AUSTRALIA
FAQ
Hydrogen is being used in a number of applications.
There are thousands of hydrogen powered cars on the road in Japan and California. There are hydrogen busses in service in a number of places. Many companies are using hydrogen powered fork lifts.
The biggest impediments to broader uptake are costs relative to other fuels and infrastructure, such as hydrogen fill stations.
Costs will come down rapidly with developments in technology and economies of scale. Government support through subsidies and infrastructure development will accelerate the process, just like with solar panels over the last 20 years.
Hydrogen is a compressed , combustible gas, so safety is an important consideration.
This is all manageable with appropriate standards and practices, just like with petrol, LPG in camp ovens and vehicles, natural gas in our homes etc.
95% of current hydrogen production uses steam and natural gas. This method produces hydrogen but it also produces carbon dioxide.
Hydrogen can be produced from electrolysis of water (H2O). The only products are hydrogen and oxygen. This is a totally renewable process. Currently it is more expensive than steam reformation from natural gas. We need to work on improving the efficiencies and reducing costs of electrolysis to produce green hydrogen.