June 13, 2021

When we normally think about clean energy, many may think about wind energy, solar energy, or bio energy. But a new, so called, "hydrogen fuel energy", may be another step towards the global goal of clean energy. But what is hydrogen fuel, how does it work and how will it help make the switch to cleaner energy?

Hydrogen can be used in many different ways to produce energy. One way is through fuel cells. A fuel cell is essentially just a battery but it doesn't run down or need any charging. In simple words, hydrogen is fed into the fuel cell on one side, while oxygen is fed to the other side of the fuel cell. When both these molecules combine to make the H20 molecule compound, they release energy and heat, but also water as a byproduct. Hence, by using hydrogen as a fuel source, we would be making fuel through chemical reactions rather than combustion.

Hydrogen fuel can be used pretty much anywhere as its only byproducts are oxygen and water. It is used, in cars, houses, for portable power and applied in many more ways. So why haven't most of use seen these around like we see the Tesla EVs? Hydrogen fuel is just emerging. Hydrogen fuel cells are currently being applied to transportation. Most automobile manufacturers are now analyzing the latest prototypes of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

So, how will hydrogen fuel help make the switch to clean energy? Well, the only byproducts of the combustion of hydrogen water and oxygen, and unlike other fossil fuels, hydrogen combustion does not produce carbon dioxide or release greenhouse gases into the air, making it a clean source of energy.

Many of these hydrogen vehicles are still in review today and are not being used because hydrogen is not a naturally occurring substance. It has to be extracted, then compressed to be put into hydrogen tanks. Then, it is passed into fuel cell stacks with oxygen to make fuel. Hydrogen also costs quite a lot. This is why some countries have even deterred from using hydrogen fuel.

Although there is much process to hydrogen fuel, and although it is not cost-effective either, hydrogen fuel is a vital part and should be an essential goal, for making the step to clean energy. An investment in hydrogen will eventually be an investment in our future.