Hydrogen is the lightest element in the universe and the most abundant, so on paper, hydrogen fuel has a lot going for it. Although it rarely exists on its own on Earth, it can be produced using
Hydrogen is mostly used for oil refining and chemical production. This hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuels, with significant associated CO2 emissions.
Hydrogen is a clean alternative to methane and is the most abundant chemical element, estimated to contribute 75% of the mass of the universe. Find out why hydrogen is important as a future clean energy source to fuel our homes and businesses.
Key Hydrogen Facts: Most abundant element in the universe. Present in common substances (water, sugar, methane) Very high energy by weight (3x more than gasoline) Can be used to make fertilizer, steel, as a fuel in trucks, trains, ships, and more.
But in recent years, "green hydrogen" — hydrogen made without fossil fuels — has been identified as the clean energy source that could help bring the world to net-zero emissions.
Hydrogen (H 2) is an alternative fuel that can be produced from diverse domestic resources. Although the market for hydrogen as a transportation fuel is in its infancy, government and industry are working toward clean, economical, and safe hydrogen production and distribution for widespread use in fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
Hydrogen has the highest energy content of any common fuel by weight (about three times more than gasoline), but it has the lowest energy content by volume as a liquid (about four times less than gasoline).
Hydrogen is a clean fuel that, when consumed in a fuel cell, produces only water. Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of domestic resources, such as natural gas, nuclear power, biomass, and renewable power like solar and wind.
Scientists are exploring hydrogen as a clean energy source to combat climate change, focusing on its production through water electrolysis and use in fuel cells for transportation, aligning with the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Some scientists believe hydrogen energy may be a cleaner, more efficient way to power our world. Hydrogen is a naturally occurring gas, and it is the most abundant substance in the universe. (The word in Greek means "water former" because hydrogen creates water when burned.)