Hydrogen

Introduction:

Hydrogen (H 2 ) can be produced from fossil fuels (such as coal), nuclear power or renewable resources, such as hydropower

Importance of hydrogen:

• Fuel cell vehicles powered by pure hydrogen emit no harmful air pollutants.

• Hydrogen is being aggressively explored as a fuel for passenger vehicles. It can be used in fuel cells to power electric motors or burned in internal combustion engines.

• Hydrogen is an environmentally friendly fuel that has the potential to dramatically reduce dependence on oil, but several significant challenges must be overcome before it can be widely used.

Advantages:

● can be produced from several sources, reducing dependence on petroleum

● no air pollutants or greenhouse gases when used in fuel cells

● it produces only NO x when burned in internal combustion engines.

Disadvantages:

● expensive to produce and is only available at a few locations

● fuel cell vehicles are currently too expensive for most consumers

● hydrogen has a lower energy density than conventional petroleum fuels, so it is difficult to store enough hydrogen on a vehicle to travel more than 200 miles.