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 Hydrogen has numerous applications in energy, transportation and manufacturing industries with even a greater number of benefits. It is environmentally friendly, renewable, reliable, efficient, reduces dependence on fossil fuels and creates a new economy. When combusted (oxidized), hydrogen's only by-products are heat and water (4H + O2 = 2 H20). The emission is free from carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the single largest contributing factor to pollution and global warming. Conventional fossil fuels, on the other hand, emit large amounts of green house gases, including CO2. Oil, for instance, produces 162 particles of carbon dioxide, while coal, from which half of the United States' electricity is generated, produces 240.
Apart from pollution, carbon dioxide is also believed to be responsible for global warming by retaining more of the sun's heat in the atmosphere. As well as higher temperatures, its predicted consequences include climate instability and more extreme weather events, such as hurricanes. By producing no carbon dioxide, hydrogen provides an environmentally friendly source of energy, which makes it far more favorable than fossil fuels. Hydrogen is a renewable source of energy, which can be produced from replenishable resources. 93% of the total energy we use today comes from non-renewable resources. For instance, almost all the world's 520 million cars and trucks burn fossil fuels, which are in limited supply and rapidly depleting. Using hydrogen as a source of energy will increase power generation from renewable resources significantly.
Reliable Hydrogen has the highest energy content per unit of weight (52,000 British Thermal Units per pound) of any known fuel and burns more efficiently (50% more efficiently than gasoline). Also, its long-term costs, including the environmental costs, which are often overlooked in case of fossil fuels, are low. High energy content, efficient combustion and lower long-term costs, make hydrogen an efficient source of energy. Reduces dependence on fossil fuels By using hydrogen as a source of energy, dependence on fossil fuels and oil import vulnerabilities can be reduced. For example, in the U.S. alone, by reaching the Department of Energy's goal of hydrogen-based energy providing 10% of total domestic energy consumption by 2025, dependence on oil imports could be reduced by half. The benefits will be more pronounced in countries, such as Japan, with a much higher level of reliance on oil imports.
Hydrogen can fuel a new economy, worth billions of dollars in revenues and jobs, that is no longer dependent on oil related fluctuations such as imports and inflation. For example, according to industry sources, a 2% market share in passenger cars in California alone could add 70,000 new jobs to the state.
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Automotive exhaust emissions are the largest source of air pollution in the world today, especially in urban areas. In the United States alone, about half of all air pollution regulated under federal law and 31% of the CO2 emissions implicated in global warming come from automobiles.
