Hydrogen Is Not There Yet as a Clean Fuel Alternative

More work is necessary to make hydrogen fuel cost competitive with gasoline and diesel and ensure it delivers on its zero-emission promise.

A new report from Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) concludes hydrogen fuel may not be as feasible as a fossil fuel replacement as previously hoped. Writer Skip Descant summarizes the report’s findings in a recent article for Government Technology.

“In recent years hydrogen has been explored and advocated in much the same fashion as battery-electric technology for cars, trucks, and host of other vehicles,” Descant writes. But its fossil fuel-heavy production methods and complicated storage and distribution network currently make it too expensive to replace gasoline and diesel–and counteract its carbon neutral claims.

Though hydrogen power produces no harmful greenhouse gases (GHG) when it’s used, 98 percent of hydrogen produced today relies on fossil-fuel heavy production methods, according to the ITIF report, titled A Realist Approach to Hydrogen.

“The economies of scaling this type of hydrogen production are currently not feasible, the report concluded,” writes Descant. For hydrogen fuel to reach its full green potential and become price competitive, wind and solar power generation will need to be expanded to the point that they are creating surplus that can be used for hydrogen production, experts say.

The report authors point out their findings should not be taken as a criticism of green energy or denial of climate change. They call for additional research and development of new technologies to make the cost of clean fuels like hydrogen competitive, which they say is crucial for a successful “green transition.”