Fuel cells are an energy conversion technology experiencing a rapid development. Their advantages include quiet operation, a modular construction that is easily scalable and higher efficiencies than conventional energy technologies. Thus, fuel cells are attractive for a wide spectrum of potential applications, including combined heat and power (CHP), distributed power generation and transport. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices which convert the energy of a chemical reaction directly into electricity, with heat as a by-product. They are similar in principle to primary batteries except that the fuel and oxidant are stored externally, allowing a continuing operation as long as fuel and oxidant (oxygen or air) are supplied. Stationary fuel cell systems have been installed world-wide and have demonstrated excellent fuel efficiency and reliability. And fuel cells are also attracting interest for providing portable power for laptop computers, mobile telephones etc.

Hydrogen is both an energy vector and a fuel. As the significant secondary energy source, it can store and deliver energy in a usable form. Hydrogen offers several advantages:

It can be produced using abundant and diverse domestic energy resources, including fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal; renewable energy resources, such as solar, wind, and biomass; and nuclear energy. This diversity of energy supply would mean we do not need to rely on any single energy resource or on foreign sources of energy. Producing hydrogen from renewable and nuclear sources, and from fossil fuel-based systems with carbon sequestration, yields near-zero greenhouse gas or criteria emissions. Hydrogen can power all sectors of the economy – transportation, power, industrial, and buildings.

It is widely believed that our reliance on finite fossil energy is unsustainable, both environmentally and economically, increasing the necessity of nations to explore a wide range of potential energy solutions. Hydrogen could have a significant impact in the transportation market by replacing petroleum as an alternative energy. It carries higher density than pure electrons (more range than battery cars) and it can be produced via renewable energy generation. It could also act as catalyst in the proliferation of other renewable technologies such as wind and solar because of the demand hydrogen production creates for electricity. Therefore, the generation of hydrogen could go hand in hand with some of the other emerging alternative fuel sources. Since much of the success of hydrogen depends on further technological advancements, it is hard to quantify its future role; nevertheless, the R&D of hydrogen has yielded promising results, bolstering the potential of hydrogen as a reliable energy source. As a testament to this, many nations have invested significant funds towards the advancement of hydrogen energy.

Hydrogen overall is a very clean fuel. Replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen in providing energy services could bring major environmental benefits, depending on how it is produced. If hydrogen is extracted from a fossil fuel, then often CO2, one kind of Greenhouse Gases, is a by-product of the process, but the level of CO2 emitted in the hydrogen-production process is lowered. And burning hydrogen in the presence of oxygen in a fuel cell produces no harmful emissions. When it comes to hydrogen production, research is underway to combine CO2 sequestration (Carbon capture and storage – CCS) and hydrogen production, drastically reducing Greenhouse Gases emissions. If hydrogen is created from nuclear power of renewables, the process is emission-free, carbon-neutral and has virtually no adverse impact on the environment.

The world’s consumption of energy will only go higher in the coming decades. Conventional hydrocarbon energy sources will become harder to be extracted and price of fossil fuel will become more vulnerable to different shocks and crisis. While research to enhance energy production from renewable energy is ongoing, methods and strategies to store excessive energy and to optimize energy produced are also required to achieve a sustainable economy. Hydrogen is a great candidate to serve as an intermediate energy vector and carrier to optimize energy efficiency, achieve energy sustainability and suitable storage in every sector of the economy. Hydrogen’s potential merits continued research and deployment.