The Politics Of Hydrogen

Europe is focussing on renewable energy sources for hydrogen to power fuel cells. The U.S. is leaning towards fossil fuels.

1 minute read

February 19, 2003, 11:00 AM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"All fuel cells combine hydrogen with oxygen to produce power... without generating emissions any more harmful than water vapour...The catch, of course, is that it is first necessary to find a source of hydrogen. If renewable energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis, then the energy produced by a fuel cell is genuinely emission-free. But if energy from a hydrocarbon such as petrol or coal is used, there will still be some unwanted emissions...Europe and America do not see eye to eye on the question of how best to generate hydrogen. Europe is putting more emphasis on renewables; America, by contrast, is keen on the possibility of deriving hydrogen from fossil fuels."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

Tuesday, February 18, 2003 in The Economist

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