What is hydrogen?

Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, is the foundation for the creation of heavier elements. Over 90% of all atoms and three-quarters of the universe’s mass consist of hydrogen.

In the context of energy production, hydrogen acts as an energy carrier, a channel that stores and transports energy from a source to a specific application. Although the transfer of energy through carriers like hydrogen involves some loss, often in the form of lower energy forms such as heat, they are indispensable for efficient and practical energy use.

Energy sources such as solar and wind are not directly storable or controllable in their raw form, but by converting them into electricity, we can store and distribute the energy through cables, batteries, or in the form of hydrogen. Even though batteries and hydrogen involve some energy loss in the process, they enable the transfer and use of energy across various applications.

Hydrogen gas stores energy in the shared electrons of hydrogen atoms. This energy can be harnessed through processes like electrolysis, where electricity is used to split water molecules into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, or through steam-methane reforming, where methane gas and water molecules are split at high temperatures. When these processes are powered by renewable energy, the produced hydrogen becomes an environmentally friendly alternative.