What are some of the benefits and obstacles to using hydrogen as a fuel?
What will be an ideal response?
Hydrogen fuel is clean, nontoxic, and produces few pollutants. It is comparatively safe to transport and store and is energy-efficient. The basic source for hydrogen is water, which can be broken down to component hydrogen and oxygen gases either by electrolysis or high temperature pyrolysis. Both these processes require large amounts of energy inputs. If the power needed is from nonrenewable fossil fuels, there is a question whether it can be sustainable and not contribute to global climate change and other sorts of air pollution. If the power can be provided by solar technologies, then large-scale hydrogen usage has a clearer future. Both Iceland and Germany are planning large-scale hydrogen transportation projects by converting bus fleets to hydrogen. However, the general economic downturn since 2008 has delayed the progress of establishing the hydrogen infrastructure.
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