Could hydrogen fuel replace fossil fuels completely?
August 17, 2024H2 has considerable potential, but could it be the one clean energy alternative needed?
Hydrogen fuel was hovering just below the spotlight for many years, before bursting into top headlines much more recently as the world turns its attention to decarbonizing in order to combat climate change and stimulate economic growth.
H2 has many advantages in alternative energy
Hydrogen fuel has a lot to offer when it comes to zero-emission energy. It can be produced in many different ways, it is energy dense, meaning that it can be used to power even heavy-duty machinery and vehicles, such as mining equipment, massive container ships, and aircraft. In this way, it can be used to replace fossil fuels in some of the most polluting industries.
Another advantage to the use of H2 when used in vehicles is that it provides a solid amount of range. This means that the vehicle can be used for a good amount of time and distance before its tank needs to be refilled.
Speaking of refilling, it’s also important to point out that the process of refilling an H2 tank is about equivalent to the time required to refill a typical gasoline or diesel tank for an equivalent fossil fuel-powered vehicle.
Hydrogen fuel isn’t ideal for all purposes
As promising as H2 may be and while it does have a large number of advantages, this doesn’t mean that it’s ideal for all applications. In fact, so far, it doesn’t appear that any zero-emission energy source can claim that title. Instead, it looks as though H2 will be an important factor in a mix of different alternative energy sources as the world decarbonizes.
This is particularly true at the moment, before a reliable refueling infrastructure can be put into place in areas where drivers and fleet operators might be interested in purchasing an H2-powered vehicle.
Finding its place
Around the world, there are new projects for production, distribution, and use of hydrogen fuel already underway. Moreover, there are other projects at various stages of conception, agreement, and launch. This is particularly true of green hydrogen produced with electrolysis and renewable energy such as wind and solar, which must replace the polluting gray hydrogen production methods if it is to be considered a truly clean form of energy.