Benefits of Hydrogen As Energy Carrier

Benefits of Hydrogen As Energy Carrier

Hydrogen is one of the simplest and most abundant elements on our planet—it contains only one proton and one electron. Hydrogen can store and deliver usable energy, but it doesn’t typically exist by itself in nature. It is a clean and flexible energy carrier. But the benefits of Hydrogen stretch beyond it being merely being a sustainable fuel.

Let’s focus on three major benefits of Hydrogen in this post.

1. Hydrogen is a clean Fuel. The use of hydrogen greatly reduces pollution and Hydrogen fuel cells emit no greenhouse gases. When hydrogen combines with oxygen in a fuel cell, electricity is produced. We can use this electricity to power vehicles, light buildings, as a heat source and for many other uses. The only byproducts when using Hydrogen are water and heat.
2. Hydrogen is Versatile. We can produce Hydrogen locally from numerous sources. For example, we can make Hydrogen either centrally and then distribute it, or make it onsite near the plant that needs it. The most common sources of hydrogen are methane, gasoline, biomass, coal or water.
3. Producing Hydrogen From Water is Sustainable. Electrolysis is the process of separating water into hydrogen and oxygen. Renewable energy can power electrolyzers to produce hydrogen from water. Using renewable energy provides a sustainable system that is devoid of petroleum products and is nonpolluting. 

However, the biggest hurdle in using Hydrogen as an energy carrier is high cost. But with rise in use of hydrogen and technical advances, the costs of production, distribution and product manufacturing are becoming increasing affordable.

Also check out our popular blog posts if you want to know about how we get Hydrogen on earth. And the Difference between Hydrogen fuel cells and Electrolyzers?