Hydrogen as a Clean and Sustainable Energy Vector for Global Transition from Fossil-Based to Zero-Carbon

Damien Guilbert and Gianpaolo Vitale
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Damien Guilbert: Group of Research in Electrical Engineering of Nancy (GREEN), Université de Lorraine, GREEN, F-54000 Nancy, France
Gianpaolo Vitale: ICAR, Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking, Italian National Research Council of Italy, 90146 Palermo, Italy

Clean Technol., 2021, vol. 3, issue 4, 1-29

Abstract: Hydrogen is recognized as a promising and attractive energy carrier to decarbonize the sectors responsible for global warming, such as electricity production, industry, and transportation. However, although hydrogen releases only water as a result of its reaction with oxygen through a fuel cell, the hydrogen production pathway is currently a challenging issue since hydrogen is produced mainly from thermochemical processes (natural gas reforming, coal gasification). On the other hand, hydrogen production through water electrolysis has attracted a lot of attention as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using low-carbon sources such as renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro) and nuclear energy. In this context, by providing an environmentally-friendly fuel instead of the currently-used fuels (unleaded petrol, gasoline, kerosene), hydrogen can be used in various applications such as transportation (aircraft, boat, vehicle, and train), energy storage, industry, medicine, and power-to-gas. This article aims to provide an overview of the main hydrogen applications (including present and future) while examining funding and barriers to building a prosperous future for the nation by addressing all the critical challenges met in all energy sectors.

Keywords: hydrogen; water electrolysis; alkaline electrolyzer; proton exchange membrane electrolyzer; renewable energy sources; nuclear energy; transportation; energy storage; industry; medical; power-to-gas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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