-is-compact-and-mobile |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709020150/https://insights.globalspec.com/article/19790/liquid-hydrogen-system-is-compact-and-mobile |archive-date=2024-07-09 |website=GlobalSpec}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-24 |title=GENH2 Partners with H2 GENESIS to Provide Small-Scale Hydrogen Liquefaction |url=https://hydrogen-central.com/genh2-partners-h2-genesis-to-provide-small-scale-hydrogen-liquefaction/ |website=Hydrogen Central|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709000122/https://hydrogen-central.com/genh2-partners-h2-genesis-to-provide-small-scale-hydrogen-liquefaction/ |archive-date= 2024-07-09 }}</ref> An FPL’s pilot clean hydrogen facility operated in Okeechobee County.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Kurzner |first1=Jeff |first2=Nikki |last2=Cabus |date=2024-02-28 |title=FPL announces completion of Florida's first ever clean hydrogen hub of its kind |url=https://techhubsouthflorida.org/fpl-announces-completion-of-florida-first-ever-clean-hydrogen-hub-of-its-kind/ |website=South Florida Tech Hub|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709014526/https://techhubsouthflorida.org/fpl-announces-completion-of-florida-first-ever-clean-hydrogen-hub-of-its-kind/ |archive-date= 2024-07-09}}</ref>
The Canadian Hydrogen Safety Program concluded that hydrogen fueling is as safe as, or safer than, CNG fueling.<ref>[http://www.hydrogenandfuelcellsafety.info/2007/jun/h2cng.asp Canadian Hydrogen Safety Program testing H2/CNG]</ref>


A similar pilot project on [[Stuart Island (Washington)|Stuart Island]] uses [[solar power]], instead of [[wind power]], to generate electricity. When excess electricity is available after the batteries are fully charged, hydrogen is generated by electrolysis and stored for later production of electricity by fuel cell.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stuart Island Energy Initiative |url=http://www.siei.org |website=siei.org |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618081052/http://siei.org/ |archive-date=2013-06-18 |access-date=2008-05-09}}</ref> The US also have a large natural gas pipeline system already in place.<ref name="Hydrogen transport & distribution" />
== Examples and pilot programs ==<!-- This section is linked from [[Iceland]] -->
[[Image:Brno, Autotec, Mercedes Citaro na palivové články II.jpg|thumb|A [[Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro]] powered by hydrogen, in [[Brno]].]]
Several domestic [[United States|U.S.]] [[automobile]] manufactures have committed to develop vehicles using hydrogen. (They had previously committed to producing [[electric vehicle]]s in California, a program now defunct at their behest.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/25/paul.commentary/
| title= "Paul: Who killed my electric car?"
| last= Paul | first= Alexandra | authorlink= Alexandra Paul
| date= November 6, 2006 |work= | publisher= [[CNN.com]]
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>) Critics argue this "commitment" is merely a ploy to sidestep calls for increased efficiency in [[gasoline]] and [[diesel fuel]] powered vehicles and diverts us from needed steps to address global warming, such as greater focus on conservation, green fuel production and other green technologies. The distribution of hydrogen for the purpose of transportation is currently being tested around the world, particularly in [[Portugal]], [[Iceland]], [[Hynor|Norway]], [[Hydrogen link network|Denmark]], [[Germany]], [[California Hydrogen Highway|California]], [[Japan hydrogen fuel cell project|Japan]] and [[BC hydrogen highway|Canada]], but the cost is very high.


=== Vietnam ===
Some hospitals have installed combined electrolyzer-storage-fuel cell units for local emergency power. These are advantageous for emergency use due to their low maintenance requirement and ease of location compared to internal combustion driven generators.
Việt Nam Energy Association have included green hydrogenation support.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hydrogen production project promotes green energy transition in Việt Nam |url=https://vietnamnews.vn/economy/1068281/hydrogen-production-project-promotes-green-energy-transition-in-viet-nam.html |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=vietnamnews.vn}}</ref> Australian clean energy company Pure Hydrogen Corporation Limited announced on July 22 that it has signed an MoU with Vietnam public transportation.<ref>https://news.finclear.tradecentre.io/asx/document/20240722/02830030.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref>

The North [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] island country of [[Iceland]] has committed to becoming the world's first hydrogen economy by the year 2050.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.mfa.is/speeches-and-articles/nr/3800
| title= Climate change as a global challenge
| last= Hannesson | first= Hjálmar W.
| date= 2.8.2007 |work=
| publisher= [[Iceland]] [[Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland|Ministry for Foreign Affairs]]
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref> Iceland is in a unique position. Presently, it imports all the petroleum products necessary to power its automobiles and [[fishing fleet]]. Iceland has large geothermal resources, so much that the local price of electricity actually is ''lower'' than the price of the hydrocarbons that could be used to produce that electricity.

Iceland already converts its surplus electricity into exportable goods and hydrocarbon replacements. In 2002, it produced 2,000&nbsp;tons of hydrogen gas by electrolysis-- primarily for the production of [[anhydrous ammonia|ammonia]] (NH<sub>3</sub>) for fertilizer. Ammonia is produced, transported, and used throughout the world, and 90% of the cost of ammonia is the cost of the energy to produce it. Iceland is also developing an aluminium -smelting industry. Aluminium costs are primarily driven by the cost of the electricity to run the smelters. Either of these industries could effectively export all of Iceland's potential geothermal electricity.

Neither industry directly replaces hydrocarbons. [[Reykjavík]], Iceland, had a small pilot fleet of city buses running on compressed hydrogen,<ref name="detnews"/> and research on powering the nation's fishing fleet with hydrogen is under way. For more practical purposes, Iceland might process imported oil with hydrogen to extend it, rather than to replace it altogether.

The Reykjavík buses are part of a larger program, HyFLEET:CUTE,<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://www.global-hydrogen-bus-platform.com/index.php
| title= What is HyFLEET:CUTE?
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref> operating hydrogen fueled buses in eight European cities. HyFLEET:CUTE buses also operate in Beijing and Perth (see below).

A pilot project demonstrating a hydrogen economy is operational on the [[Norway|Norwegian]] island of [[Utsira]]. The installation combines [[wind power]] and hydrogen power. In periods when there is surplus wind energy, the excess power is used for generating hydrogen by [[electrolysis]]. The hydrogen is stored, and is available for power generation in periods when there is little wind.

A joint venture between [[NREL]] and [[Xcel Energy]] is combining [[wind power]] and hydrogen power in the same way in Colorado.<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://www.physorg.com/news87494382.html
| title= Experimental 'wind to hydrogen' system up and running
| date= January 8, 2007 |work= | publisher= Physorg.com
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>

[[Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro|Hydro]] in [[Newfoundland and Labrador]] are converting the current [[Wind-Diesel Hybrid Power Systems|wind-diesel Power System]] on the remote island of [[Ramea]] into a [[Wind-Hydrogen Hybrid Power Systems]] facility.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.hydrogenenginecenter.com/userdocs/NRCan_Press_Release_Final_05.16.06.pdf
| title= Hydrogen Engine Center Receives Order for Hydrogen Power Generator 250kW Generator for Wind/Hydrogen Demonstration
| date= May 16, 2006 | format= PDF |work= |publisher= Hydrogen Engine Center, Inc.
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>

A similar pilot project on [[Stuart Island (Washington)|Stuart Island]] uses [[solar power]], instead of [[wind power]], to generate electricity. When excess electricity is available after the batteries are full, hydrogen is generated by electrolysis and stored for later production of electricity by fuel cell.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.siei.org
| title= Stuart Island Energy Initiative
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>

The [[United Kingdom|UK]] started a fuel cell pilot program in January 2004, the program ran two Fuel cell buses on route&nbsp;25 in [[London]] until December 2005, and switched to route RV1 until January 2007.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/environment/2017.aspx#routes
| title= Hydrogen buses
|date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= Transport for London
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>

The Hydrogen Expedition is currently working to create a hydrogen fuel cell-powered ship and using it to circumnavigate the globe, as a way to demonstrate the capability of hydrogen fuel cells.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.atti-info.org/HydrogenVeh/prospectus.pdf
| title= The Hydrogen Expedition
| month= January | year= 2005 |format= PDF |work= |publisher=
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>

Western Australia's Department of Planning and Infrastructure currently operates three Daimler Chrysler Citaro fuel cell buses as part of its Sustainable Transport Energy for Perth Fuel Cells Bus Trial in Perth.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/ecobus/1206.asp
| title= Perth Fuel Cell Bus Trial
| date= 13 April 2007 |work=
| publisher= Department for Planning and Infrastructure, Government of [[Western Australia]]
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref> The buses are operated by Path Transit on regular Transperth public bus routes. The trial began in September 2004 and concluded in September 2006. The buses' fuel cells use a proton exchange membrane system and are supplied with raw hydrogen from a BP refinery in Kwinana, south of Perth. The hydrogen is a byproduct of the refinery's industrial process. The buses are refueled at a station in the northern Perth suburb of Malaga.

==Alternatives to the hydrogen economy==
{{Original research|date=November 2007}}
Hydrogen is simply a method to store and transmit energy. Various alternative energy transmission and storage scenarios may be more economic, in both near and far term. These include:
;[[Compressed air energy storage|Compressed air]]: Solving many of the generation, transportation and storage problems which plague hydrogen, compressed air suffers from a low energy density (energy available, per mass of necessary pressure storage tank).
;Ammonia economy: An alternative way to utilize [[hydrogen]] as an energy carrier is to bond it with the [[nitrogen]] in the air to produce [[ammonia]] which can then be easily liquefied, transported and used (directly or indirectly) as a clean and renewable fuel. The [[toxicity]] of ammonia is one of the main issues holding back an ammonia economy.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.memagazine.org/contents/current/webonly/webex710.html
| title= The Ammonia Economy
| last= Agosta |first= Vito
|date= July 10, 2003 |work= |publisher=
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref><ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.energy.iastate.edu/Renewable/ammonia/index.htm
| title= Renewable Energy
|date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= Iowa Energy Center
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>
;The electrical grid plus batteries: The electrical grid and chemical storage battery pose viable long term alternatives to hydrogen in transmission.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} The solar cell might also be used in some areas to make energy locally for battery powered autos which in turn could supply energy in the evening. Of these technologies, only grid power is currently in a high state of technical development. Solar power suffers from a low power density to area, making it difficult to use in transport. High capacity batteries (chemical cells) have already seen use in commercial hybrid cars, but these have yet to be used in load-balancing. It is possible that a combination of battery and hydrogen power will be used in the future, although many think that hybrid cars running on battery power and green fuels are a more viable option. Both the [[EV1]] and the Rav4&nbsp;EV proved the technology and were highly popular vehicles. A primary problem with lead storage batteries is that they wear out relatively quickly over time and are relatively expensive to replace. For instance, deep-discharge batteries may cost $65/KWH, and yield 400 charge-discharge cycles at 80%&nbsp;depth of discharge, yielding a cost of about $.20 per kwh discharged, roughly twice the average cost of US electricity.{{Fact|date=November 2007}}. For these reasons, few new EVs prefer to use lead-acid batteries. NiMH and long-life variants of lithium-ion batteries (phosphates, titanates, spinels, etc) have been shown to have a much longer lifetime, with A123 expecting their [[lithium iron phosphate]] batteries to last for at least 10+ years and 7000+ charge cycles,<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.xconomy.com/2007/08/10/a123-inks-deal-to-develop-battery-cells-for-gm-electric-car/
| title= A123 Inks Deal to Develop Battery Cells for GM Electric Car
| last= Buderi | first= Robert
|date= 8/10/07 |work= |publisher= Xconomy
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref> and LG Chem expecting their [[lithium]]–[[manganese]] [[spinel]] batteries to last up to 40 years.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://www.gm-volt.com/index.php?s=klein
| title= CEO of Compact Power on His Charge to Build the Volt’s Battery
|date= |year= |month= |format= |work= | publisher= GM-Volt
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref>
;Vegetable oil: A [[vegetable oil economy]] would use green plants and sunlight to make oil from water, CO<sub>2</sub> and macro and micro-nutrients. Vegetable oil is safer to use and store than [[gasoline]] or [[diesel]], as it has a higher [[flash point]]. Vegetable oil works in diesel engines if it is heated first, and is easily converted to [[biodiesel]] which can directly replace diesel.<ref> {{cite web
| url= http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_svo.html
| title= Straight vegetable oil as diesel fuel
|date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= Journey to Forever
| accessdate= 2008-05-09 }} </ref> Transition to vegetable oil based transportation could be gradual and relatively easy. Auto fueling stations might start with one pump for vegetable oil (as some do now for diesel) and add more, as needed. Since CO<sub>2</sub> for this projected use is removed from the atmosphere by green plants to make the vegetable oil and then returned to the atmosphere after it is burned in an engine, there is no net increase in [[carbon dioxide]], so this method is carbon neutral. Green plant derived oils are an example of a [[renewable energy]] store that is also safe and easy to make, store, and use. There is interest in using [[algaculture]] methods to produce [[biofuel from algae|vegetable oil from algae]].
;Hydrogen production of greenhouse-neutral alcohol: This is one such artificial hydrocarbon-production plan. Hydrogen in a full "hydrogen economy" was initially suggested as a way to make [[renewable energy]] in non-polluting form, available to automobiles which are not all-electric. However, a theoretical alternative to direct elemental hydrogen use in vehicles would address the same problem by using centrally produced hydrogen immediately, to make liquid fuels from a CO<sub>2</sub> source. Thus, hydrogen would be used captively to make fuel, and would not require expensive hydrogen transportation or storage.To be greenhouse-neutral, the source for CO<sub>2</sub> in such a plan would need to be from air, biomass, or from CO<sub>2</sub> which would otherwise be scheduled to be released into the air from non-carbon-capture fuel-burning power plants (of which there are likely to be many in the future, since economic [[carbon capture and storage]] is site-dependent and difficult to retrofit).Captive hydrogen production to make more easily transportable and storable transportation fuels (such as alcohols or methane), using CO<sub>2</sub> input, can thus be seen as the artificial, or "non-biological green" analogue of biomass, biodiesel, and vegetable oil technologies. Green plants, in a sense, already use solar power to make captively-produced hydrogen, which is then used to make easier-to-store-and-use fuels. In the plant leaf, solar energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, the latter gas being released. The hydrogen produced is then used "on-site" by the plant to reduce CO<sub>2</sub> from the air into various fuels, such as the cellulose in wood, and the seed oils which are the basis for vegetable oil, [[biodiesel]], etc.Hydrogen-produced alcohols would thus act as a very similar, but non-biological greenhouse-neutral way of producing energy stores and carriers from locally-produced hydrogen (solar or otherwise). By not requiring hydrogen to be produced entirely by plant leaves, they would save cropland. The fuels, however, would be used for purposes of transportation exactly as in plans to use "green fuels." Rather than be transported from its production site, hydrogen in such plans would instead be used centrally and immediately, to produce renewable liquid fuels which may be cycled into the present transportation infrastructure directly, requiring almost no infrastructure change. Moreover, methanol fuel cells are beginning to be demonstrated, so methanol may eventually compete directly with hydrogen in the fuel cell and hybrid market. See [[methanol economy]] and [[ethanol economy]].
;Captive hydrogen synthetic methane production: In a similar way as with synthetic alcohol production, hydrogen can be used on-site to directly (nonbiologically) produce greenhouse-neutral gaseous fuels. Thus, captive-hydrogen-mediated production of greenhouse-neutral [[methane]] has been proposed (note that this is the reverse of the present method of acquiring hydrogen from natural methane, but one that does not require ultimate burning and release of fossil fuel carbon). Captive hydrogen (and carbon dioxide) may be used onsite to ''synthesize'' methane, using a [[Sabatier reactor]]. This process is about 80% efficient, reducing the round trip efficiency to about 20 to 30%, depending on the method of fuel utilization. This is even lower than hydrogen, but the storage costs drop by at least a factor of 3, due to methane's higher boiling point and higher energy density. Liquid methane has 3.2 times the energy density of liquid hydrogen and is easier to store. Additionally, the pipe infrastructure ([[natural gas]] pipelines) are already in place. Natural-gas-powered vehicles already exist, and are known to be easier to adapt from existing internal engine technology, than internal combustion autos running directly on hydrogen. Experience with natural gas powered vehicles shows that methane storage is inexpensive, once one has accepted the cost of conversion to store the fuel. However, the cost of alcohol storage is even lower, so this technology would need to produce methane at a considerable savings with regard to alcohol production. Ulimate mature prices of fuels in the competing technologies are not presently known, but both are expected to offer substantial infrastructual savings over attempts to transport and use hydrogen directly.
;Hybrid strategy of electricity and synthetic methanol: Electricity can be more efficiently used in a storage battery than electrolysing water to hydrogen. For example, a storage battery may retain about 90% of the electricity used to charge it, and be able to provide about 90% of the electricity that it can store, resulting in a "round trip" efficiency of about 81%. This is compared with a 70% efficiency of electrolysis<ref>{{cite book
| last = Romm
| first = Joseph J.
| authorlink = Joseph J. Romm
| title = The Hype About Hydrogen: Fact And Fiction In The Race To Save The Climate
| publisher = [[Island Press]]
| page = 75
| year = 2004
| isbn = 155963703X }}</ref> and perhaps 60%&nbsp;efficiency of a fuel cell, resulting in a round trip efficiency of only about 40% for hydrogen — only about half the efficiency of batteries.
;The electrical grid plus methanol fuel cells, etc.: Many of the hybrid strategies described above, using captive hydrogen to generate other more easily usable fuels, might be more effective than hydrogen-production alone. Short term energy storage (meaning the energy is used not long after it has been captured) may be best accomplished with battery or even ultracapacitor storage. Longer term energy storage (meaning the energy is used weeks or months after capture) may be better done with synthetic methane or alcohols, which can be stored indefinitely at relatively low cost, and even used directly in some type of fuel cells, for electric vehicles. These strategies dovetail well with the recent interest in Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, or PHEVs, which use a hybrid strategy of electrical and fuel storage for their energy needs. See [[plug-in hybrid electric vehicle]]
Hydrogen storage has been proposed by some{{Fact|date=October 2007}} to be optimal in a narrow range of energy storage time, probably somewhere between a few days and a few weeks. This range is subject to further narrowing with any improvements in battery technology. It is always possible that some kind of breakthrough in hydrogen storage or generation could occur, but this is unlikely given the physical and chemical limitations of the technical choices are fairly well understood.
See also [[alternative fuel]], [[zinc economy]], [[lithium economy]] or [[liquid nitrogen economy]], [[hydrocarbon economy]], [[low-carbon economy]].


== See also ==
== See also ==
{{EnergyPortal}}
{{colbegin}}
* [[Alternative fuel]]
{{Portalpar|Sustainable development|Sustainable development.svg}}
* [[Biohydrogen]]
* [[Combined cycle hydrogen power plant]]
* [[Energy development]]
* [[Energy development]]
* [[Hydrogen vehicle]]
* [[Hydrogen damage]]
* [[Grid energy storage]]
* [[Hydrogen fuel cell power plant]]
* [[Hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicle]]
* [[Hydridic Earth theory]]
* [[Hydrogen-powered aircraft]]
* [[The Hype about Hydrogen]]
* [[Hydrogen-powered ship]]
* [[Hydrogen prize]]
* [[Hydrogen prize]]
* [[Renewable energy in Iceland]]
* [[Hydrogen tanker]]
* [[Renewable energy in Scotland]]
* [[Hydrogen train]]
* [[Hydrogen energy plant in Denmark]]
* [[Lolland Hydrogen Community]]
* [[Methane pyrolysis]]
* [[Timeline of sustainable energy research 2020–present#Hydrogen energy]]

{{colend}}
{{Portalbar|Chemistry|Energy|Science}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="Hydrogen production :2">{{Cite web |last=Deign |first=Jason |date=2020-06-29 |title=So, What Exactly Is Green Hydrogen? |url=https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/green-hydrogen-explained |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220323195427/https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/green-hydrogen-explained |archive-date=2022-03-23 |access-date=2022-02-11 |website=Greentechmedia}}</ref>}}


==Further reading==
===Sources===
*{{cite book |ref = {{harvid|UKCCC H2|2018}}
*{{cite book | author=[[Jeremy Rifkin]] | title=The Hydrogen Economy | publisher=Penguin Putnam Inc | year=2002 | id=ISBN 1-58542-193-6}}
|publisher = UK [[Committee on Climate Change]]
*{{cite book | author=Roy McAlister | title=The Solar Hydrogen Civilization| publisher=American Hydrogen Association | year=2003 | id=ISBN 0-9728375-0-7}}
|title = Hydrogen in a low-carbon economy
*{{cite book | author=[[Joseph J. Romm]] | title=[[The Hype about Hydrogen]], Fact and Fiction in the Race to Save the Climate | publisher=Island Press | year=2004 | id=ISBN 1-55963-703-X}} [http://www.globalpublicmedia.com/transcripts/635 Author interview] at Global Public Media.
|year = 2018
*{{cite book | author=James Howare Kunstler | title=[[The LONG EMERGENCY]] |publisher=Grove Press | year=2006 | id=ISBN 0-8021-4249-4}} Hydrogen economy = "laughable a fantasy" p. 115
|url = https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Hydrogen-in-a-low-carbon-economy.pdf
* {{cite journal | author=M. Wang | title=Fuel Choices for Fuel Cell Vehicles: Well-to-Wheels Energy and Emissions Impact| journal=Journal of Power Sources| year=2002 | volume=112 | pages= 307–321 | doi=10.1016/S0378-7753(02)00447-0}}
}}
* {{cite journal | author=F. Kreith| title=Fallacies of a Hydrogen Economy: A Critical Analysis of Hydrogen Production and Utilization| journal=Journal of Energy Resources Technology| year=2004 | volume=126 | pages= 249–257 | doi=10.1115/1.1834851}}

*{{cite book | author=Nakicenovic, ''et al.''| title=Global Energy Perspectives| publisher=Cambridge University Press| year=1998 | id=}} [http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/ECS/docs/book_st/wecintro.html Summary]
*{{cite book |ref = {{harvid|IEA H2|2019}}
*{{cite book | author=National Research Council| title=The Hydrogen Economy: Opportunities, Costs, Barriers, and R&D Needs| publisher=National Academy Press| year=2004 | id=}}
| publisher=[[International Energy Agency]]
* {{cite journal | author=Novelli, P.C., P.M. Lang, K.A. Masarie, D.F. Hurst, R. Myers, and J.W. Elkins. | title=Molecular Hydrogen in the troposphere: Global distribution and budget| journal=J. Geophys. Res.| year=1999 | volume=104(30) | pages= 427–30}}
| title=The Future of Hydrogen
* {{cite journal | author=T. K. Tromp | title=Potential Environmental Impact of a Hydrogen Economy on the Stratosphere| journal=Science| year=2003 | volume=300 | pages=1740–1742 | doi=10.1126/science.1085169 | pmid=12805546}}
| year=2019
| url-access=registration
| url=https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-hydrogen
}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.iphe.net/ International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy]
* [http://www.iphe.net/ International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy]
* [https://www.iea.org/reports/hydrogen Hydrogen]. International Energy Agency. 2022
* [http://www.h2euro.org/ European Hydrogen Association]
* [http://www.h2euro.org/ European Hydrogen Association]
* [https://model.energy/products/ Online calculator for green hydrogen production and transport costs]
* [http://www.hydrogeneconomy.gc.ca/home_e.html Canada]
* [http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/ U.S.-Department of Energy]
* [ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/energy/docs/hydrogen_synopses_en.pdf European Projects 2002-2006 FP6]
* [https://www.hfpeurope.org/hfp/jti European Projects 2007-2013 FP7]
* [http://www.rmi.org/images/other/Energy/E03-05_20HydrogenMyths.pdf 20 Hydrogen myths] - Published by the [[Rocky Mountain Institute]], a major hydrogen economy proponent.
* [http://www.efcf.com/reports/ Does a Hydrogen Economy Make Sense?]
* [http://www.ika.rwth-aachen.de/r2h Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Wiki]


{{emerging technologies|energy=yes}}
[[Category:Climate change]]
{{Alternative propulsion}}
[[Category:Peak oil]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hydrogen Economy}}
[[Category:Fuel technology]]
[[Category:Hydrogen economy]]
[[Category:Hydrogen economy]]
[[Category:Fuel gas]]
[[Category:Hydrogen technologies]]
[[Category:Alternative economy]]
[[Category:Industrial gases]]
[[Category:Low-carbon economy]]

[[ar:اقتصاد الهيدروجين]]
[[de:Solare Wasserstoffwirtschaft]]
[[es:Economía del hidrógeno]]
[[eo:Hidrogena civilizacio]]
[[fr:Économie hydrogène]]
[[it:Economia dell'idrogeno]]
[[lt:Vandenilio ekonomika]]
[[nl:Waterstofeconomie]]
[[pt:Economia do Hidrogênio]]
[[ru:Водородная энергетика]]
[[simple:Hydrogen economy]]
[[fi:Vetytalous]]
[[tr:Hidrojen ekonomisi]]
[[yi:היידראדזשען עקאנאמיע]]
[[zh:氢经济]]

Latest revision as of 03:58, 12 December 2024

Hydrogen has the most potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when used in chemical production, refineries, international shipping, and steelmaking[1]

The hydrogen economy is an umbrella term for the roles hydrogen can play alongside low-carbon electricity to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The aim is to reduce emissions where cheaper and more energy-efficient clean solutions are not available.[2] In this context, hydrogen economy encompasses the production of hydrogen and the use of hydrogen in ways that contribute to phasing-out fossil fuels and limiting climate change.

Hydrogen can be produced by several means. Most hydrogen produced today is gray hydrogen, made from natural gas through steam methane reforming (SMR). This process accounted for 1.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2021.[3] Low-carbon hydrogen, which is made using SMR with carbon capture and storage (blue hydrogen), or through electrolysis of water using renewable power (green hydrogen), accounted for less than 1% of production.[4] Virtually all of the 100 million tonnes[5] of hydrogen produced each year is used in oil refining (43% in 2021) and industry (57%), principally in the manufacture of ammonia for fertilizers, and methanol.[6]: 18, 22, 29 

To limit global warming, it is generally envisaged that the future hydrogen economy replaces gray hydrogen with low-carbon hydrogen. As of 2024 it is unclear when enough low-carbon hydrogen could be produced to phase-out all the gray hydrogen.[7] The future end-uses are likely in heavy industry (e.g. high-temperature processes alongside electricity, feedstock for production of green ammonia and organic chemicals, as alternative to coal-derived coke for steelmaking), long-haul transport (e.g. shipping, and to a lesser extent hydrogen-powered aircraft and heavy goods vehicles), and long-term energy storage.[8][9] Other applications, such as light duty vehicles and heating in buildings, are no longer part of the future hydrogen economy, primarily for economic and environmental reasons.[10][11] Hydrogen is challenging to store, to transport in pipelines, and to use. It presents safety concerns since it is highly explosive, and it is inefficient compared to direct use of electricity. Since relatively small amounts of low-carbon hydrogen are available, climate benefits can be maximized by using it in harder-to-decarbonize applications.[11]

As of 2023 there are no real alternatives to hydrogen for several chemical processes in which it is currently used, such as ammonia production for fertilizer.[12] The cost of low- and zero-carbon hydrogen is likely to influence the degree to which it will be used in chemical feedstocks, long haul aviation and shipping, and long-term energy storage. Production costs of low- and zero-carbon hydrogen are evolving. Future costs may be influenced by carbon taxes, the geography and geopolitics of energy, energy prices, technology choices, and their raw material requirements. It is likely that green hydrogen will see the greatest reductions in production cost over time.[13] The U.S. Department of Energy's Hydrogen Hotshot Initiative seeks to reduce the cost of green hydrogen drop to $1 a kilogram during the 2030s. [14]

History and objectives

[edit]

Origins

[edit]

The concept of a society that uses hydrogen as the primary means of energy storage was theorized by geneticist J. B. S. Haldane in 1923. Anticipating the exhaustion of Britain's coal reserves for power generation, Haldane proposed a network of wind turbines to produce hydrogen and oxygen for long-term energy storage through electrolysis, to help address renewable power's variable output.[15] The term "hydrogen economy" itself was coined by John Bockris during a talk he gave in 1970 at General Motors (GM) Technical Center.[16] Bockris viewed it as an economy in which hydrogen, underpinned by nuclear and solar power, would help address growing concern about fossil fuel depletion and environmental pollution, by serving as energy carrier for end-uses in which electrification was not suitable.[2][17]

A hydrogen economy was proposed by the University of Michigan to solve some of the negative effects of using hydrocarbon fuels where the carbon is released to the atmosphere (as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, unburnt hydrocarbons, etc.). Modern interest in the hydrogen economy can generally be traced to a 1970 technical report by Lawrence W. Jones of the University of Michigan,[18] in which he echoed Bockris' dual rationale of addressing energy security and environmental challenges. Unlike Haldane and Bockris, Jones only focused on nuclear power as the energy source for electrolysis, and principally on the use of hydrogen in transport, where he regarded aviation and heavy goods transport as the top priorities.[19]

Later evolution

[edit]
Technology leadership opportunities in green hydrogen value chains according to the International Renewable Energy Agency in 2022[20]: 55 

A spike in attention for the hydrogen economy concept during the 2000s was repeatedly described as hype by some critics and proponents of alternative technologies,[21][22][23] and investors lost money in the bubble.[24] Interest in the energy carrier resurged in the 2010s, notably with the forming of the World Hydrogen Council in 2017. Several manufacturers released hydrogen fuel cell cars commercially, with manufacturers such as Toyota, Hyundai, and industry groups in China having planned to increase numbers of the cars into the hundreds of thousands over the next decade.[25][26]

The global scope for hydrogen's role in cars is shrinking relative to earlier expectations.[27][28] By the end of 2022, 70,200 hydrogen vehicles had been sold worldwide,[29] compared with 26 million plug-in electric vehicles.[30]

Early 2020s takes on the hydrogen economy share earlier perspectives' emphasis on the complementarity of electricity and hydrogen, and the use of electrolysis as the mainstay of hydrogen production.[8] They focus on the need to limit global warming to 1.5 °C and prioritize the production, transportation and use of green hydrogen for heavy industry (e.g. high-temperature processes alongside electricity,[31] feedstock for production of green ammonia and organic chemicals,[8] as alternative to coal-derived coke for steelmaking),[32] long-haul transport (e.g. shipping, aviation and to a lesser extent heavy goods vehicles), and long-term energy storage.[8][9]

Current hydrogen market

[edit]

Hydrogen production globally was valued at over US$155 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow over 9% annually through 2030.[33]

In 2021, 94 million tonnes (Mt) of molecular hydrogen (H2) was produced.[34] Of this total, approximately one sixth was as a by-product of petrochemical industry processes.[4] Most hydrogen comes from dedicated production facilities, over 99% of which is from fossil fuels, mainly via steam reforming of natural gas (70%) and coal gasification (30%, almost all of which in China).[4] Less than 1% of dedicated hydrogen production is low carbon: steam fossil fuel reforming with carbon capture and storage, green hydrogen produced using electrolysis, and hydrogen produced from biomass.[4] CO2 emissions from 2021 production, at 915 MtCO2,[35] amounted to 2.5% of energy-related CO2 emissions[36] and 1.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.[3]

Virtually all hydrogen produced for the current market is used in oil refining (40 MtH2 in 2021) and industry (54 MtH2).[6]: 18, 22  In oil refining, hydrogen is used, in a process known as hydrocracking, to convert heavy petroleum sources into lighter fractions suitable for use as fuels. Industrial uses mainly comprise ammonia production to make fertilizers (34 MtH2 in 2021), methanol production (15 MtH2) and the manufacture of direct reduced iron (5 MtH2).[6]: 29 

Production

[edit]

Hydrogen gas is produced by several industrial methods.[37] Nearly all of the world's current supply of hydrogen is created from fossil fuels.[38][39]: 1  Most hydrogen is gray hydrogen made through steam methane reforming. In this process, hydrogen is produced from a chemical reaction between steam and methane, the main component of natural gas. Producing one tonne of hydrogen through this process emits 6.6–9.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide.[40] When carbon capture and storage is used to remove a large fraction of these emissions, the product is known as blue hydrogen.[41]

Green hydrogen is usually understood to be produced from renewable electricity via electrolysis of water.[42][43] Less frequently, definitions of green hydrogen include hydrogen produced from other low-emission sources such as biomass.[44] Producing green hydrogen is currently more expensive than producing gray hydrogen, and the efficiency of energy conversion is inherently low.[45] Other methods of hydrogen production include biomass gasification, methane pyrolysis, and extraction of underground hydrogen.[46][47]

As of 2023, less than 1% of dedicated hydrogen production is low-carbon, i.e. blue hydrogen, green hydrogen, and hydrogen produced from biomass.[48]

Green methanol

[edit]

Green methanol is a liquid fuel that is produced from combining carbon dioxide and hydrogen (CO2 + 3 H2 → CH3OH + H2O) under pressure and heat with catalysts. It is a way to reuse carbon capture for recycling. Methanol can store hydrogen economically at standard outdoor temperatures and pressures, compared to liquid hydrogen and ammonia that need to use a lot of energy to stay cold in their liquid state.[49] In 2023 the Laura Maersk was the first container ship to run on methanol fuel.[50] Ethanol plants in the midwest are a good place for pure carbon capture to combine with hydrogen to make green methanol, with abundant wind and nuclear energy in Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois.[51][52] Mixing methanol with ethanol could make methanol a safer fuel to use because methanol doesn't have a visible flame in the daylight and doesn't emit smoke, and ethanol has a visible light yellow flame.[53][54][55] Green hydrogen production of 70% efficiency and a 70% efficiency of methanol production from that would be a 49% energy conversion efficiency.[56]

Uses

[edit]
Some projected uses in the medium term, but analysts disagree[57]
Hydrogen fuel requires the development of a specific infrastructure for processing, transport and storage.

Hydrogen can be deployed as a fuel in two distinct ways: in fuel cells which produce electricity, and via combustion to generate heat.[58] When hydrogen is consumed in fuel cells, the only emission at the point of use is water vapor.[58] Combustion of hydrogen can lead to the thermal formation of harmful nitrogen oxides emissions.[58]

Industry

[edit]

In the context of limiting global warming, low-carbon hydrogen (particularly green hydrogen) is likely to play an important role in decarbonizing industry.[59] Hydrogen fuel can produce the intense heat required for industrial production of steel, cement, glass, and chemicals, thus contributing to the decarbonization of industry alongside other technologies, such as electric arc furnaces for steelmaking.[31] However, it is likely to play a larger role in providing industrial feedstock for cleaner production of ammonia and organic chemicals.[59] For example, in steelmaking, hydrogen could function as a clean energy carrier and also as a low-carbon catalyst replacing coal-derived coke.[32]

The imperative to use low-carbon hydrogen to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has the potential to reshape the geography of industrial activities, as locations with appropriate hydrogen production potential in different regions will interact in new ways with logistics infrastructure, raw material availability, human and technological capital.[59]

Transport

[edit]

Much of the interest in the hydrogen economy concept is focused on hydrogen vehicles, particularly planes.[60][61] Hydrogen vehicles produce significantly less local air pollution than conventional vehicles.[62] By 2050, the energy requirement for transportation might be between 20% and 30% fulfilled by hydrogen and synthetic fuels.[63][64][65]

Hydrogen used to decarbonize transportation is likely to find its largest applications in shipping, aviation and to a lesser extent heavy goods vehicles, through the use of hydrogen-derived synthetic fuels such as ammonia and methanol, and fuel cell technology.[8] Hydrogen has been used in fuel cell buses for many years. It is also used as a fuel for spacecraft propulsion.

In the International Energy Agency's 2022 Net Zero Emissions Scenario (NZE), hydrogen is forecast to account for 2% of rail energy demand in 2050, while 90% of rail travel is expected to be electrified by then (up from 45% today). Hydrogen's role in rail would likely be focused on lines that prove difficult or costly to electrify.[66] The NZE foresees hydrogen meeting approximately 30% of heavy truck energy demand in 2050, mainly for long-distance heavy freight (with battery electric power accounting for around 60%).[67]

Although hydrogen can be used in adapted internal combustion engines, fuel cells, being electrochemical, have an efficiency advantage over heat engines. Fuel cells are more expensive to produce than common internal combustion engines but also require higher purity hydrogen fuel than internal combustion engines.[68]

In the light road vehicle segment including passenger cars, by the end of 2022, 70,200 fuel cell electric vehicles had been sold worldwide,[29] compared with 26 million plug-in electric vehicles.[30] With the rapid rise of electric vehicles and associated battery technology and infrastructure, hydrogen's role in cars is minuscule.[27][28]

Energy system balancing and storage

[edit]

Green hydrogen, from electrolysis of water, has the potential to address the variability of renewable energy output. Producing green hydrogen can both reduce the need for renewable power curtailment during periods of high renewables output and be stored long-term to provide for power generation during periods of low output.[69][70]

Ammonia

[edit]

An alternative to gaseous hydrogen as an energy carrier is to bond it with nitrogen from the air to produce ammonia, which can be easily liquefied, transported, and used (directly or indirectly) as a clean and renewable fuel.[71][72] Among disadvantages of ammonia as an energy carrier are its high toxicity, energy efficiency of NH3 production from N2 and H2, and poisoning of PEM Fuel Cells by traces of non-decomposed NH3 after NH3 to N2 conversion.

Buildings

[edit]

Numerous industry groups (gas networks, gas boiler manufacturers) across the natural gas supply chain are promoting hydrogen combustion boilers for space and water heating, and hydrogen appliances for cooking, to reduce energy-related CO2 emissions from residential and commercial buildings.[73][74][11] The proposition is that current end-users of piped natural gas can await the conversion of and supply of hydrogen to existing natural gas grids, and then swap heating and cooking appliances, and that there is no need for consumers to do anything now.[73][74][11]

A review of 32 studies on the question of hydrogen for heating buildings, independent of commercial interests, found that the economics and climate benefits of hydrogen for heating and cooking generally compare very poorly with the deployment of district heating networks, electrification of heating (principally through heat pumps) and cooking, the use of solar thermal, waste heat and the installation of energy efficiency measures to reduce energy demand for heat.[11] Due to inefficiencies in hydrogen production, using blue hydrogen to replace natural gas for heating could require three times as much methane, while using green hydrogen would need two to three times as much electricity as heat pumps.[11] Hybrid heat pumps, which combine the use of an electric heat pump with a hydrogen boiler, may play a role in residential heating in areas where upgrading networks to meet peak electrical demand would otherwise be costly.[11]

The widespread use of hydrogen for heating buildings would entail higher energy system costs, higher heating costs and higher environmental impacts than the alternatives, although a niche role may be appropriate in specific contexts and geographies.[11] If deployed, using hydrogen in buildings would drive up the cost of hydrogen for harder-to-decarbonize applications in industry and transport.[11]

Bio-SNG

[edit]

As of 2019 although technically possible production of syngas from hydrogen and carbon-dioxide from bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) via the Sabatier reaction is limited by the amount of sustainable bioenergy available:[75] therefore any bio-SNG made may be reserved for production of aviation biofuel.[76]

Safety

[edit]
A NASA engineer sweeps an area with a corn broom to find the location of a hydrogen fire. Hydrogen burns with a nearly-invisible flame.

Hydrogen poses a number of hazards to human safety, from potential detonations and fires when mixed with air to being an asphyxiant in its pure, oxygen-free form.[77] In addition, liquid hydrogen is a cryogen and presents dangers (such as frostbite) associated with very cold liquids.[78] Hydrogen dissolves in many metals and in addition to leaking out, may have adverse effects on them, such as hydrogen embrittlement,[79] leading to cracks and explosions.[80]

Hydrogen is flammable when mixed even in small amounts with ordinary air. Ignition can occur at a volumetric ratio of hydrogen to air as low as 4%.[81] Moreover, hydrogen fire, while being extremely hot, is almost invisible, and thus can lead to accidental burns.[82]

Hydrogen infrastructure

[edit]
Hydrogen pipelines

A hydrogen infrastructure is the infrastructure of hydrogen pipeline transport, points of hydrogen production and hydrogen stations for distribution as well as the sale of hydrogen fuel,[83] and thus a crucial prerequisite before a successful commercialization of fuel cell technology.[84]

Hydrogen gasification plant for Belinka Perkemija [sl], 2015

The hydrogen infrastructure would consist mainly of industrial hydrogen pipeline transport and hydrogen-equipped filling stations. Hydrogen stations which were not situated near a hydrogen pipeline would get supply via hydrogen tanks, compressed hydrogen tube trailers, liquid hydrogen trailers, liquid hydrogen tank trucks or dedicated onsite production.

Pipelines are the cheapest way to move hydrogen over long distances compared to other options. Hydrogen gas piping is routine in large oil-refineries, because hydrogen is used to hydrocrack fuels from crude oil. The IEA recommends existing industrial ports be used for production and existing natural gas pipelines for transport: also international co-operation and shipping.[85]

South Korea and Japan,[86] which as of 2019 lack international electrical interconnectors, are investing in the hydrogen economy.[87] In March 2020, the Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field was opened in Japan, claiming to be the world's largest hydrogen production facility.[88] Much of the site is occupied by a solar array; power from the grid is also used for electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen fuel.[89]

Storage

[edit]
Liquid hydrogen Tank at NASA Kennedy Space Center

Several methods exist for storing hydrogen. These include mechanical approaches such as using high pressures and low temperatures, or employing chemical compounds that release H2 upon demand. While large amounts of hydrogen are produced by various industries, it is mostly consumed at the site of production, notably for the synthesis of ammonia. For many years hydrogen has been stored as compressed gas or cryogenic liquid, and transported as such in cylinders, tubes, and cryogenic tanks for use in industry or as propellant in space programs. The overarching challenge is the very low boiling point of H2: it boils around 20.268 K (−252.882 °C or −423.188 °F). Achieving such low temperatures requires expending significant energy.

Although molecular hydrogen has very high energy density on a mass basis, partly because of its low molecular weight, as a gas at ambient conditions it has very low energy density by volume. If it is to be used as fuel stored on board a vehicle, pure hydrogen gas must be stored in an energy-dense form to provide sufficient driving range. Because hydrogen is the smallest molecule, it easily escapes from containers. Its effective 100-year global warming potential (GWP100) is estimated to be 11.6 ± 2.8.

Power plants

[edit]

Xcel Energy is going to build two combined cycle power plants in the Midwest that can mix 30% hydrogen with the natural gas.[90] Intermountain Power Plant is being retrofitted to a natural gas/hydrogen power plant that can run on 30% hydrogen as well, and is scheduled to run on pure hydrogen by 2045.[91]

Costs

[edit]

More widespread use of hydrogen in economies entails the need for investment and costs in its production, storage, distribution and use. Estimates of hydrogen's cost are therefore complex and need to make assumptions about the cost of energy inputs (typically gas and electricity), production plant and method (e.g. green or blue hydrogen), technologies used (e.g. alkaline or proton exchange membrane electrolysers), storage and distribution methods, and how different cost elements might change over time.[92]: 49–65  These factors are incorporated into calculations of the levelized costs of hydrogen (LCOH). The following table shows a range of estimates of the levelized costs of gray, blue, and green hydrogen, expressed in terms of US$ per kg of H2 (where data provided in other currencies or units, the average exchange rate to US dollars in the given year are used, and 1 kg of H2 is assumed to have a calorific value of 33.3kWh).

Production method Note Current cost (2020–2022) Projected 2030 cost Projected 2050 cost
Gray hydrogen (not including a carbon tax)
International Energy Agency[93] 2022 costs estimated for June, when gas prices peaked in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine 2021: 1.0–2.5
2022: 4.8–7.8
PWC[94] 2021: 1.2–2.4
Blue hydrogen
International Energy Agency[93] 2022 costs estimated for June, when gas prices peaked in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine 2021: 1.5–3.0
2022: 5.3–8.6
UK government[95] Range dependent on gas price 2020: 1.6–2.7 1.6–2.7 1.6–2.8
GEP[96] 2022: 2.8–3.5 - -
Energy Transitions Commission[92]: 28  2020: 1.5–2.4 1.3–2.3 1.4–2.2
Green hydrogen
International Energy Agency[93] 2030 and 2050 estimates are using solar power in regions with good solar conditions 2021: 4.0–9.0 <1.5 <1.0
2022: 3.0-4.3
UK government[95] Using grid electricity, UK specific; range dependent on electricity price, and electrolyser technology and cost 2020: 4.9–7.9 4.4–6.6 4.0–6.3
Using otherwise curtailed renewable electricity, UK specific; range dependent on electrolyser technology and cost 2020: 2.4–7.9 1.7–5.6 1.5–4.6
IRENA[97] 2020: 2.2–5.2 1.4–4.1 1.1–3.4
GEP[96] Source notes green H2 production cost has fallen by 60% since 2010 2022: 3.0–6.0
Lazard[98] 2022: 2.8–5.3
PWC[94] 2021: 3.5–9.5 1.8–4.8 1.2–2.4
Energy Transitions Commission[92]: 28  2020: 2.6–3.6 1.0–1.7 0.7–1.2

The range of cost estimates for commercially available hydrogen production methods is broad, As of 2022, gray hydrogen is cheapest to produce without a tax on its CO2 emissions, followed by blue and green hydrogen. Blue hydrogen production costs are not anticipated to fall substantially by 2050,[95][92]: 28  can be expected to fluctuate with natural gas prices and could face carbon taxes for uncaptured emissions.[92]: 79  The cost of electrolysers fell by 60% from 2010 to 2022,[96] before rising slightly due to an increasing cost of capital.[24] Their cost is projected to fall significantly to 2030 and 2050,[99]: 26  driving down the cost of green hydrogen alongside the falling cost of renewable power generation.[100][92]: 28  It is cheapest to produce green hydrogen with surplus renewable power that would otherwise be curtailed, which favors electrolyzers capable of responding to low and variable power levels.[99]: 5 

A 2022 Goldman Sachs analysis anticipates that globally green hydrogen will achieve cost parity with grey hydrogen by 2030, earlier if a global carbon tax is placed on gray hydrogen.[13] In terms of cost per unit of energy, blue and gray hydrogen will always cost more than the fossil fuels used in its production, while green hydrogen will always cost more than the renewable electricity used to make it.

Subsidies for clean hydrogen production are much higher in the US and EU than in India.[101]

Examples and pilot programs

[edit]
A Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro powered by hydrogen fuel cells in Brno, Czech Republic

The distribution of hydrogen for the purpose of transportation is being tested around the world, particularly in the US (California, Massachusetts), Canada, Japan, the EU (Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Germany), and Iceland.

An indicator of the presence of large natural gas infrastructures already in place in countries and in use by citizens is the number of natural gas vehicles present in the country. The countries with the largest amount of natural gas vehicles are (in order of magnitude):[102] Iran, China, Pakistan, Argentina, India, Brazil, Italy, Colombia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Bolivia, Armenia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Peru, Ukraine, the United States. Natural gas vehicles can also be converted to run on hydrogen.

Also, in a few private homes, fuel cell micro-CHP plants can be found, which can operate on hydrogen, or other fuels as natural gas or LPG.[103][104]

Australia

[edit]

Western Australia's Department of Planning and Infrastructure operated three Daimler Chrysler Citaro fuel cell buses as part of its Sustainable Transport Energy for Perth Fuel Cells Bus Trial in Perth.[105] The buses were operated by Path Transit on regular Transperth public bus routes. The trial began in September 2004 and concluded in September 2007. The buses' fuel cells used a proton exchange membrane system and were supplied with raw hydrogen from a BP refinery in Kwinana, south of Perth. The hydrogen was a byproduct of the refinery's industrial process. The buses were refueled at a station in the northern Perth suburb of Malaga.

In October 2021, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Andrew Forrest announced that Queensland will be home to the world's largest hydrogen plant.[106]

In Australia, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has invested $55 million in 28 hydrogen projects, from early stage research and development to early stage trials and deployments. The agency's stated goal is to produce hydrogen by electrolysis for $2 per kilogram, announced by Minister for Energy and Emissions Angus Taylor in a 2021 Low Emissions Technology Statement.[107]

European Union

[edit]

Countries in the EU which have a relatively large natural gas pipeline system already in place include Belgium, Germany, France, and the Netherlands.[108] In 2020, The EU launched its European Clean Hydrogen Alliance (ECHA).[109][110]

France

[edit]

Green hydrogen has become more common in France. A €150 million Green Hydrogen Plan was established in 2019, and it calls for building the infrastructure necessary to create, store, and distribute hydrogen as well as using the fuel to power local transportation systems like buses and trains. Corridor H2, a similar initiative, will create a network of hydrogen distribution facilities in Occitania along the route between the Mediterranean and the North Sea. The Corridor H2 project will get a €40 million loan from the EIB.[111][112]

Germany

[edit]

German car manufacturer BMW has been working with hydrogen for years.[quantify].[113] The German government has announced plans to hold tenders for 5.5 GW of new hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants and 2 GW of "comprehensive H2-ready modernisations" of existing gas power stations at the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025[114]

Iceland

[edit]

Iceland has committed to becoming the world's first hydrogen economy by the year 2050.[115] Iceland is in a unique position. Presently,[when?] it imports all the petroleum products necessary to power its automobiles and fishing fleet. Iceland has large geothermal resources, so much that the local price of electricity actually is lower than the price of the hydrocarbons that could be used to produce that electricity.

Iceland already converts its surplus electricity into exportable goods and hydrocarbon replacements. In 2002, it produced 2,000 tons of hydrogen gas by electrolysis, primarily for the production of ammonia (NH3) for fertilizer. Ammonia is produced, transported, and used throughout the world, and 90% of the cost of ammonia is the cost of the energy to produce it.

Neither industry directly replaces hydrocarbons. Reykjavík, Iceland, had a small pilot fleet of city buses running on compressed hydrogen,[116] and research on powering the nation's fishing fleet with hydrogen is under way (for example by companies as Icelandic New Energy). For more practical purposes, Iceland might process imported oil with hydrogen to extend it, rather than to replace it altogether.

The Reykjavík buses are part of a larger program, HyFLEET:CUTE,[117] operating hydrogen fueled buses in eight European cities. HyFLEET:CUTE buses were also operated in Beijing, China and Perth, Australia (see below). A pilot project demonstrating a hydrogen economy is operational on the Norwegian island of Utsira. The installation combines wind power and hydrogen power. In periods when there is surplus wind energy, the excess power is used for generating hydrogen by electrolysis. The hydrogen is stored, and is available for power generation in periods when there is little wind.[citation needed]

India

[edit]

India is said to adopt hydrogen and H-CNG, due to several reasons, amongst which the fact that a national rollout of natural gas networks is already taking place and natural gas is already a major vehicle fuel. In addition, India suffers from extreme air pollution in urban areas.[118][119] According to some estimates, nearly 80% of India's hydrogen is projected to be green, driven by cost declines and new production technologies.[120]

Currently however, hydrogen energy is just at the Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) stage.[121][122] As a result, the number of hydrogen stations may still be low,[123] although much more are expected to be introduced soon.[124][125][126]

Poland

[edit]

It planning open first hydrogen publication stations, The Ministry of Climate and Environment (MKiŚ) will soon schan competitions for 2-3 hydrogen refueling stations, Polish Deputy Minister in this ministry Krzysztof Bolesta.[127]

Saudi Arabia

[edit]

Saudi Arabia as a part of the NEOM project, is looking to produce roughly 1.2 million tonnes of green ammonia a year, beginning production in 2025.[128]

In Cairo, Egypt, Saudi real estate funding skyscraper project powered by hydrogen.[129]

Turkey

[edit]

The Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization created the International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (UNIDO-ICHET) in Istanbul in 2004 and it ran to 2012.[130] In 2023 the ministry published a Hydrogen Technologies Strategy and Roadmap.[131]

United Kingdom

[edit]

The UK started a fuel cell pilot program in January 2004, the program ran two Fuel cell buses on route 25 in London until December 2005, and switched to route RV1 until January 2007.[132] The Hydrogen Expedition is currently working to create a hydrogen fuel cell-powered ship and using it to circumnavigate the globe, as a way to demonstrate the capability of hydrogen fuel cells.[133] In August 2021 the UK Government claimed it was the first to have a Hydrogen Strategy and produced a document.[134]

In August 2021, Chris Jackson quit as chair of the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, a leading hydrogen industry association, claiming that UK and Norwegian oil companies had intentionally inflated their cost projections for blue hydrogen in order to maximize future technology support payments by the UK government.[135]

United States

[edit]

Several domestic U.S. automobile companies have developed vehicles using hydrogen, such as GM and Toyota.[136] However, as of February 2020, infrastructure for hydrogen was underdeveloped except in some parts of California.[137] The United States have their own hydrogen policy.[citation needed] A joint venture between NREL and Xcel Energy is combining wind power and hydrogen power in the same way in Colorado.[138] Hydro in Newfoundland and Labrador are converting the current wind-diesel Power System on the remote island of Ramea into a Wind-Hydrogen Hybrid Power Systems facility.[139] Five pump station hubs being delivered to heavy-duty H2 trucks in Texas.[140] Hydrogen City built Green by Hydrogen International (GHI), to planning open in 2026.[141]

In 2006, Florida’s infrastructure project was commissioned.[142] First opened Orlando as public bus transportation, Ford Motor Company announced putting a fleet of hydrogen-fueled Ford E-450.[143][144] Liquidated hydrogen mobile system was constructed at Titusville.[145][146] An FPL’s pilot clean hydrogen facility operated in Okeechobee County.[147]

A similar pilot project on Stuart Island uses solar power, instead of wind power, to generate electricity. When excess electricity is available after the batteries are fully charged, hydrogen is generated by electrolysis and stored for later production of electricity by fuel cell.[148] The US also have a large natural gas pipeline system already in place.[108]

Vietnam

[edit]

Việt Nam Energy Association have included green hydrogenation support.[149] Australian clean energy company Pure Hydrogen Corporation Limited announced on July 22 that it has signed an MoU with Vietnam public transportation.[150]

See also

[edit]

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