Challenges and future directions to improve the hydrogen economy

Abstract

Hydrogen has significant potential as a versatile energy carrier in global energy conversion. Renewable and non-renewable sources of hydrogen can be utilized to produce environmentally friendly hydrogen. Biogasification, steam methane reforming, electrolysis, and petrochemical water splitting are the most common production methods. The demand for hydrogen remains primarily driven by oil refinement, which produces more than 99 % of the fuel including automative fuel cell applications. For hydrogen to be a proper climate solution, it must be based on fossil fuel infrastructure. Despite these challenges, industry, transportation, and power generation present promising opportunities for the hydrogen economy. The process of hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and utilization for fuel involves several steps. A comprehensive analysis of the current state of hydrogen is presented here, along with a discussion of its future trajectory, including advances in production technology, fuel application, infrastructure development, and applications in several industries. It will take substantial investments and collaborations to transition from laboratory-scale to large-scale commercial hydrogen production. It is crucial to have critical discussions on cost, infrastructure gaps, and technological limitations if hydrogen is to realize its full potential in decarbonizing global energy systems.