Advanced Energy Materials and Research

Hydrogen Energy

Hydrogen can be utilized in fuel cells to produce power by a chemical reaction instead of combustion, generating only water and heat as byproducts. It can be used in cars, in houses, for mobile power, and in many more applications. Hydrogen can be produced using various, domestic resources—including fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal (with carbon sequestration); nuclear energy; and other renewable energy sources, such as biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro-electric power—using a wide range of processes. The overall challenge to hydrogen generation is cost. For cost-competitive transportation, a key driver for energy independence, hydrogen must be comparable to conventional fuels and technologies.