Home About Hydrogen Facts

Facts.

We need hydrogen because of the world’s needs for energy are growing, while our impact on the environment should be reduced. Hydrogen has the potential to play a major role in the energy transition.

However, many misconceptions about hydrogen and its uses still exist. Find out more below and learn to distinguish fact from fiction!

 

  • Hydrogen can act as an energy carrier or fuel. It has a far higher energy density than petrol, diesel or natural gas on a per kg basis.
  • Hydrogen is the most abundant substance (75%) in the universe and the richest energy source for stars.
  • Hydrogen is also extremely light. The downside is that it needs to be compressed to high pressure to obtain high energy densities on a volumetric basis. The upside is that it is highly fluid and disperses in the air so quickly that it is almost impossible to create an explosion with hydrogen.
  • With increased renewable (electrical) energy generation from wind, solar and hydro there is a growing need for an energy buffer to match supply and demand of energy. Hydrogen is abundantly available, is easy to make from electricity, easy to transport and easy to convert back to electricity. Therefore hydrogen is viewed as the ideal energy carrier to solve this problem.
  • Hydrogen is environmentally friendly. It is neither toxic nor hazardous and has no known effect on human health or the environment. Combined with oxygen, hydrogen only emits water when used as a fuel for a vehicle. NASA fuels its spaceships with hydrogen, and the resulting water is so pure astronauts drink it!
  • Driving in a hydrogen-fueled vehicle is not dangerous. There are very strict standards and tests for equipment. For instance, a hydrogen tank made of carbon fiber is more impact resistant than any other piece in a car.
  • Vehicles that use hydrogen in an internal combustion engine are about 30% more efficient than comparable gasoline vehicles. Best of all, they produce ultra-low emissions, with no CO2. Fuel Cells are ideally suited for cars that use electrical systems instead of hydraulics for functions such as steering and braking. These cars are two to three times more energy efficient than gas cars. Also, in a fuel cell electric vehicle, automakers can put the powertrain anywhere, which gives them the ultimate in design freedom.
  • Hydrogen can be produced using diverse resources including fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal, biomass, non-food crops, nuclear energy and renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power to split water.
  • The world’s largest hydrogen electrolysis plant is currently being built at Rhineland refinery, Germany.