Hydrogen—The Renewable Resource of the Future

Advantages and drawbacks

The advantages of hydrogen

• Presently, hydrogen is viewed as the ultimate fuel because if it is produced from renewable sources, it generates zero pollution with water being the only byproduct.
• A pound of hydrogen has three times the energy value of gasoline.
• It can be manufactured safely and in large volume.

The drawbacks of hydrogen

• It remains unclear as to when the automotive technology and infrastructure support will be developed to a point where hydrogen as a motor fuel can be commercialized.
• Significant hydrogenstorage, delivery, and cost hurdles must be overcome before hydrogencan be viewed as a large scale solution.
• Presently, there are fewer than 10 Hydrogen refueling sites in the US. The Federal Government and private industry are working on solving fuel transportation, delivery, storage, and public use issues, but years of developmental work are ahead. The goal is to have hydrogen priced competitively with other fuel alternatives, and as readily available as gasoline is today.

Potential impact on human health and the environment

When produced from renewable sources and available in large volume for motor and stationary fuel use, hydrogen promises to be the ultimate environmental fuel — the only byproduct will be water.