Hydrogen Economy

With the rapid rise of oil prices today, there might already be a need for the world to try out another type of fuel that would power up factories and plants as well as future vehicles. One of the alternative sources of fuel being eyed is hydrogen. When proven to be a successful alternative fuel, hydrogen may give rise to what is popularly known as the hydrogen economy.

The hydrogen economy is supposedly new economy where the energy needed to run a country or community is derived from hydrogen. The primary purpose of the hydrogen economy as theorized is to avoid and possibly eliminate the use and dependence of carbon based fossil fuels for energy needs. In doing so, the hydrogen economy may introduce vast improvements in the way of life for humans by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, provide a stable economy with a abundant replacement for dwindling supplies of fossil fuel as well as provide energy independence for countries without their own oil resources.

Is it possible?

Proponents of a hydrogen economy suggest that the use of hydrogen is an environmentally cleaner alternative source of energy. Hydrogen as an energy source is known as not to release pollutants or greenhouse gases in the air. Studies have shown that the use of hydrogen would release significantly less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as compared to gasoline that is used in hybrid electric vehicles.

Disadvantages of hydrogen economy

Critics of the hydrogen economy argue that for many planned applications of hydrogen, there are other alternatives that might prove to be a better option. Alternatives such as direct distribution and use of energy in the form of electricity, or alternate means of storage such as the use of chemical batteries, fuel plus fuel cells, or the production of liquid synthetic fuels from CO2 might be able to accomplish many of the same goals aspired by the hydrogen economy. But these other alternatives might require only a small fraction of the investment in new infrastructure as what is being proposed when changing to a totally new energy source.

Not only that, some critics believe that the use of hydrogen might be a less efficient and more expensive alternative to gasoline. Current technology may not be able to provide the necessary requirements in order for the hydrogen economy to run. But still, with the debate going on, the hydrogen economy might be something that is worth considering in a way that it provides a logical alternative to a world that has depended long enough on fossil fuels with disastrous consequences on the environment.