Hydrogen Fuel Advantages
In the face of rapidly dwindling fossil fuel reserves worldwide,
a number of alternative energy sources have been put forth by
various sectors of society, with hydrogen fuel being only one
of the more promising ones.
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Hydrogen is considered one of the most
important alternative fuels available, since it has the
notable advantage of being largely free of atmospheric emissions.
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When hydrogen fuel is produced via a water electrolysis process
utilizing nonpolluting sources such as wind or solar power, there
are virtually no pollutants produced with the exception of insignificant
amounts of nitrogen oxides.
And when hydrogen fuel is used in fuel cells, even these trace
substances are eliminated. The absence of carbon in such fuels
also means that no greenhouse gases are produced whatsoever. In
fact, using hydrogen as a storehouse of energy from nonpolluting
sources will result in a virtually limitless supply of clean energy.
One further advantage to using hydrogen instead of a battery
pack as an energy storage medium is that hydrogen tanks can be
refilled in as little as a few minutes as opposed to the hours
it would take to recharge a battery of similar capacity.
In addition, such hydrogen equipped fuel cells weigh a lot less
and take up much less space than a battery pack that produces
the same amount of energy. Furthermore, while battery packs admittedly
utilize energy more efficiently than hydrogen-fueled cells-making
them more suitable for short trips-hydrogen fuel is definitely
a lot more cost-effective for long runs.
One other notable advantage of hydrogen fuel is that hydrogen
is always available in substantial amounts. In fact, hydrogen
is the most abundant elements in existence, with up to ¾
of all matter being made up of this element.
Hydrogen also has the highest energy content of all fuels per
unit of weight. This makes hydrogen fuel a much more cost-effective
source of energy than any fuel currently available. This is particularly
noticeable when water is broken down into its hydrogen and oxygen
components, which produce a flame that is cool enough to touch,
yet can cut through steel easily.
Hydrogen is also one of the few renewable fuel sources available.
Hydrogen is readily available from water of course, and the process
of using it as a source of fuel requires only a process in which
water is broken down into its hydrogen and oxygen components.
Finally, hydrogen fuel has the significant benefit of reducing
reliance on foreign sources of oil. Fossil fuel-which is the main
source of energy in the world-is already in dwindling supply (and
has been for a number of years in fact), and by developing various
means to produce hydrogen fuel, the channeling of funds into foreign
oil purchases can be cut down drastically. This may in turn have
a positive effect on the economy of the country.
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